Season’s greetings! Luna and Circo Fabuloso LOVE December because of all the holidays they get to celebrate on their travels across the world. Today we are learning about four exciting celebrations!
Keep reading to learn more!
Christmas
Also called Noël, Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrated on December 25th. This religious holiday is the celebration of the birth of baby Jesus. Christians across the globe honor this day by going to church and spending quality time with family.
St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) plays a big role in the Christmas tradition. With roots dating back to the 19th century, Father Christmas better known as Santa Claus visits the homes of children and delivers presents on Christmas Eve.
Luna and her friends are always on their best behaviour throughout the year so that Santa puts them on the nice list!
Hanukkah
Hanukkah or Chanukah is an eight day Jewish holiday celebrating the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian army in 167 BCE. Also known as the Festival of Lights, a menorah candle is lit each day to honor the candle that was lit with only enough oil to burn for one day, but had miraculously burned for eight.
Modern day traditions include gift giving on each day of Hanukkah and eating fried foods like latkes and doughnuts, which celebrates the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration of African tradition and heritage. Created in 1966 by Ronald McKinley Everett, Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st of each year. Deriving from the African Swahili language, the word means “first fruits”.
People take part in various ceremonies throughout the week that include traditional African dress and decorations. A special Kwanzaa tradition includes the daily lighting of a candle called the kinara. The kinara has seven candles (three red, three green and three black) that represent the colors of the Pan-African flag. Each candle represents a different principle that is discussed before each lighting ceremony.
Omisoka
Observed on December 31, Omisoka is the Japanese holiday that celebrates the new year. As part of Japanese culture, each person is supposed to start the new year with a clean fresh start.
Tradition says that people must purify their homes, cleaning from top to bottom, cleanse themselves by taking a bath that night, and must eat lucky foods—like soba noodles—to bring good luck into the new year!
Head on over to @LetsGoLunaHQ on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram and tell us what holiday festivity you and your family celebrate every year!
Until our next travel adventure!