List of winter festivals
This is an incomplete list of festivals and holidays that take place during the winter or late autumn in the northern hemisphere. Many festivals of light take place in this period since the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere is the Winter Solstice. The time of year is generally referred to as the holiday season, which is where the term "Happy Holidays" originated.
Holidays are listed in chronological order under each heading.
Andean
- Inti Raymi: Festival of the Sun in Quechua, winter solstice festival in areas of the former Inca empire, still celebrated every June in Cusco.
Buddhist
- Bodhi Day: 8 December - Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Guatama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi).
Celtic
- Samhain: 31 October-1 November - first day of winter in the Celtic calendar (and Celtic New Year's Day)
- Winter Solstice: 21 December-22 December - midwinter
- Imbolc: 1 February - first day of spring in the Celtic calendar
- Calan Gaeaf, Wales
Chinese
Christian
Germanic
- Yule: Pagan winter festival that was celebrated by the historical Germanic people from late December to early January.
- Mōdraniht: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
Hindu
- Diwali: Known as the Festival of Lights, this Hindu holiday celebrates the victory of good over evil. The five-day festival is marked by ceremonies, fireworks and sweets. Women dress up and decorate their hands with henna tattoos for the melas, or fairs. Many different myths are associated with Diwali, one of which celebrates the return of Lord Rama after a 14-year exile and his defeat of the demon Ravana. It occurs during October or November.
- Pancha Ganapati: Five-day festival in honor of Lord Ganesha, Patron of Arts and Guardian of Culture. December 21–25.
- Bhaubeej
Jewish
- Hanukkah: Starting on 25 Kislev (Hebrew) or various dates in November or December (Gregorian) - eight day festival commemorating the miracle of the oil after the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his defeat in 165 BCE.
- Tu Bishvat: New Year of the Trees occurring on the 15th of Shevat, January or February.
- Purim: Occurring on 14th or 15th day of Adar, late February to March, commemorating the miraculous deliverance and victory of the Jews of the Persian Empire in the events recorded in the Book of Esther
Muslim
- Ramadan: A month of fasting and spirituality, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
- Eid-ul-Fitr: Celebration of the end of Ramadan.
- Eid ul-Adha: Starting on the 10th of Dhul Hijja, a three day holiday commemorating the Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismael.
Note: As the Islamic calendar is lunar and therefore varies from the solar Gregorian calendar, these festivals may fall in any season. Ramadan shifts by ca. 11 days per year in comparison to a solar calendar.
Persian
- Sadeh: A mid-winter feast to honor fire and to "defeat the forces of darkness, frost and cold". Sadé or Sada (Persian: سده) Jashn-e Sada/Sadé (in Persian: جشن سده), also transliterated as Sadeh, is an ancient Iranian tradition celebrated 50 days before nowrouz. Sadeh in Persian means "hundred" and refers to one hundred days and nights left to the beginning of the new year celebrated at the first day of spring on March 21 each year. Sadeh is a mid winter festival that was celebrated with grandeur and magnificence in ancient Iran. It was a festivity to honor fire and to defeat the forces of darkness, frost, and cold.
- Yalda: The turning point, Winter Solstice (December 21). As the longest night of the year and the beginning of the lengthening of days, Shabe Yaldā (Persian: یلدا) or Shabe Chelle (Persian: شب چله) is an Iranian festival celebrating the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil. 'Shabe yalda' means 'birthday eve.' According to Persian mythology, Mithra, the sun god, was born at dawn on the 22nd of December to a virgin mother. He symbolizes light, truth, goodness, strength, and friendship. Herodotus reports that this was the most important holiday of the year for contemporary Persians. In modern times Persians celebrate Yalda by staying up late or all night, a practice known as 'Shab Chera' meaning 'night gazing'. Friends and family gather to feast and read poetry. Bibliomancy may be practiced with the poetry of Hafiz. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons. The red color of these fruits invokes the crimson hues of dawn and symbolizes Mithra.
- Chahar Shanbeh Suri: Festival of Fire, Last Wednesday of the Iranian Calendar year. It marks the importance of the light over the darkness, and arrival of spring and revival of nature. Chahārshanbe-Sūri (Persian: چهارشنبهسوری), pronounced Chārshanbe-Sūri (Persian: چارشنبهسوری) is the ancient Iranian festival dating at least back to 1700 BCE of the early Zoroastrian era.[1] The festival of fire is a prelude to the ancient Norouz festival, which marks the arrival of spring and revival of nature. Chahrshanbeh Soori, is celebrated the last Tuesday night of the year.
Roman
Sikh
The dates vary from year to year according to the lunar Indian calendar. See e.g. the article on Gurpurab for an overview.
Slavic
Secular
- Halloween: (31 October)
- Thanksgiving: The celebration of the early colonization of the United States and the camaraderie of the settlers and the Native Americans. Occurs on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, second Monday in October.
