Winter Holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and More

The turn of seasons from winter to spring (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) is celebrated with great zeal and varied traditions around the world. For some, the end of the year is synonymous with Christmas, a festival of joy. For others it is the time for Hanukkah, the festival of lights. Still others observe Kwanzaa, a celebration of African heritage. These are just some of the many holidays observed around the globe this time of year.

Read on to learn more.

Christmas

Christmas is a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus and is observed annually on December 25. For Christians, Christmas marks the event in which God became human, born as a helpless baby in a stable for livestock. The Incarnation is a key moment in the story of salvation and is understood as the beginning of an act of divine love for humanity that culminates in Christ’s death and Resurrection at Easter. The humble birth of Christ reveals the paradox of divine majesty expressed through human vulnerability and poverty. The Christmas story is filled with miracles and symbolic contrasts: a pregnant virgin, lowly shepherds heralded by an angelic throng, and a Jewish baby gifted riches by Gentile Magi (wise men). The Christmas season is thus filled with hope and joy for Christians who celebrate that a loving and present God has provided a way for sinful humanity to be reconciled with the divine.

Since the early 20th century, Christmas has also been a secular family holiday, observed by Christians and non-Christians alike, devoid of Christian elements, and marked by an increasingly elaborate exchange of gifts. In this secular celebration, a mythical figure named Santa Claus plays the pivotal role. In many places large fresh-cut or living Christmas trees are decorated in homes and outdoors in public areas, such as city centers and plazas. The exteriors of houses and businesses are also commonly decorated with festive lights throughout the month of December, and the sightseeing of Christmas light displays is a beloved tradition for many. Christmastime, running from Advent (or earlier) through Epiphany, is a season rich with countless religious and secular traditions that bring together family, faith, and culture while emphasizing themes of hope, joy, generosity, and goodwill.

Saturnalia

The ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia is perhaps most closely linked with the modern celebration of Christmas. This festival happened about the time of the winter solstice and marked the end of the planting season. There were games, feasts, and gift giving for several days, and social order was inverted—enslaved people did not work and were briefly treated as equals.

Work and business were suspended to commemorate this lively festival. In the closing days, it was common to make presents of candles, wax models of fruit, and waxen statuettes, which were fashioned by the sigillarii or manufacturers of small figures in wax and other media. The cult statue of Saturn, traditionally bound at the feet with woolen bands, was untied, presumably to come and join the fun.

The influence of the Saturnalia upon the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year has been direct. The fact that Christmas would later be celebrated on the birthday of the Unconquered Sun (Latin: dies solis invicti nati), another Roman festival, gave the season a solar background and connected it with the Kalends of January (January 1, the Roman New Year), when houses were decorated with greenery and lights and presents were given to children and the poor.

Access for the whole family!

Bundle Britannica Premium and Kids for the ultimate resource destination.

Subscribe

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that begins at sundown on Kislev 25 (usually in December, according to the Gregorian calendar) and is celebrated for eight days. Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates in particular the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of candles on each evening of the festival. Although not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, Hanukkah came to be widely celebrated and remains one of the most popular Jewish religious observances.

Hanukkah gained prominence in the mid-19th century, particularly in the United States. Scholars point to the efforts of the Cincinnati-based Reform Judaism rabbis Isaac Wise and Max Lilienthal, who tried to make Hanukkah more appealing to children, noting the popularity of Christmas, and recast it as an engaging celebration to boost synagogue participation. Its renewed significance soon spread beyond Reform Judaism. As Christmas became increasingly commercialized in the early 20th century, Jews adopted parallel traditions, such as gift giving, new songs, and festive decorations, while maintaining a distinct Jewish identity.

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is an annual holiday affirming African family and social values that is celebrated primarily in the United States from December 26 to January 1. Each day is dedicated to one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and families join in a community feast called the karamu on December 31. Both the name and the celebration were devised in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana studies at California State University. Karenga borrowed the word kwanza, meaning “first,” from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza (“first fruits”), adding the seventh letter, another a, to make the word long enough to accommodate one letter for each of the seven children present at an early celebration (the name Kwanzaa is not a Swahili word). The concept of the holiday draws on Southern African first-fruits celebrations.

Although Kwanzaa is primarily an African American holiday, it is also celebrated outside the United States, particularly in Caribbean and other countries where there are large numbers of descendants of Africans. It was conceived as a nonpolitical and nonreligious holiday, and it is not considered to be a substitute for Christmas.

Boxing Day

In the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries, particularly Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, December 26 is commonly observed as Boxing Day. On this day servants, tradespeople, and the poor were traditionally presented with gifts. By the 21st century it had become associated with shopping and sporting events. Explanations for the origin of the name have varied, with some believing that it derived from the opening of alms boxes that had been placed in churches for the collection of donations to aid the poor. Others have held that it came from the boxes of gifts given to employees on the day after Christmas. According to this theory, because the work of servants was required for the Christmas Day celebrations of their employers, they were allowed the following day for their own observance of the holiday. The practice of giving bonuses to service employees has continued, although it is now often done before rather than after Christmas Day.

