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Info Holiday Festivities the World Over During November and December (and now even October!), it seems that everything is decorated in Christmassy themes, with sparkling golds and festive reds and greens. At this time of the year, however, there are a number of holidays that receive less attention, including Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. We will give you an overview of these holidays and more, as well as a glimpse of how Christmas is celebrated around the world. Christmas
Christmas in Paraguay is celebrated in a deeply religious way, and the focus of the holiday season is the presebre, or nativity scene, which Paraguayans put in their homes and churches. On Christmas Eve, people attend church at midnight for La Misa del Gallo, or the Mass of the Rooster. Feasting begins when families return home from Mass. On January 5, the night before the feast of the Epiphany, children set out their shoes with letters to the Three Kings, who bring gifts in return. Kwanzaa An African
American holiday based on the traditional African festival of the harvest
of the first crops, Kwanzaa begins on December 26 and lasts for seven
days. “Kwanzaa” comes from a phrase that means “first
fruits” in Swahili. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Pan-African
studies and a black cultural leader, started the holiday in the United
States in 1966. Kwanzaa combines traditional African practices with
African American ideals and aspirations. Seven principles are celebrated
during Kwanzaa, one for each day: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination),
Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujmaa (cooperative economics),
Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith). Hanukkah Hanukkah is the Jewish Feast of Dedication or Feast of Lights. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means dedication. Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which is approximately December, and lasts eight days. Hanukkah is celebrated by exchanging gifts and making donations to the poor. On each day of the celebration, a candle is lighted in a menorah, an eight-branched candelabrum. The holiday started in 165 B.C., when the Jews of Judea defeated a Syrian tyrant named Antiochus IV and their victory was celebrated with festivities. Ramadan Falling in October and November, Ramadan is an Islamic holy month during which Muslims may not eat or drink anything from morning to night. Ramadan is celebrated as the month during which the prophet Muhammad received the first of the revelations of the Quran. The nights of Ramadan are devoted to special prayers or recitations from the Quran. A great festival celebrates the end of Ramadan. St. Lucia Day
Guadalupe Day In Mexico, everyone celebrates Guadalupe Day, which falls on December 12. The day is devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. On that day, people gather at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where a poor Indian was said to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary, who instructed him to build her a shrine. Guadalupe Day is the most important religious holiday in Mexico, and people put statues and pictures of the Virgin of Guadalupe in their houses and windows. People also give gifts of flowers, pigs, chickens and eggs to churches, and stage puppet shows that reenact the story of the poor Indian’s vision.
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In
Iceland, Christmas Eve is instead Yule Eve, and celebrations begin at
6pm this day. Traditional Yule food is smoked mutton, and sometimes
also rock ptarmigan and “leaf bread,” which consists of
thin sheets of dough that are cut into intricate patterns and then fried.
Icelanders believe in thirteen Santas, which are said to be descendants
of a mythological figure. The Santas begin their visits to homes on
December 12, and by Christmas Day, they have all arrived. 
December
13 marks St. Lucia Day in Sweden. Named after Saint Lucia, a young Christian
girl killed about fifteen hundred years ago by Roman soldiers for refusing
to give up her religion, St. Lucia Day is mainly celebrated by processions.
The procession consists of Saint Lucia, represented by a girl wearing
a long, white dress and a crown of leaves and seven glowing candles.
She carries a small tray of cakes. Younger girls walk behind her, carrying
candles, and boys follow these girls wearing tall, pointed hats. The
girls and boys bring the cakes to homes, offices and hospitals. This
holiday is also celebrated in Italy, as Saint Lucia was Italian.