December 6th - St Nicholas Day
(Europe)
The Legend:
Strictly speaking, the tradition of St. Nicholas is not synonomous with the role of Santa Claus in the U.S.. As practiced in many European countries, the celebration of St. Nicholas is separate from the Christmas holidays, and occurs during the 2 weeks prior to December 6th, which is St. Nicholas's day. Sometimes St. Nicholas Day is the main holiday for gift giving, and not Christmas.
The Holiday Today
In anticipation of St. Nicholas's nightly visits, children in several European countries put their shoes in front of the fire place. They sing traditional songs and provide a carrot or hay for the horse. At night Black Pete puts gifts and candy in the shoes.
In the Netherlands, families celebrate St Nicholas's birthday the night before his feast day (December 6th). At one point during the evening, a loud knock will herald the arrival of Sinterklaas and at the same time candy may be thrown from upstairs; when the door is opened, a bag of gifts will be on the doorstep.
For families with older children and adults, different twists are added to the gift giving and may include gag gifts or the drawing of gift ideas or names, and most times are accompanied by poems with a "personal touch" that poke fun at the recipient in a gentle way (or not, depending on the families ). Wrapping the presents up in odd packages and planting a trail of clues is also part of the general fun, and can sometimes be pretty tricky to get to, depending on the squeamishness of the recipients.
December 13th - St Lucia's Day
(Scandinavia)
SANTA LUCIA - THE QUEEN OF LIGHTS
Lucia Day ' aka Saint Lucy's Day ' on December 13 ranks among the most important days on the Swedish calendar. It honors a young Christian girl, martyred in ancient Rome, who is always portrayed with her head encircled by a halo of lights. Though it's not officially part of Advent, for many Swedes Lucia Day forms the gateway to the Christmas season.
Throughout Sweden the feast day of Lucia, or Lucy, is celebrated as a festival of lights. In the early hours of the morning of December 13 a young woman, dressed in a white gown, and wearing a red sash and a crown of lingonberry twigs and blazing candles, would go from one farm to the next carrying a torch to light her way, bringing baked goods, stopping to visit at each house and returning home by break of day. Every village had its own Lucia. The custom is thought to have begun in some of the richer farming districts of Sweden and still persists although the crowns are now electric lights.
In Norway and Sweden it is still a custom on December 13 for a girl in a white dress (representing the Saint), to bring a tray of saffron buns and steaming coffee to wake the family. She is called the Lussibrud (Lucy bride) and her pastry (saffron buns) is Lussekattor. Today many families have a Lucia-Queen in their own home, often the youngest daughter, who wakes the rest of the family with song.
Boxing day - December 26th - (also known as "St. Stephens Day") - is also British, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australian, New Zealand, Ireland, Hong Kong
Etymology
The name derives from the English tradition giving seasonal gifts (in the form of a "Christmas box") to less wealthy people. In the United Kingdom this was later extended to various workpeople such as labourers, servants, tradespeople and postal workers.
Hanukkah - December 08th-16th
Chanukah -- the eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of Kislev 25 -- celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality.
More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G-d.
When they sought to light the Temple's menorah, they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.
To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah lighting: a single flame on the first night, two on the second evening, and so on till the eighth night of Chanukah, when all eight lights are kindled.
On Chanukah we also recite Hallel and the Al HaNissim prayer to offer praise and thanksgiving to G-d for "delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few... the wicked into the hands of the righteous."
Chanukah customs include eating foods fried in oil -- latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts); playing with the dreidel (a spinning top on which are inscribed the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hei and shin, an acronym for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, "a great miracle happened there"); and the giving of Chanukah gelt, gifts of money, to children.
It’s the end of a wonderful year. In addition to holiday celebrations with family, friends and workplace parties; holiday baking; and all of those food gifts you give and receive; there are these important national food holidays that are almost obligatory.
December 1: National Pie Day
December 1: Eat a Red Apple Day
December 2: National Fritters Day
December 3: National Apple Pie Day
December 4: National Cookie Day
December 5: National Sacher Torte Day
December 6: National Gazpacho Day
December 6: Microwave Oven Day
December 7: National Cotton Candy Day
December 8: National Chocolate Brownie Day
December 9: National Pastry Day
December 10: National Lager Day
December 11: National Noodle Ring Day
December 12: National Cocoa Day
December 13: Ice Cream and Violins Day
December 14: National Bouillabaisse Day
December 15: National Cupcake Day
December 16: National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day
December 17: National Maple Syrup Day
December 18: National Roast Suckling Pig Day
December 19: National Hard Candy Day
December 20: National Fried Shrimp Day
December 20: National Sangria Day
December 21: National Hamburger Day
December 22: National Date Nut Bread Day
December 23: National Pfeffernuesse Day
December 24: National Egg Nog Day
December 25: National Pumpkin Pie Day
December 26: National Candy Cane Day
December 27: National Fruit Cake Day
December 28: National Chocolate Candy Day
December 29: Pepper Pot Day
December 30: National Baking Soda
December 31: National Champagne Day
National Fruit Cake Month
National Egg Nog Month
Cookie Cutter Week First Week
Lager Beer Week Second Week
Holiday Tag Hosts
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