Holidays all over the world

Christmas

From America to Scandinavia to the Far East, people celebrate holidays with special
rituals and festivities.

Hanukkah
For eight days each November or December, Jews light a special candleholder called a
menorah. They do it to remember an ancient miracle in which one day's worth of oil burned for
eight days in their temple. On Hanukkah, many Jews also eat special potato pancakes called
latkes, sing songs, and spin a top called a dreidel to win chocolate coins, nuts, or raisins.

St. Lucia Day

To honor this third-century saint on December 13, many girls in Sweden dress up as
"Lucia brides" in long white gowns with red sashes, and a wreath of burning candles on their
heads.

Christmas
People celebrate this Christian holiday by going to church, giving gifts, and sharing the
day with their families. In some parts of Europe, "star singers" go caroling — singing special
Christmas songs — as they walk behind a huge star on a pole.

Halloween is a celebration on the night of October 31st. It is most practiced in the United
States and Canada. Children wear costumes and go to people's homes saying "Trick or treat!" to
ask for candy (sweets in the UK) and people give it to them. The suggestion is: "Give me a treat
or I will play a trick on you." People often dress up as ghosts, witches, or other scary things for
Halloween.

Kwanzaa, which means "First Fruits," is based on ancient African harvest festivals and
celebrates ideals such as family life and unity. During this spiritual holiday, celebrated from
December 26 to January 1, millions of African Americans dress in special clothes, decorate their
homes with fruits and vegetables, and light a candleholder called a kinara.

New Year
In Ecuador, families dress a straw man in old clothes on December 31. The straw man
represents the old year. The family members make a will for the straw man that lists all of their
faults. At midnight, they burn the straw man, in hopes that their faults will disappear with him.

Christmas is the most important winter holiday.

In England less emphasis is placed on Christmas Eve than in other countries, such as
Romania. Much more is made of Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Carol singing, midnight
church services and going out to the pub are some of the activities that many families enjoy.
One Christmas ritual not drawn from an ancient tradition is the British monarch's
broadcast on Christmas day. The tradition began in 1932 when King George V read a special
speech written by Rudyard Kipling. The broadcast was an enormous success . It began, "I speak
now from my home and from my heart, to you all...". Queen Elizabeth II continues the tradition
to this day. Every year she broadcasts her message on Christmas Day, and it is heard by millions
of people all over the world.
Christmas carols have their roots in medieval England, when minstrels traveled from
castle to castle. Today they would be called carollers.
Christmas trees are an integral part of the Christmas decorations in most British
households, just like in Romania. Although it was always traditional to bring evergreens into the
house the Christmas tree is another tradition borrowed from Germany, where it is said that
German Martin Luther was the first person to decorate a tree with candles and bring it indoors to
show his children what stars looked like at night in the forest. It didn't become popular in Britain
until the nineteenth century, when Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert introduced the
custom from Germany.
Christmas in Romania is on December 25, as in UK, and is generally considered the
second most important religious Romanian holiday after Easter. Celebrations begin with the
decoration of the Christmas tree during daytime on December 24, and in the evening (Christmas
Eve, in Romanian: Ajunul Crăciunului) Moş Crăciun (Father Christmas) delivers the presents.
The singing of carols is a very important part of Romanian Christmas festivities. On the first day
of Christmas, many carolers walk through the streets of the towns and villages, holding a star
made of cardboard and paper on which are depicted various scenes from the Bible.
Romanian food served during the holidays is a hearty multi-coursed meal, most
of which consists of pork (organs, muscle, and fat). Pig slaughter is not actually the kind of
national custom that one might be proud of, but it’s a long-lasting Christmas tradition that
Romania keeps stubbornly. Each year, on Ignat Day (St. Ignatius), on December 20th, Romanian
families throughout the countryside sacrifice their pig in order to have a rich meal for Christmas.