December Global Holidays: December is the month of happy times for celebrating holidays and all about cookies, snow, and fun. For some, December is the best to spend time with friends and family. For others, it is a time of hope, optimism, and a lot of parties. In fact, studies have shown that December is the most popular month for travel because more people book trips during the holiday season.
We all have experienced work from home since the last couple of years and the pandemic made it hard to travel around, yet tourism went up by 4 percent overall in December 2021. The month of December is called as the “World of Holidays” because there are so many celebrations to enjoy. December is full of holidays all over the world, like Christmas, St. Nicholas Day and Krampusnacht. In this article, we’ll talk about the upcoming December holidays celebrations around the world.
Table Of Content
| 1. Hanukkah 2022 | December 18th – December 26th |
| 2. World AIDS Day | December 1st |
| 3. Krampusnacht | December 5th |
| 4. St. Nicholas Day | December 6th |
| 5. Bodhi Day | December 8th |
| 6. Feast of the Immaculate | December 8th |
| 7. Human Rights Day | December 10th |
| 8. St. Lucia’s Day | December 13th |
| 9. Las Posadas | December 16th – 24th |
| 10. International Human Solidarity Day | December 20th |
| 11. Winter Solstice Day – Yule | December 21st |
| 12. Festivus- Yule | December 23rd |
| 13. Christmas Eve | December 24th |
| 14. Christmas | December 25th |
| 15. Boxing Day | December 26th |
| 16. St. Stephen’s Day | December 26th |
| 17. Kwanza | Dec 26th – 1st Jan |
| 18. Omisoka | Dec December 31st |
| 19. New Year’s Eve | December 31st |
List of December Global Holidays in 2022
1. Hanukkah (Religious)
Date: Hanukkah 2022 will begin in the evening of Sunday, 18 December and ends in the evening of Monday, 26 December.
Place of Celebration – Jerusalem, Israel and some other countries
The Reason For Celebration – Triumph of Jews aka Maccabees over Syrian Greeks and took back the temple of Jerusalem.
Hanukkah is one of the most important December global holidays. It lasts for eight days and is a time for Jewish people to get together with family and friends. The festival started in Israel. The story goes that when Jews were fighting back against the Greeks, they found a small jug of oil that was only meant to last for one day. But amazingly, it stayed together for 8 days! So Hanukkah is seen as a celebration of that miracle. People who like to travel Israel book flights to celebrate Hanukkah and eat special foods like latkes and jelly doughnuts that are made during the holiday. Today, about 21 countries around the world celebrate Hanukkah, and people are learning more about Jewish history.
2. World AIDS day (Health)
Date: December 1 (Every year)
Place of Celebration– International
The Reason For Celebration – To spread awareness about the HIV/AIDS disease and help people who have it.
In August 1987, James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter came up with the idea of World AIDS Day. At the time, both Bunn and Netter worked as public information officers for the Global Program on AIDS of the World Health Organization. The next year, the first World AIDS Day was held on December 1, 1988 which has been the official date for the holiday ever since.
This is one of the December global holidays that is celebrated all over the world and gives us an opprtunity to remember those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses. One of the main goals of World AIDS Day is to get people to get tested for HIV and make sure their reports and status are correct. It’s also a time to talk about ways to prevent getting the virus and spread prevention messages. World AIDS Day is also a chance for people with HIV/AIDS to talk about how they have lived with the disease and what they have learned.
There are many ways to mark the day, such as visiting poor children left without parents because of the disease, running safe-sex campaigns, and pressuring governments to do more to stop the spread of HIV.
Day was celebrated on December 1, which has been the official date for the holiday ever since.
3. Krampusnacht (Religious)
Date: December 5 (Every year)
Place of Celebration – Austria, Germany, and other alpine countries
The Reason For Celebration – To educate children about obedience
Krampusnacht is more like Halloween than it is like Christmas. On Christmas Eve, there is also a scary demon with big horns. Krampusnacht is all about celebrating this animal-like demon with fiery eyes, scary horns, and sharp teeth who chases bad kids and puts them in coffins. On December 5, people dress horrifyingly in traditional clothes that include hand-carved wooden masks and sheep or goat skin dresses. People also wear cowbells around their hips.
