Winter holidays captivate people across Canada and the United States, with traditions that vary by family and faith. The season is celebrated in diverse ways, and the shared spirit of joy and togetherness remains a common thread.
For many, Christmas remains a central highlight in December, yet cultures and religions around the world mark this festive season with unique rituals, foods, and stories that reflect local heritage. From family gatherings to community celebrations, the winter holidays weave a tapestry of meaning that goes beyond a single calendar date.
Kwanzaa arrives from December 26 through January 1, a vibrant African American celebration that honours first fruits in Swahili. The holiday centers on seven guiding principles—unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith—each day marked by lighting a candle to reflect the corresponding principle. The kinara, a seven-candle candelabrum, is placed on a mkeka, a straw mat that recalls ancestral roots and shared responsibility. On the sixth evening, families share a karamu, a feast that brings generations together to celebrate community, gratitude, and abundance. DID YOU KNOW? The kinara holds the seven candles; the mkeka is the straw mat used as a ceremonial foundation. The karamu feast on the sixth night emphasizes unity and hospitality.
St. Lucia’s Day is celebrated on December 13 in Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, Norway, and Denmark to honor Saint Lucy, a Christian martyr who lived in the early centuries of the Christian era. The celebration blends light, song, and festive customs that combat midwinter darkness. The eldest daughter in many households leads the morning meal wearing a white dress and a red sash to symbolize purity and steadfastness as she serves her family. Traditional foods include saffron buns, lussekatter, and ginger biscuits, filling homes with warm aromas. The festival begins with a procession in the streets, led by the town’s chosen St. Lucia representative, followed by girls and boys dressed in white who sing traditional songs and carry candles.
Bodhi Day is observed on December 8, commonly marking the day when the historical Buddha achieved enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. The observance invites reflection on wisdom, compassion, and mindful living, often with lighted candles, tea, and meditation. In many traditions, Bodhi Day is also known as Rohatsu, a period of intensive meditation called sesshin that offers practitioners a chance to quiet the mind and deepen awareness.
Las Posadas, running from December 16 to 24, originated in Spain and is widely celebrated by Catholic communities in Mexico and parts of Latin America. The journey reenacts Joseph and Mary’s search for lodging in Bethlehem before Jesus’ birth, with processions, carols, and home-based rituals that invite neighbors to join the celebration. Neighborhoods commonly stage piñatas, often bright papier-mâché figures filled with candy, as a playful symbol of the journey from craving to fulfillment.
Hanukkah, which follows the Hebrew calendar, begins on the eve of Kislev 25 and lasts for eight nights. This year, it starts at sundown on December 11 and ends on December 19. The festival commemorates the victory of the ancient Jews over persecution and the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE. Known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah features nightly candle lighting on the menorah. Foods like latkes and sufganiya, a jelly-filled doughnut, are commonly enjoyed to recall the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days. Communities mark the season with songs, games, and gifts, creating a warm sense of shared celebration.