If you are like me, there is a lot going on in the month of December. Curious as to how many holidays there are in December, I did a Google search “Winter Holidays in December.” To my surprise 25 holidays popped up! I found that I was knowledgeable about most, some I had heard of, and others were a complete unknown. Most have a religious affiliation, but not all.
How many of these holidays are new to you?
- Advent: Begins late November/early December. This is a season of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas. For the four weeks leading up to December 25, many Christians observe this time with special prayers, devotionals, and Advent calendars.
- Bodhi Day: Celebrated December 8. Observed by Buddhists, this holiday commemorates the day Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha. Traditions include meditation, studying the Dharma, and decorating Ficus trees with lights.
- Boxing Day: A public holiday typically celebrated on December 26 in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries like Canada and Australia. The origins are debated, but the holiday is thought to have begun with giving gifts, or “Christmas boxes,” to the poor or to servants. Modern traditions often include shopping post-Christmas sales, watching sporting events, and eating leftovers from the previous day’s feast
- Christmas: Celebrated by many Christians on December 25, while some Eastern Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar, which places the holiday on January 7. Marks the birth of Jesus Christ, and has also developed into a secular holiday with a focus on family, giving, and joy. Popular customs include decorating Christmas trees, caroling, exchanging gifts, and attending church services. The secular figure of Santa Claus is also a central tradition.
- Christmas Eve: Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas Day.
- Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe: The day of the Virgin of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12 to commemorate the 1531 apparition of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant, on the hill of Tepeyac. This miraculous appearance, which left an image of Mary on Juan Diego’s cloak, is seen as a symbol of hope, love, and compassion, and the celebration honors her role as the “Queen of Mexico” and a protector of all who call upon her. The celebration merges Indigenous and Spanish heritage and has become a deeply ingrained religious and cultural icon for people of Mexican descent in the United States and worldwide.
- Diwali: Diwali is a five-day religious festival to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. It is often called the Festival of Lights and is observed primarily in India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka by those practicing Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. During the festival, people hang colorful lanterns in their homes and in the streets, exchange gifts, and eat traditional foods.
- Festivus: A secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as an alternative to the perceived pressures and commercialism of the Christmas season. Originally created by author Daniel O’Keefe, Festivus entered popular culture after it was made the focus of the 1997 Seinfeld episode “The Strike”, which O’Keefe’s son, Dan O’Keefe, co-wrote.
- Hanukkah: An eight-day Jewish “Festival of Lights,” Hanukkah begins on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev. In 2025, it will be celebrated from sundown on December 14 to sundown on December 22. Commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt. A nightly menorah lighting, special prayers, and eating fried foods like latkes and sufganiyot are common. Playing the dreidel game and giving gifts are also traditions.
- Hogmanay: Celebrated December 31. The Scottish celebration of New Year’s Eve is known for lively street parties, fireworks, and the tradition of “first footing,” where the first person to enter a house in the new year brings gifts.
- Human Rights Day: Is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year. The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations.
- Immaculate Conception Day: Celebrated December 8. It is a holy day for Roman Catholics and celebrates the belief that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin. It is a public holiday in some countries.
- International Migrants Day: Celebrated on December 18. On 18 December 1990, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
- Krampusnacht: Is a Central European holiday celebrated on the evening of December 5th, the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas. Krampus, a demonic, goat-like creature, accompanies St. Nicholas to punish naughty children, while the benevolent St. Nicholas rewards well-behaved children with small gifts. The tradition has pre-Christian pagan roots and has experienced a recent resurgence in popularity, with events like Krampus runs and parades held in Europe and North America.
- Kwanzaa: This week-long celebration of African American culture runs from December 26 to January 1. Created in 1966, Kwanzaa celebrates community, family, and heritage. The name is from the Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits”. Celebrations include songs, dances, storytelling, and a large feast called a karamu on December 31. Each of the seven nights, a candle is lit on the kinara to represent one of the seven core principles.
- Las Posadas: Celebrated December 16–24. A nine-day festival in Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of the Southwestern U.S., it commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Communities participate in processions, feasts, and piñata parties.
- New Year’s Eve: Celebrated on December 31, the last day of the year. Marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Festivities often include parties, fireworks, and making resolutions for the upcoming year.
- Ōmisoka: Celebrated December 31. On the last day of the year in Japan, families traditionally gather for a final meal of the year and eat long noodles called toshikoshi-soba.
- Saint Lucy’s Day: Also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December is most widely celebrated in Scandinavia and Italy. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-fourth-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution. According to legend, St. Lucy brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs, wearing a candlelit wreath on her head which lit her way and kept her hands free to carry as much food as possible. Throughout Europe, many families celebrate with a procession of children dressed in white, carrying candles. Girls usually wear a white dress with a red sash around the waist and a crown of candles. It is traditional to serve a round coffee cake with seven candles placed in a circle called St. Lucia Crown Cake. Adults traditionally drink glögg, a type of mulled wine, and everyone enjoys lussekatts, breakfast buns flavored with saffron and raisins.
- Saint Nicholas Day: Observed annually on December 6, this day honors St. Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop who inspired the modern-day Santa Claus. Celebrates the spirit of generosity personified by St. Nicholas. In some European countries, children leave their shoes out overnight on December 5 to be filled with treats like candy or chocolate coins.
- Saint Stephen’s Day: Saint Stephen’s Day, also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint’s day to commemorate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr, celebrated on 26 December in Western Christianity and 27 December in Eastern Christianity.
- Three Kings Day: It is known as the Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day — celebrated among Roman Catholics in Latin America and Spain. “The Magi brought gifts. The Magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.” Epiphany, also known as “Theophany” in Eastern Christian tradition, is a Christian feast day commemorating the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding at Cana.
- Ukrainian Christmas: Celebrations are transitioning from the traditional January 7th (Julian calendar) to December 25th (Gregorian calendar), aligning with Western tradition and reflecting Ukraine’s cultural independence from Russia. Key traditions include the Sviata Vecheria (Holy Dinner) on Christmas Eve, a 12-dish, meatless feast featuring kutia, and the practice of koliadky (Christmas carols) by groups of children and youth who visit homes for gifts
- Winter Solstice: The shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, it falls around December 21. This astronomical event marks the start of winter. It has been celebrated since ancient times as a symbol of the changing seasons and the sun’s eventual return. Celebrations vary but have historically included bonfires, feasts, and ceremonies to welcome the lengthening days.
- Yule: An ancient pagan festival, Yule marks the shortest day of the year (Winter Solstice) and the return of longer daylight hours. Many Yule customs, such as the Yule log and decorating with evergreen, were later incorporated into modern Christmas traditions.