Winter Holidays Around Christmas Time: From Hanukkah to Kwanzaa, Festivals Other Than Xmas Celebrated During the Holiday Season and Their Significance

The holiday season is here! Come December, the world comes together to celebrate the year that has been and prep for the New Year, which is just a few weeks away. But the festivities of the holiday season for most people begin with Christmas. While a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christmas celebration has grown into a secular get-together for people across the world. There are, however, various other holidays around Christmas time that make this holiday season all the more special. And as we enter December and prepare for the 2022 Holiday Season to begin, here is a look at the most widely celebrated winter holidays across the world. Christmas 2022 Carols: All-Time Favourite Christmas Songs and Melodies You Can Add to Your Playlist This Holiday Season.

Hanukkah: December 18-26

Hanukkah is the annual Jewish festival, celebrated around Christmas time, which is spread across eight days and eight nights. People from the Jewish community get together and light a candle on the Menorah on each day of the night, sing Hanukkah songs and indulge in various delicious delicacies during this time. Hanukkah commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple. Hanukkah 2022 Dates: Know All About the History, Significance and the Celebrations of the Jewish Festival Around Christmas Time.

Las Posadas: December 16-24

Las Posadas is a religious festival that is mainly celebrated across Mexico and other parts of Latin America, which captures the struggles of Joeseph and Mary’s search for an Inn before the birth of Jesus Christ. The festival, which is spread across nine days, focuses on people getting together at different people’s homes for nine nights. All these parties begin with the guests forming a procession to mark Mary and Joseph’s search for an inn on the night of Jesus’s birth.

Winter Solstice/Yule/ Christmastide or Soyal: December 22

Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year and will be observed on December 22. While this annual observance is known by all, it is also a festive observance for the Pagan. Originally called Yule, this celebration of the darkest day of the year is believed to be one of the oldest recorded winter holidays in history. The festival is also known as Christmastide or Yuletide and is celebrated by decorating a yule log with candles and berries, which are then displayed on a mantle or altar. The day of the winter solstice is also celebrated as Soyal by the Zuni and Hopi people and it is believed to mark the beginning of another cycle of the Wheel of the Year and work on purification.

Kwanzaa: December 26-January 1

Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African history and culture that is observed from December 26 to January 1, every year. created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast Africa. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966. On the last day of the Kwanzaa celebration, people usually prepare a lavish feast that is enjoyed with family and friends.

Christmas: December 25

The biggest celebration during this holiday season has to be Christmas, which is celebrated globally as a fun and festive time. This festival marks the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and is filled with various traditional as well as cultural rituals. From midnight masses that welcome the birth of Jesus to recreating the story of Nativity and indulging in lavish Christmas feasts and sharing Christmas gift exchange, there are various ways of celebrating this time.

Whatever festival you may celebrate, we hope that the Holiday season fills your life with all love, light and happiness. Happy Holidays!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 29, 2022 10:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).