This is now in the list of a major December Global holidays in Europe, where people have parties or parades and enjoy food, drinks, music, and parades.
4. St. Nicholas Day (Religious)
Date: December 6 (Every year)
Place of Celebration – Christians Worldwide but mostly in Europe, Russia and The United States of America
The Reason For Celebration – To pay regard to Saint Nicholas’ reputation as a bringer of gifts, as well as through the attendance of church services.
In the list of the Global December holidays, the St. Nicholas Day also known as the Feast of Saint Nicholas is a bit different of it’s kind. The story behind this festival is to pay tribute to St. Nicholas who sold everything he had and gave the money to people who needed it. He spent his whole life helping sick and hurting people and taking care of them. In many places in Europe, St. Nicholas Day starts the night before December 5th, when people share candy, chocolate letters, small gifts, riddles, and other fun things. Children leave their shoes with carrots and hay in them for St. Nicholas, hoping that he will trade them for small gifts and treats. In many small towns and villages in Russia and Greece, this day is a big deal.
5. Bodhi Day (Religious)
Date: December 8 (Every year)
Place of Celebration – Japan
The Reason For Celebration – To celebrate the day of Siddharth Gautam’s spiritual enlightenment and his achievements.
On December 8, people celebrate Bodhi Day to remember how Gautama Buddha became spiritually enlighted through meditation. The word “Bodhi” means “enlightenment,” and it is also the name of the tree where Gautama reached Nirvana. This festival has become an alternative New Year’s celebration for many countries, especially Buddhist ones like Japan. People put up Bodhi trees and eat cookies and tea, just like they do at Christmas.
6. Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Religious)
Date: December 8 (Every year)
Place of Celebration – Argentina, United States, Brazil, Philippines, Spain, Portugal and many other catholic states.
The Reason For Celebration – To to pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s conception without misdeed and sin
Amongst all the December Global Holidays, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a day to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. Catholics believe that God made Mary our mother, and every year on December 8, they celebrate her birthday. People have thought that God chose Mary to be Jesus’ mother because she was pure and never did anything wrong. Many people travel to Brazil because they want to see how Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception by going to church and praying. They may also say a special prayer nine times in a row called a “novena” to thank her or ask for her help.
7. World Human Rights Day
Date: December 10 (Every year)
Place of Celebration – Globally
The Reason For Celebration – To commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
Every year on December 10, people all over the world celebrate Human Rights Day, which is one of the most important December holidays festivities. In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was passed by the UN General Assembly on this day. This document lists the basic rights and freedoms that everyone has the right to, no matter what race, religion, nationality, or gender they are. On Human Rights Day, the UN holds an event to remember when the declaration was signed and to talk about how far the fight to protect human rights has come. Some of the human rights that are written into the UDHR are the right to live, the right to be free, the right to not be a slave, and many more.
8. St. Lucia’s Day (Religious)
Date: December 13 (Every year)
Place of Celebration– Scandinavia and in Italy
The Reason For Celebration – To commemorate the Italian Saint Lucia under the Great Persecution of 303 AD.
Saint Lucy’s Day, also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is another important global December holidays. It is a time to remember how a bright star in the sky led the three Kings to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus.
Santa Lucia was a saint from Italy who died for her faith. During the darkest time of the year, she is seen as a figure of light. On December 13, people in Italy and Scandinavia remember and celebrate Santa Lucia as a sign of light and hope. Children are often given gift baskets with traditional St. Lucia’s Day items like candles, cookies, and fruits to mark the day. Also, many people book their trips to Sweden so they can sing Christmas carols and give each other gifts during this holiday.
This important day is marked by atmospheric concerts and processions, with singers wearing white and carrying wreaths of candles. People have also thought that during times of oppression, Saint Lucia would bring food to Christians who were being mistreated and help them.
9. Las Posadas (Religious)
Date: December 16 – 24
Place of Celebration – Mexico, Guatemala and some parts of the United States
The Reason For Celebration – To mark the journey of Mary and Joseph when they were in search of safe shelter.
Las Posadas is a part of Christmas celebrations and December holidays around the world. It tells the story of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Joseph’s hard journey. People have thought that Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay so Mary could bring Jesus back to life, but no one would let them in. After a long fight, the shelter was built, and Las Posadas is celebrated to remember that moment of kindness. Today, this is one of the most important December holidays around the world. It is usually celebrated by friends and families who sing traditional songs as they go from house to house looking for shelter. Most of the time, the people who live there give them food and drinks.
