There are many holiday celebrations besides Christmas during the winter season
When it comes to winter holidays, Christmas takes up a lot of airspace. Celebrated around the world, Christmas is considered both a religious holiday, honouring the birth of Jesus, as well as a cultural one, with a history and tradition that combines Christian beliefs with ancient folklore and pagan rituals. For some, Christmas isn't Christian at all, but a time for fir trees, Santa, and food.
But Christmas isn't the only holiday celebrated during the winter season. There are a plethora of other holidays that are culturally significant to their countries of origin, some of which have festivities that far exceed even the most ostentatious Christmas celebration. With activities focused around what is called the Nguzo Saba celebrating traits such as collective work, creativity, and purpose, communities join together with feasts, music, dance, and a continued commitment to cultural values.
Festivities include fireworks, parades, and performances. The holiday closes with a lantern festival. his important Indigenous celebration was recognized by UNESCO in 2008, who added it to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. During the festival, families climb the nearby hills to visit the graves of their ancestors, a tradition that is more than 2,000 years old and comes from the legend of Jing Huan, a man who took his family into the hills to visit and subsequently survived the slaughter of his entire village.
Traditions include leaving small gifts and treats in shoes. While still considered a different entity than the modern-day Santa Claus, many of the traditions of Santa originated with the legends of St. Nicholas. The merriment continues until Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. In the U.S., the biggest celebration takes place in the city of New Orleans, where marching bands take over the streets and masquerade balls take place throughout the districts. Carnival is also observed in Rio de Janeiro and Venice, Italy, among other places.
Events include barbecues, concerts, music, horsemanship shows, and cultural events, culminating in a large gaucho parade held on the Sunday nearest to Nov. 10. The holiday is thought to have originated in ancient times during the spring equinox, eventually evolving into a religious event based on biblical scriptures and representing the presentation of the infant Jesus at the temple. Traditions include taking figures of the Christ child to the church for blessings, as well as bringing candles to be blessed and used later in the home.
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