Holiday Celebrations Around The World

By Emma Towns

Christmas gets a lot of attention this time of year, but there are a lot of other celebrations. One is Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday that is celebrated from December 18th to December 26th. One of the biggest traditions is to light the menorah - a candle holder with eight candles - every night for eight days. A popular symbol of Hanukkah is the dreidel, a Jewish gambling toy that has a top with four sides. Each side has a Jewish symbol from the original Hebrew alphabet: Nun, Gimel, Hey, Chai and Shin.

Another winter holiday is Kwanzaa, a week-long celebration of African American culture based on seven principles of African heritage. The seven principles are unity, self-determination, collective work, responsibility, creativity, purpose, cooperative economics and faith. It is celebrated from December 26 to January 1. Some special traditions are gift giving and a big feast called Karamu with friends and family. Mangos are a popular dish at Karamu. This is a more recent holiday that started in California in 1966.

St. Lucia Day is a popular celebration in Sweden and Norway on December 13th. Kids wear white gowns and sing early in the morning while it’s still dark. One girl wears candles on her head and a boy wears a fancy paper cone. The kids enjoy sweet bread called Lussekatter and a soft drink called Julmust which is only sold around the holidays. “My favorite thing about St. Lucia is sitting down next to advent candles with some nice mulled wine and gingersnap cookies topped with a bit of Gorgonzola cheese,” says Peter Casteborn, a Swedish resident who used to live in Indianapolis.