10. International Human Solidarity day
Date: December 20 (Every year)
Place of Celebration– International
The Reason For Celebration – To make people more open to equality, freedom, social justice, and working together.
International Human Solidarity Day commemorates the establishment of the International Red Cross in 1863. The day also commemorates the International Red Cross’s founding principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. Human solidarity is the global recognition that we are all one people with responsibilities to one another. This idea is celebrated on International Human Solidarity Day, which encourages everyone to consider how they can promote human solidarity in their own lives. This significant day of the December global festivities 2022 also serves as a reminder that we are all connected and should all do our best.
11. Winter Solstice Or YULE (Pagan)
Date: December 21 – January 1
Place of Celebration – Germany and different German people groups worldwide
The Reason For Celebration – To celebrate shorter days and longer nights and to honor the Norse God Odin
Yule, Jul or Yuletide celebrated worldwide when the Winter Solstice arrives.
The Winter Solstice, one of the coldest days of the December global holidays, marks the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern hemisphere. The winter solstice is named after the time when the days begin to lengthen again. This usually happens around December 21st of each year.
If we talked about December Global holidays, Yule, also known as Winter Solstice, is thousands of years older than the Christmas holiday. Linguists disagree about the origin of the word Yule. Some believe the word comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for wheel, “Iul.” This is related to the Wheel of the Year, a Celtic calendar. In Norse culture, however, “Jul” refers to the god Odin. Odin was also honored during Yule.
Yule or Yuletide lasts for 12 days in Germany and some other Alpan countries. It has its roots in paganism and honors the Norse god Odin. People give thanks to their gods and goddesses at this festival. Ancient people celebrated Yule by lighting a massive log in a bonfire and spending the entire night outside. Although log burning is still practiced today, most people celebrate the holiday season by creating a Yule altar, making an evergreen Yule wreath, or giving back to Mother Nature. Candlelit dinners and Yule tree decorations are popular, as is the exchange of nature-themed gifts.
Yule celebrations included bonfires, holly, mistletoe, and evergreen tree boughs, ritual sacrifices, feasts, and gift-giving. German communities still follow this tradition during the last week of the year. On these December days every year, people also built a Yule altar and a Yule wreath. Along with decorating the Yule tree, families also make special dinners with candles. This holiday is a time for people to love each other and thank God for being in their lives.
12. Festivus (Parody)
Date: December 23
Place of Celebration – Worldwide, especially in the United States
The Reason For Celebration – To advocate against Christmas commercialization
Festivus is one of the December Global holidays that celebrated mostly in the United States. This day is because of Seinfeld, the longest-running and most-watched comedy show in the world. In the ninth season, the episode called “The Strike” talked about this holiday. The episode aired on December 18, 1997, and people have been really inspired by it ever since. The point of this holiday is to stand up against the commercialization of Christmas.
This holiday is the opposite of the commercialism of the holidays. People who celebrate Festivus also take part in an activity called “Airing of Grievances.” This is a chance to tell others how they hurt you in the past. Then there was a special dinner with “Feats of Strength” as the last act.
13. Christmas Eve (Religious)
Date: December 24
Place of Celebration – Mostly Worldwide
The Reason For Celebration – To honoring the birth of Lord Christ
Christmas Eve, one of the major December global celebrations, is a day of family gatherings for some and church services for others. People cheerfully celebrate the global holiday of December 24th as a symbol and tradition of Christmas ceremonies. The one thing that everyone agrees on is that our world was dark before we had light: Jesus came to Earth. As a tribute to Jesus, who brought hope and joy to the world, people joyfully celebrate the blissful eve of Christmas. Some people celebrate this auspicious day by going to church or spending time with their families, while others party and catch up with old friends. On this day, special foods such as ham and cookies are prepared.
