1. Chinese New Year Tradition
The Chinese New Year "Yuan Tan" takes place between January 21 and February 20. The exact date is fixed by the lunar
calendar, in which a new moon marks the beginning of each new month.
2. There are street parades where thousands of people line the streets to watch the procession of floats in the New Year parade.
Dancing dragons and lions weave their way through the crowded streets. The dragon is associated with longevity and wealth.
Inside the costumes are 50 dancers, twisting and turning the dragon's long silk body and blinking eyes.
3. They also go to the markets to buy plants and flowers that will bring them good luck for the New Year. The Kumquat tree is
considered to be the luckiest because its name is a play on the word lucky.
4. They serve rosca de reyes which means king cake. It is in a oval shape to represent a crown and it has a doll inside the
bread that is supposed to be baby jesus. There is dried fruit that symbolizes jewels on the crown. The person that gets
the baby has to host a party February 2nd.
Three kings day
5. Christmas might be over, but it doesn’t mean the gift giving (and receiving) is over. Children in Latin America and Spain
receive the majority of their gifts from the Three Kings rather than from Santa Claus at Christmas. Before going to bed,
the children place their old shoes with a wish list on top for the Three Kings. In the morning, the shoes are filled with
toys and gifts from the Three Kings.
6. On february 2nd you host a party that is called dia de la candelaria or candlemas. Only if you get the baby jesus in the
rosca de reyes on day of the three kings.
7. Eid al-Adha
Many Muslims in the United States celebrate Eid al-Adha with prayers and social gatherings. The Eid al-Adha services
can attract thousands of Muslims in various places such as Chicago (Illinois) and Orlando (Florida). Many Muslims of
many heritages, including North Africa, Pakistan, Eastern Europe, wear traditional clothes and share their national
dishes. It is a time for prayer, sharing meals, handing out gifts and wishing one another well.
8. Today Muslims all over the world who can afford it , sacrifice a sheep (sometimes a goat) as a reminder
of Ibrahim's obedience to Allah. In Britain, the animal has to be killed at a slaughterhouse
10. Eid usually starts with Muslims going to the Mosque for prayers, dressed in their best clothes, and
thanking Allah for all the blessings they have received.
11. Hanukkah
The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century
B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the
Maccabean Revolt. Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and
usually falls in November or December. Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the
menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts.
12. In another allusion to the Hanukkah miracle, traditional Hanukkah foods are fried in oil. Potato pancakes
(known as latkes) and jam-filled donuts (sufganiyot) are particularly popular in many Jewish households.
13. Other Hanukkah customs include playing with four-sided spinning tops called dreidels and exchanging gifts. In recent decades,
particularly in North America, Hanukkah has exploded into a major commercial phenomenon, largely because it falls near or
overlaps with Christmas. From a religious perspective, however, it remains a relatively minor holiday that places no restrictions on
working, attending school or other activities
14. Kwanzaa
The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in
Swahili. Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but celebrations often include songs and
dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading, and a large traditional meal.
15. On each of the seven nights, the family gathers and a child lights one of the candles on the Kinara (candleholder), then one of the
seven principles is discussed. The principles, called the Nguzo Saba (seven principles in Swahili) are values of African culture
which contribute to building and reinforcing community among African-Americans.
16. Kwanzaa also has seven basic symbols which represent values and concepts reflective of African culture. An African feast, called
a Karamu, is held on December 31.
17. Santa Lucia Day
The crown is made of Lingonberry branches which are evergreen and symbolizes new life in winter. Schools normally have their
own St. Lucia's and some town and villages also choose a girl to play St. Lucia in a procession where carols are sung.
18. A popular food eaten at St. Lucia's day are 'Lussekatter', St Lucia's day buns flavoured with saffron and dotted with raisins which
are eaten for breakfast.
19. This is often a 'julbord' which is a buffet, eaten at lunchtime. Cold fish is important on the julbord. There is often herring (served in
many different ways), gravlax (salmon which has been cured in sugar, salt and dill) and smoked salmon. Other dishes on the
julbord might include cold meats including turkey, roast beef and 'julskinka' (a Christmas ham); cheeses, liver pate, salads, pickles
and different types of bread and butter (or mayonnaise). There will also be warm savoury foods including meatballs, 'prinskorv'
(sausages), 'kaldomar' (meat stuffed cabbage rolls), jellied pigs' feet, lutefisk (a dried cod served with a thick white sauce) and
'revbenspjäll' (oven-roasted pork ribs). Vegetables such as potatoes and red cabbage will also be served. Another potato dish is
'Janssons Frestelse' (matchstick potatoes layered with cream, onion and anchovies that is baked to a golden brown. There's also
'dopp i grytan' which is bread that is dipped in the broth and juices that are left over after boiling the ham.
20. Winter Solstice
The 23.5 degree tilt in Earth’s axis of rotation creates a rise and fall appearance of the sun over the course of a year. During the
winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is pointed at its furthest distance from the sun, bringing less light and colder
temperatures. The winter solstice occurs at a specific time, not just day. This year, at 12:11 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 21, the sun
shone directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, the farthest south the sun reaches. In the Southern Hemisphere, it was the longest day
of the year.
21. Many of the traditions now associated with Christmas are believed to have originated centuries earlier with nature-based
communities and indigenous peoples. For example, the idea of Santa Claus may have come from the story of the first shamans who
were said to climb high into the upper worlds and return with gifts of wisdom and prophecies, postulates Tony Van Renterghem in
When Santa Was a Shaman (Llewellyn, 1995). The word “yule” may derive from an Anglo-Saxon term that means “wheel,” and in
pagan Scandinavia, village people sat around bonfires of burning yule logs throughout the night while drinking mead and listening
to the stories of minstrel-poets.
22. Honor the new solar year with light. Do a Solstice Eve ritual in which you meditate in darkness and then welcome the birth of the
sun by lighting candles and singing chants and Pagan carols. If you have a indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire circle, burn an oak
log as a Yule log and save a bit to start next year's fire. Decorate the inside and/or outside of your home with electric colored lights.
Because of the popularity of five pointed stars as holiday symbols, this is a good time to display a pentagram of blue or white
lights.
23. New Year’s Day
In Spain when the clock strikes midnight they eat 12 grapes one with every toll to bring good luck for the next 12
months of the New Year.
