Isn’t December the much anticipated month of the year? December might be synonymous with festivities, as, despite the bone-chilling weather, December global holidays keeps it warm.
It’s a month to enjoy festivities from the beginning till the end, there are fun activities and yes there will be many holidays, a break from monotonous work all year. As it is internationally celebrated, people get days off to get cozy at home and spend time with their loved ones.
These festivities begin with Hanukkah and end on New Year’s Eve and in between several important days marked to be hailed by everyone.
In this guide, we will discuss the December global holidays and the related customs of different countries.
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December Global Holidays & Related Traditions
Due to spiritual and religious significance, December comes with many festivities and important days that are important for multiple regions. Here we have discussed the most prominent December global holidays:
World AIDS Day
This day is celebrated globally to educate young adults about the negligent yet important issue prevalent in the world – AIDS. When does it fall in December? It’s celebrated on December 1st every year in not one specific country but globally.
Since the epidemic started, around 32.9-51.3 million people have died from AIDS, and around 39 million people were diagnosed with HIV at the end of 2022 which makes it one of the deadliest diseases in world history.
Although, the death rate has decreased exponentially in the last 2 decades still the terror remains.
The day is acknowledged to mourn the loss of people who lost their precious lives to this disease. It was initially hailed in 1988, and since then celebrated every year on December 1st.
It’s caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and several public health campaigns are marked on this day by WHO.
On this day, orphans are paid a visit, safe sex programs are promoted, awareness camps are organized, and fund-raising camps are organized. Even the government is encouraged to promote safe sex missions among people.
Krampusnacht
Another festivity that falls just at the beginning of December is Krampusnacht. When is it celebrated? On December 5th, Germany and other parts of Europe celebrate it with utmost enthusiasm.
It holds significance for Christians, in this festival Krampus, a mythical creature comes out and scares naughty children until Christmas starts.
In Germany on this date, Krampusnacht or Krampus Night, men dressed up devilishly and scare little kids, and screaming sounds are heard.
It’s more like Halloween than Christmas and is celebrated the night before St. Nicholas festivities.
Krampus is a mythical creature who is half-man, half-goat, and possesses a big horn, with red eyes and fangs. Men dressed up in these costumes visited villages and scared away mischievous kids with twigs. The purpose is to discipline kids and scare them that if they misbehave, Krampus will pay a visit to them again.
St. Nicholas Day
Whenever I see someone wearing something tangerine, I always remember St. Nicholas Day, this festivity is celebrated by Christians who celebrate Saint Nicholas’s birthday who is the main inspiration behind Santa Claus who used to distribute gifts.
When does it fall in December? It’s celebrated globally on December 5th.
St. Nicholas is a prominent and beloved figure who dedicated his entire life to needy people by spending all of his possessions on them.
On the eve of December 5th, the celebrations began and people shared candies, small gifts, chocolate, letters, and riddles with each other.
Children take off their shoes and put carrot insides or hay hopping so far St. Nicholas will replace that with small gifts.
St. Nicholas Day is mainly celebrated in small towns and villages in Greece and Russia.
Santa Lucia
A festivity is hailed in the Scandinavian regions specifically Italy and Sweden where people hail Saint Lucia, a soldier who died as a martyr.
When does it fall in December? It’s celebrated on December 13th every year.
His martyrdom is commemorated as a light figure in the darkest years the countries face.
It has a Christian cultural background and is celebrated by youth and adults. They dress up in white and wear headbands and hold candles.
People also share little trinkets, and some share cookies, saffron breads, and ginger biscuits.
Mainly the day is celebrated by organising concerts and processions. The gifts are usually exchanged among community members as you can share with neighbors, postmen, and bus drivers.
Las Posadas
It’s a religious festival that holds spiritual significance for Mexicans and is celebrated wholeheartedly in Latin American regions.
This festivity means inns in Spanish and for 8 nights consecutively from December 16th-December 24th, parties are organized at different people’s homes.
The guests search for an inn by having possessions of Mary and Joseph’s symbols. From a religious perspective, an angel guides the couple to find a suitable and stable Inn.
These parties are full of fun and mainly include praying, partying hard, food, fireworks, wine, and piñatas.
Winter Solstice & Yule
This day is hailed on December 21st, the day marked to be the shortest in the Northern Hemisphere. This day holds special spiritual significance.
Although it’s common among Germans and other Europeans, the cultural background is of Pagan and is known as one of the biggest December global holidays.
The traditions involve Stonehenge gathering in England, ordinary people and pagans gather at the stone circle to begin commemoration.
In China, Yule or Winter Solstice is marked to be grand get-togethers where families have a large festivity when they make extravagant meals including rice balls, etc.
In Iran, this day is commented as ‘Shab-e-Yalda’ when people celebrate this Persian occasion by sharing poetry, having a feast, lighting candles, and having a family gathering.
Yule or Yuletide falls on maybe December 21 or any day till January 1st. This day is of special significance for Germans. They build a Yule altar create a Yule wreath and burn Yule long. They also decorate a Yule tress just like Christmas trees but these are outdoor tress and decorated by hanging candles on trees.