14. Christmas (Religious)
Date: December 25
Place of Celebration – Mostly Worldwide
The Reason For Celebration – To honoring the birth of Jesus Christ
Christmas is the festival all about celebrating the birth of Jesus. Being the most important part of the December Global festivities is celebrated due to lot of different reasons. Christians say that the most common reason is the birth of Jesus Christ, who was thought to be a saint and the son of God. Another reason to celebrate this holiday is to get together with friends and family and spend time with them. People get together at this time of year to celebrate, eat good food, and give each other gifts. No matter why you celebrate Christmas, it’s a great time to take a break from your normal life and spend time with the people you care about.
15. Boxing Day
Date: December 26 (Every year)
Place of Celebration – Australia, United States, Bahamas, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Nigeria
The Reason For Celebration – Charity, To commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
Boxing Day is a public holiday that is always the day after Christmas. Traditionally, people give boxes of food and money to servants and the poor to mark the day. Boxing Day is a lovely December holiday that people around the world celebrate by going shopping or to the beach. Many countries celebrate it, and it is seen as an important holiday after Christmas. On this day, people who work for you, like postmen, workers, guards, cooks, etc., are given a big thank you for their hard work. They also get notes of thanks, small gifts, and prizes.
16. St. Stephen’s Day (Religious)
Date: December 26
Place of Celebration – In more than 25 countries including Austria, the Czech Republic, and Denmark
The Reason For Celebration – To remember and honor Saint Stephen’s life as the first Christian martyr for his faith.
On St. Stephen’s Day, which is always on December 26, people remember that St. Stephen was killed by stones after preaching to his people for 40 days. Stephen was said to have died while holding a stone that Lord Jesus had given him earlier and said that none of his followers would ever die from. Around the year 1000, on the same day, he was ordained as the first Christian King of Hungary in Esztergom, Hungary. This day is one of the most important December holidays around the world. In the UK, it is celebrated with traditional foods like stuffed cabbage and Halushky, which are buckwheat dumplings.
17. Kwanzaa (Cultural)
Date: December 26 – January 1
Place of Celebration – Worldwide, particularly in the United States
The Reason For Celebration – To preserve African heritage
Kwanzaa is one of the December Global Holidays celebration that bring family, culture, and community together. It lasts for seven days and is all about the seven principles. Unity, Collective Responsibility, Self-Determination, Creativity, Purpose, Cooperative Economics, and Faith are some of the principles. These are also called Nguzo Saba, which means “the seven principles that guide Kwanzaa.” Maulana Karenga, who started Kwanzaa, says, “The Nguzo Saba are African proverbs that give advice on how to act. They are similar to what we call ethics and morals.” People usually get together during this time to celebrate and share food, music, and gifts, as well as to light candles on each day of the holiday.
18. Omisoka (Cultural)
Date: December 31
Place of Celebration – Japan
The Reason For Celebration – To mark the end of the year celebration
It is a traditional event in Japan that is held on the last day of the year. It is one of the most important days in Japanese culture because it is the last day of the old year and the night before the first day of the new year. All of the Japanese families came to Omisoka to eat a bowl of their traditional noodles called “toshikoshi-soba.” It is thought that eating long noodles can help you live a long life.
“Hatsumode” is a reason for people to go to temples and shrines. Temples ring their bells and give out Amazake, which is a sweet drink. Joya-no-kane is what one big bell on the shrine is called when it rings. They have very big bells made of metal that ring once for each of the 108 desires that are thought to cause people to suffer.
19. New Year’s Eve
Date: December 31
Place of Celebration – Worldwide
The Reason For Celebration – To mark the end of one year and start a new one, and to welcome the New Year with a lot of hope.
New Year’s Eve marks a transition from one year to another and the most exciting December Global holidays that is the last day of the year and month too. Around the world, people celebrate this special night in many different ways and traditions. Some countries have big parties or concerts outside as a way to celebrate, but other countries prefer quieter ways to celebrate, like exchanging good wishes or eating traditional foods together. Some religious groups see New Year’s Eve as a time to thank God for the past year and pray for a good one to come. In some places, New Year’s Eve is also a time to think about the past year and make plans for the next one.
Wrapping Up
Precisely, there is a wide diversity of December global holidays to help you end the year in style.
Remember that December isn’t just a time to spoil yourself with the finer things in life. It’s also the ideal time to thank those who have truly made the previous year worthwhile by showering them with appropriate gifts.
As a result, it is prudent to adequately prepare for this season by saving enough money for it.
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