December Global Holidays : Know Holidays in December around the World

December Global Holidays : December is celebrated as the month of holidays. Although tourism was restricted in December 2021 due to pandemic, it witnessed an overall 4% rise. There are plenty of festivities that one gets to enjoy and therefore the month is known as the “World of Holidays”. Whether it is Krampusnacht or St Nicholas Day or Christmas, December is packed with several holidays around the world. In this article we will brief about December Global Festivites.

The fervour of celebration is so much that most of the people plan their holiday. For the ease of people, given below is the compiled list of holidays in December’s Global Holidays.

December Global Holidays List

Holidays in December has always been a source of excitement. While Christmas celebrated on 25th December is now celebrated in almost every country irrespective of religion, other holidays are observed only in some countries. To know more about the most popular December Global Holidays, go through the following list.

1. Hanukkah
2. World AIDS Day
3. Krampusnacht
4. Feast of Immaculate
5. Human Rights Day
6. Las Pasodas
7. International Human Solidarity Day
8. Winter Solstice
9. Santa Lucia
10. Yule
11. Festivus
12. Christmas
13. St. Stephen’s Day
14. Kwanzaa
15. Boxing Day
16. Omisoka
17. New Year’s Eve

December Global Holidays Around the World

While holidays are sought after by most people, most of the holidays have significance in their respective cultures. It might happen that what is celebrated in Japan might not be popularly known in the USA. To familiarize with various festivities and their significance, look at the table given below.

December Global Holidays 2022

Every celebration has a story behind it. To get an in-depth knowledge of the reason for the celebration of the mentioned winter holidays and understand the significance of the same, read the section given below.

World AIDS Day

Every year it is celebrated on December 01 globally to raise awareness among the people about the disease and to motivate and support the people suffering from it. Founded in 1988, World’s AIDS Day was the first global health initiative taken to raise awareness. Various campaigns, advertisements and awareness programs are conducted on this day to spread a preventive message across the globe.

Krampusnacht

Celebrated every year on December 5th, a night before the feast of St. Nicholas, Krampusnacht celebrates the coming of Krampus, a devil who is half goat half human known for punishing children who have been naughty. The mythical creature was created as a contemporary to St Nicholas who rewarded children with gifts and chocolates. The young men find this festival extremely amusing as they dress up as scary figures and go door-to-door frightening children.

Bodhi Day

Bodhi Day is celebrated on December 8th to commemorate the spiritual enlightenment achieved by Gautama Buddha through meditation. The word “Bodhi” in itself means enlightenment and also highlights the tree under which Gautama attained Nirvana. This festival has become an alternative new year for many countries especially the ones with Buddhist populations like Japan. Just like Christmas, people decorate Bodhi trees and eat cookies and tea.

Feast of the Immaculate

The Feast of Immaculate is celebrated to pay tribute to Virgin Mary every year on December 08 for her chastity and purity. The reason that Mary was chosen as the mother to bear Jesus was due to her sinless life. People recite the popular poem called The Immaculata and hymns to pay homage to Mary for her ultimate act of salvation which is then followed by a grand feast.

Human Rights Day

Celebrated every year on December 10, Human Rights Day is a global festival that celebrates the freedom of human beings. In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The documents elaborate upon a basic set of rights and liberty that every individual is entitled to regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, race, religion and nationality. The UN discusses the status of its goal on this day.

St. Lucia’s Day

St. Lucia’s Day is observed every year on December 13 to commemorate St. Lucia who was a Christian martyr who saved the lives of Christians who lived in catacombs by offering them food. On this day, young ladies wear wreaths of candles around their heads and walk-in solidarity singing Christmas carrol and exchanging gifts.

Las Pasodas

Las Pasodas is celebrated for 9 days between December 16-24 to commemorate the plight of Joseph and Mary took to find a safe refuge to give birth to the saviour Jesus. The word “Las Pasodas” means inns which suggest the shelter where Jesus was born. It is celebrated to cherish hospitality and therefore people go house to houses singing carols to seek shelter.

Hanukkah

The celebration for Hanukkah goes on for eight days from December 18-26. It celebrates the victory of Jews over Greek-Syrian. The story popularly goes that Jews had a jug of oil that was supposed to last for just a day, however, a miracle happened and it lasted surprisingly for eight days. People celebrate the day by sharing jellies and other delicacies and carrying forward the Jewish heritage.

International Human Solidarity Day

International Human Solidarity Day is celebrated on December 20 every year to commemorate the founding of the International Red Cross in 1863 which firmly believes in uplifting the status of humans through fundamental rights of liberty, equality and independence. It promotes the idea of solidarity and brotherhood amongst all and offers a helping hand to each other.

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice is marked every year around December 21 to celebrate the longest night and shortest day. It is also known as Yule or Midwinter observance. Many people celebrate the day by decorating their houses with candles and lights as an act of luring the sun and bringing back the shine on Earth while roaming around in the neighbourhood singing carols.

Christmas Eve

Celebrated on December 24, a day before Christmas, sets the joyous mood for the day that is to be followed. Some people attend church while others spend their day preparing for the next day reaffirming their belief that Jesus has brought us light upon humankind. Special food like wine cake and ham are prepared on this night.

Christmas

The most awaited day that is 25th December celebrities the birth of Jesus who was a saint and redeemer. This occasion unites every family as people decorate their houses, throw parties, eat and drink making merry. Some dress up as Santa Claus who is considered a patron of Christmas in the United States. The image of Santa Claus derives from the kindness of St. Nicholas who loved children and offered them gifts.

Boxing Day

Boxing Day is observed every year on the day after Christmas that is December 26th where people show gratitude to the poor. They give food and money as a token of appreciation to them. It is an act that recognises the contribution of every individual in society irrespective of their class.

St. Stephen’s Day

St. Stephen’s Day is celebrated on December 26th to show reverence to the Christian Saint St. Stephen who was the first martyr in Christian theology. He was stoned to death after preaching to people for forty years. People prepare traditional dishes like stuffed cabbage and buckwheat dumpling and also offer alms to the needy.

Kwanza

Kwanza is a festival that brings families and cultures together. Celebrated from December 26- to January 1, Kwanza stands for seven principles namely purpose, self-determination, collective responsibility, unity, cooperative economics, creativity and faith. These are the guiding principles that aim to shape the lives of individuals in the right direction by motivating them to walk on the path of righteousness and morality.

New year’s Eve

The most exciting holiday of the year marks the end of the year and warmly welcomes the upcoming year on the night of December 31. People enjoy and celebrate by eating, drinking, dancing. In some countries, concerts are organised and people enjoy live performances. Many people also make goals and plan to achieve them in the upcoming year. It is one of the largest December global festivals in the whole world as it marks a change in the Gregorian calendar.