Also on this day is St. Stephen’s Day. Observed in many countries, St. Stephen’s Day is the name for either of two holidays that are observed in honor of two Christian saints, both of whom are named Stephen. In many countries December 26 commemorates the life of St. Stephen, a Christian deacon in Jerusalem who is believed to have been the first Christian martyr (he was stoned to death in 36 ce). In Hungary August 20 is observed in honor of Stephen I, who united the country under Christianity in 1000 ce.

Yule

Yule is a winter festival observed historically by Germanic peoples and in modern times primarily by Neo-Pagans, coinciding with the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere (December 21–22). In many languages of northern Europe, some variant of “Yule” (e.g., Jul in Scandinavian languages) is the standard word for “Christmas.” The pre-Christian festival’s origins are unclear, but it was celebrated in Scandinavia and other regions of northern Europe. It was later replaced by the Christian holiday of Christmas. Possible vestiges of Yule remain within northern European Christmas festivities. Some modern Neo-Pagan celebrations of Yule have attempted to recreate the ancient traditions, whereas others have been adapted or reimagined to suit contemporary personal and religious practices.

Lohri

Lohri is a harvest festival celebrated annually on January 13 primarily in Punjab state, northern India. It is also observed with fervor in the national capital of New Delhi and other northern Indian states such as Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Along with the harvest of winter crops, the festival also celebrates the end of the season and the beginning of longer days.

The observance revolves around a ceremonial bonfire, which is lit in the evening. People sing and dance around the bonfire while offering food items such as popcorn, rewri (a sweet made with sesame seeds and jaggery), and peanuts (groundnuts) to the fire as an act of gratitude toward the gods. Folk dances such as bhangra and giddha are also performed.

Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is a Hindu festival in January celebrating the entrance of the Sun into the astrological sign of makara (corresponding to Capricorn) and the beginning of the Sun’s uttarayana (northward journey). Makar Sankranti occurs on January 14 (or 15 during a leap year). Unlike most other Hindu holidays, which are determined according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, this festival is reckoned according to the solar calendar and thus falls on approximately the same day annually in the Gregorian calendar.

Makar Sankranti is a significant holiday for offerings to the Hindu Sun god, Surya, and for ritual bathing. It is celebrated across India in widely varying manners and with different names according to local traditions and languages. Eating sweets, bathing in bodies of water, and making intricate rangolis are typical celebratory practices for Makar Sankranti throughout India.

Pongal

Pongal is a four-day harvest festival of Tamil Nadu state, southern India. Pongal is also celebrated by the Tamil diaspora in various other regions of southern India and around the world. The festival is observed in mid-January according to the Tamil solar calendar and marks the beginning of Thai, an auspicious month for the Tamil community that falls between mid-January and mid-February.

Pongal celebrates the Sun’s transition into the zodiac sign of makara (corresponding to Capricorn). According to the Gregorian calendar, this festival is usually observed from January 14 to 17 every year. The four days of this festival are dedicated to various deities and agents who are believed to help with a good harvest. Bhogi Pongal, the first day of the festival, is a time of renewal and cleansing. The second day, Surya Pongal, honors Surya, the Hindu Sun god, and is the main day of the celebration, marking the start of the month of Thai. The third day, Mattu Pongal, is devoted to worshipping cattle (Tamil: mattu) for their vital role in farming. The fourth and final day, Kaanum or Kanum Pongal, focuses on strengthening community bonds. Families gather for festive meals, and the young seek blessings from their elders.

Dong Zhi

Dong Zhi, the “arrival of winter,” is an important festival in China. It is a time for family to get together and celebrate the year they have had. Based on the traditional Chinese celestial calendar, the holiday generally falls between December 21 and 23. It is thought to have started as an end-of-harvest festival, with workers returning from the fields and enjoying the fruits of their labors with family. Special foods, such as tang yuan (glutinous rice balls), are enjoyed.

Hogmanay

Hogmanay is the New Year’s festival in Scotland and parts of northern England. The name is also used for the dole of bread, cake, or sweets given to the children who go from house to house soliciting the items with traditional rhymes, one of which concludes with “Rise up and gie’s our Hogmanay.” On this evening it is also traditional for parties of masked children or young men to visit houses as guisers or mummers. The singing of “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s, now a worldwide custom, originated during Hogmanay. The holiday also reportedly introduced the practice of bell ringing to mark the new year. Other notable traditions include “first footing,” which predicts good luck and prosperity if the first visitor to one’s house after midnight is a tall, dark-haired man bearing a ceremonial gift, such as coal or salt. Various local customs include the “burning of the clavie” (a bonfire of split casks, in which a nail plays a part), which still flourishes at Burghead in Moray. Hogmanay is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s most important holidays, and it is not uncommon for festivities to last until January 2.