Holiday Traditions
Joy Around the World
By Bo Young Lee
Director of Noggin Content Marketing Strategy & Mom of 2
’Tis the season to celebrate with so many holidays and festivities across the globe. Showing our children about the different ways people celebrate this season helps them see that they belong to a large, diverse world community – an important step to becoming a global citizen. Here are just a few of the many holidays celebrated around the world and ways to make them engaging and relatable to your kids!
Diwali
More than a billion people of many different faiths celebrate Diwali – India’s biggest holiday of the year! Usually in October or November, people celebrate this Festival of Lights by lighting rows of lamps called diyas or decorating floors with colorful Rangoli, which is a design made of powder, petals, or sand.
Ask Kids
How does our family decorate our home for the holiday season?
Hanukkah
Usually falling in late November or December, this Jewish holiday is observed for eight days – symbolizing the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Often called the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah is celebrated with the nightly lighting of the menorah, a nine-branched candelabra. Another fun tradition is playing dreidel, a four-sided spinning top game!
Ask Kids
Is there a favorite game you like to play during this season?
Winter Solstice
The winter solstice – which occurs on December 21 this year in the Northern Hemisphere – is observed by many people in lots of different ways. Shab-e Yalda is an ancient Persian celebration where people come together to eat and welcome in the light. The Zuni people – Indigenous Americans living where is now western New Mexico – commemorate it with a ceremonial dance called the Shalako. In Japan, a common tradition is a hot bath with yuzu citrus fruit to boost good health.
Ask Kids
What would be a fun way to celebrate this longest night of the year?
Christmas
Every year on December 25, Christmas is celebrated as both a Christian religious event and a secular holiday. In Christianity, it’s a sacred day that honors the birth of Jesus, whose spiritual teachings formed the basis of the religion. Many people observe other popular traditions, like gift giving, Santa Claus, or Christmas trees.
Ask Kids
What is a special gift you’d like to give to someone this year?
Kwanzaa
In 1966, scholar and activist Dr. Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa, the African American and Pan African holiday that begins on December 26. On each day of this seven-day celebration, a candle is lit to honor a different principle – or Nguzo Saba in Swahili: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Kwanzaa usually culminates with a karamu, which means feast in Swahili, on January 1.
Ask Kids
What is your favorite food to eat with family and friends during the holidays?
Boxing Day
Beginning in Britain almost 200 years ago, Boxing Day first started as a holiday that focused on charity. Today, the holiday is now also a popular day for family time, shopping, or sport activities.
Ask Kids
How can we reach out to others during this time of year? Some ideas can be donating toys, canned goods, or our time to a local community organization.
New Year's Day
Although the New Year is widely celebrated on January 1 around the world, many cultures recognize different calendars and celebrate the New Year during other times of the year. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and almost always falls in September or October. Lunar New Year is one of the most significant holidays for East Asian countries, like Vietnam, South Korea, China, and more. Norwuz, the Persian New Year, occurs on the spring equinox and honors rebirth and renewal.
Ask Kids
This year, how should our family welcome in the New Year?
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