"Hey Google, what other holidays are celebrated in December?"

This time of year is jam packed with some really awesome holidays, but we mostly focus on Christmas and Hanukkah. I think we can all agree that these are fantastic, but what else is going on in December? Here are just a few other holidays that happen during the “most wonderful time of the year”!

• December 13th: St. Lucia’s Day

Celebrated in Sweden, Finland, and Norway in honor of St. Lucia, it’s a festival of lights where little girls dress all in while with a wreath of candles on their heads, and is meant to bring hope and light in the darkest times (figuratively and literally – it gets dark early in Winter!) They make delicious bread and have bonfires!

• December 16th: Las Posadas begins

Celebrated in Mexico and some parts of the US, it commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem and lasts through December 24th. There are often parades and re-enactments, as well as prayer.

• December 21st: Winter Solstice

The shortest day of the year, many people celebrate with festivals and rituals all over the world. Many very old structures were built using the solstices, so these are excellent times to view the sunrise and sunset, as they line up between stones beautifully. Check out the Stonehenge celebration online!

• December 21st: Yule begins

An indigenous Winter festival celebrated by Germanic peoples, some modern-day Christmas traditions stem from the early pagan rituals of Yule. It is celebrated in a variety of ways nowadays, mostly dealing with rituals and the earth, and in many countries!

• December 22nd: Soyal

Winter solstice celebrated by the Zuni and Hopi peoples, where they ceremonially bring the sun back from its long slumber. There is dancing and items made for blessing the community.

• December 26th: Kwanzaa begins

Celebration of African-American culture which lasts through January 1st, which traditionally ends in a communal feast. It was first celebrated in 1966, and by 2015 around 6 million people planned to celebrate in the United States!

How cool is that? Even more to celebrate! Is there anything special you like to celebrate in December? Share your traditions with us!

Originally posted on kivity.com on December 13th, 2022