Hanukkah
This festival holds religious importance for Jews and is celebrated by the Jewish community, this day is dedicated to the second temple in Jerusalem.
It’s hailed on December 18-26 and is also called Festive of Lights. It’s an 8-day festival that starts on the 25th day of the Hebrew calendar of Kislev month and the most joyous December global holidays.
As it doesn’t fall on universal months, the day may vary each year and is difficult to decipher according to the Gregorian calendar.
The Jewish community has traditions like lighting the Menorah for eight nights, gifts are distributed, and Hanukkah music is played.
Again, we can never forget the delicious food, Hanukkah is especially hailed for fried potato latkes and jelly donuts.
Christmas
Whenever we talk about the December global holidays, then the first thing that rings a bell is Christmas. It’s celebrated all over the world by Christians on December 25th as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, a true prophet sent by God to save humanity as per Christians’s beliefs.
On Christmas, several practices are performed like churches are attended for prayers, then there are social get-togethers, Christmas trees are decorated, presents are shared and then there are Christmas feasts.
The food is another memorable part of this occasion, some gave this custom of roasting turkey and making Chrismas pudding. In Spain, lamb is roasted instead of turkey, while Italian shared soup and meat are not usually in any of the dishes due to religious perspective.
Polish start their festivity with Oplatek wafers while in Germany Gingerbread aka Lebkuchen is made.
As every region has its traditions, it’s celebrated fascinatingly all over the world.
Japan- It’s a new holiday for the Japanese, and it made its way there due to a marketing campaign. So they order KFC from the restaurant nearby and orders are placed months before the holiday comes around.
Ireland- For the Irish people, festivities go from Christmas Eve till January 6, children hold sticks coveted with holy Bush and wren and go from door to door while singing and asking money for the starving wren.
Germany- Germans celebrate Christmas most lively as the locals gather in the decorated Christmas markets, drink wine buy gifts, and eat gourmet foods.
Iceland- In this region, Christmas festivities begin 3 days before the actual day, Santa Claus comes to the children 13 nights and they keep their shoes by the window, gifts are placed into them while for naughty kids Santa Klaus keeps rotten potatoes.
For some typical Christians, Christmas doesn’t fall on December 25th but on January 7, so they celebrate it on that day, there’s no holiday on that day.
Boxing Day
Boxing Day also goes with the name, ‘Shopping Day’. It’s of much significance as post-Christmas sales catch the attention of typical shoppers.
This day falls a day after Christmas on December 26 and is practiced in England, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and others. It is undoubtedly considered one of the favorite December global holidays.
On this day, gifts are shared with the poor, some believe the boxes are donations for the poor while in some cases these are boxes of gifts for employees.
This day coincides with St. Stephen’s Day so you will likely see events like foxhunting, rugby, and horse races.
New Year’s Eve
Then how can we conclude the December global holidays without New Year’s Eve? It falls on December 31st and is celebrated globally via a fireworks display.
People celebrate this last day of the Gregorian calendar as the end of one year and the beginning of the next, people visit sacred places to worship and get blessings. In some places, they partied hard with their loved ones to welcome the new year while some watched the beautiful fireworks display.
Each of the regions has their style to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Japan: This is called Ōmisoka here, where the Japanese have one last meal of the previous year with a bowl of toshikoshi-soba, and consuming long noodles points towards transitioning from one year to another.
Brazil: As it’s summer on New Year’s Eve they go to beaches, dressed in all white, and dunk into the water 7 times and make 7 wishes. It’s their way of paying tribute to the water Goddess, Yemanja.
United States of America: Although there are fireworks displays and other forms of parties, the significant part is that millions of Americans stay awake to watch the Times Square Ball Drop at midnight on TV.
Denmark: They have this tradition of throwing old plates at someone’s home and it brings good luck to them, the more the dishes, the better the next year.
Philippines: They prepare 12 round fruits like plums and grapes as they believe round fruits are prosperity.
Bottom-line
In conclusion, the December global holidays are marked to be of great significance because this is the time when people all over the world get sufficient to unwind and indulge in festivities.
The year began with World AIDS Day, it might be a somber start but then Krampus Night, St. Nicholas Day, and many other days keep December alighted till Christmas come around.
Chrismas festivities are above the board when delicious food is prepared, gifts are shared people dress up lavishly. Right after Christmas, Boxing Day is another day of exchanging gifts and then these festivities finally terminate when New Year’s Eve comes.
Give it a thorough read and learn about the customs of different regions and share which one is your favourite among all.
FAQs on December Global Holidays
What is the most global holiday?
There are three biggest holidays, Christmas, a Christian festivity which is believed to be the day of Jesus Christ’s birth. Then Chinese New Year and then Eid-ul-Fitr, a festivity of Muslims after the completion of Ramadan.
How many religious holidays are celebrated in December around the world?
There are 14 religious holidays celebrated around the globe in different regions with different customs.
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