How Does the World Celebrate the Holidays?
Staff Writer Gabriella Leone

The reason we say “Happy Holidays” is because not everyone celebrates Christmas. Other then Christmas, there is Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Junkanoo, Three Kings Day, Eid-al-Adha, Lunar New Year, World Religion Day, Las Posadas, Bodhi Day and St. Nicholas Day.

According to Fox News, 96 percent of America celebrates Christmas, 4 percent celebrates Hanukkah, and 3 percent celebrate Kwanzaa, but around the world, people are celebrating other holidays.

Christmas is the most popular holiday. It is the celebration of Jesus Christ, the Christian savior and son of God. In many places in the world, Christmas Eve is celebrated on Dec. 24 and Christmas Day is celebrated on Dec. 25. The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates Christmas on Jan. 6 and the Eastern Orthodox Churches observe Christmas on Jan. 7. There is not one specific date because the birth of Jesus is not specifically known. The celebration of Christmas for most involves going to church, eating with family and exchanging gifts that children get from Santa Claus.

Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday that is the celebration of a revolution against the suppression of the Jewish religion. It’s celebrated from late November to December, sometimes overlapping Christmas. It lasts for eight days and every day, one candle on the menorah, an object that holds nine candles, is lit and one gift is exchanged.

Kwanzaa is the holiday that is based on the seven principals of Unity, Faith, Creativity, Cooperative Economies, Purpose, Collective Work, Determination and Responsibility. It is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. This week-long celebration has activities such as candle lighting, gift-giving following the seven principles, a feast of crops, and being with family.

Children in Mexico whose families celebrate the Christian holiday, Three Kings Day, receive their gifts on Jan. 6. On this day, people celebrate the biblical story of the three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to see and give gifts to Jesus Christ.

St. Los Posadas, “The Inn,” is also a Christian holiday celebrated in Mexico, but it takes place from Dec. 16 to Dec. 24. Children reenact Joseph and Mary’s, the parents of Jesus Christ, search for a place where Mary could give birth. The children, dressed as Mary and Joseph, walk down the streets of their neighborhood and ask if there is any room for them.

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated in Northern Europe on Dec. 6. Children place shoes outside to be filled with gifts and treats from Santa Claus, who they learn is actually St. Nicholas, a Fourth Century bishop recognized for his kindness.      

Junkanoo, Eid-al-Adha, Lunar New Year, World Religion Day, and Bodhi Day are also holidays celebrated during the winter months. Junakanoo is a festival in the Bahamas that takes place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. People wear masks and dance in the streets from 2 a.m. till dawn. This is the celebration of the freedom slaves were given for three days around Christmas.

Eid-al-Adha is a Muslim holiday that begins on Jan. 10 and is a three-day feast that follows the Pilgrimage to Mecca. It celebrates Ibraham’s (Abraham) compliance to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah (God). Muslims believe that Ishmael is the forefather of the Arabs.

The Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese celebrate Lunar New Year for two weeks in late January or early February. This is the celebration of the New Year and the first three days of the first lunar moon, people dress up in costumes and exchange gifts.

World Religion Day is Jan. 15 and is from the Baha’i religion. The message of this holiday is that mankind has been split up and must strive towards coming together again.

Bodhi Day, the most important holiday for Buddhists, is celebrated on Dec. 8. Buddhists commemorate the Enlightment of Shakyamuni Buddha, a spiritual teacher and the most supreme Buddha.

There is no doubt that there must be even more holidays than these that are celebrated during the winter months and although each one is unique, they all have an underlying common quality. All these holidays are about people coming together. They are about letting go of hate, destruction and war and accepting family, love and peace.