- Zamenhof Day: (15 December) - Birthday of Ludwig Zamenhof, inventor of Esperanto; holiday reunion for Esperantists
- Festivus: (23 December) - Holiday celebrating the season without the pressures or commercialism of the other holidays. At first a family holiday, later publicized on the Seinfeld television show, now celebrated independently.
- HumanLight: (23 December) - Humanist holiday originated by the New Jersey Humanist Network
- Newtonmas: (25 December) - As an alternative to celebrating the religious holiday Christmas, some atheists, skeptics, and other non-believers have chosen to celebrate December 25th as Newtonmas, due to it being Isaac Newton's birthday on the old style date.
- Quaid-e-Azam's Day: (25 December)
- Malkh-Festival: (25 December)
- Boxing Day: (26 December) - Gift-giving day after Christmas.
- Kwanzaa: (26 December - 1 January) - Pan-African festival celebrated in North America
- Yulefest, Midwinter Christmas (around late June or July) - Australian New Zealand winter 'Christmas/Yuletide' (Although this is sometimes celebrated in the USA, where celebrations generally begin on 4th July.
- New Year's Eve: (31 December) - Last day of the Gregorian year
- Hogmanay: (Night of 31 December - Before dawn of 1 January) - Scottish New Year's Eve Celebration
- New Year's Day: (1 January) - First day of the Gregorian year
- Martin Luther King Day (15 January) - Birthday of American civil rights movement leader, a federal holiday on or near the date.
- Hedgehog Day: 2 February - supposed archaic European version of Groundhog Day, dating back to Roman times.
Winter festivals in popular culture
Note: The festivals listed here have been created by popular culture. Many parody Christmas, and are not traditional celebrations.
- Chrismahanukwanzadan: This is the modern-day merging of the holidays of Christianity's Christmas, Judaism's Hanukkah, African-American holiday of Kwanzaa, and Islamic Ramadan.
- Festivus: in the TV series Seinfeld: An alternative event for those who prefer to avoid normal holiday expectations. "Festivus, for the rest of us".
- Snowflake Day: The Secular and politically correct holiday from the tv show Clone High, when in 2002, the United Nations declared that all exclusive Winter holidays, including Christmas, Chanukah, and Quanza, should be abolished in favor of the all inclusive Snowflake Day. A day of celebrating snow and spices and the best dance known to mankind, the Cabbage Patch. On Snowflake Day, Snowflake Jake, the Spice Pirate, launches his spice cannonballs at the holiday's symbol of peace and celebration, the Target. Lamb tacos are eaten.
- Winter-een-mas: The annual week long celebration of video games and the people that play them.[1] Winter-een-mas is a holiday that takes place every year from January 25 to 31,[2] but is also commonly celebrated for a month. The entire month of January constitutes the Winter-een-mas season, very similar to the "Christmas season", where people begin to gear up for the holiday, and get into the spirit of things. The holiday was started by the fictional character Ethan in webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del[2] by Tim Buckley. Its stated goal is to "celebrate the joy of video gaming". Many gaming stores, such as EB Games, celebrate the holiday.[2]
- Wintersday: The annual winter holiday in the MMORPG Guild Wars, based on Christmas and Yule.
- Starlight Celebration: The annual winter holiday based on Christmas/Yule/winter solstice in the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI (aka FFXI). Players can collect various holiday equipment, Mog house furnishings, fireworks, and food.
- Shoe Giving: - quirky holiday famously invented on the show Hyperdrive (TV series)
- Freezingman: - 11 January - A Burning Man inspired event held in Colorado as a Winter Arts and Music Festival.[3]
- Feast of Winter Veil: December 15 to January 2 - holiday in the MMORPG World of Warcraft. This holiday is based on Christmas. Cities are decorated with Christmas lights and a tree with presents. Also special quests, items and snowballs are available. It features 'Greatfather Winter' which is modeled after [Santa Claus]. [1] [2]
- Day of the Ninja: December 5 - A counterpoint to International Talk Like a Pirate Day founded by the creators of Ninja Burger.
- Kwansolhaneidmas: December 19 - an interdenominational holiday celebrated by people on Facebook.
- Feast of Frith, in the TV series Watership Down.
- Holiday Number 11, in the TV series Quark.
- Refrigerator Day, in the TV series Dinosaurs.
- Life Day, featured in The Star Wars Holiday Special.
- Slapsgiving, a parody of thanksgiving made famous in the TV show How I Met Your Mother.
- Agnostica: Agnostic winter festival created by Daren "Gav" Bleuel in the webcomic Nukees
- Alvistide: in the TV series Sealab 2021.
- Frostval: Adventure Quest, Dragonfable, AQworlds etc.
- Chalica: A holiday celebrated the first full week in December by some Unitarian Universalists.
- Hogswatch: a holiday celebrated on the fictional world of Discworld. It is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
- Crimbo: December 1 to December 25 - The season in which Uncle Crimbo (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) delivers toys, chocolates and disaster to the Kingdom of Loathing.
- Thanksgivoween. September 1 to January 1.
- Decemberween: a parody of Christmas that features gift-giving, carol-singing and decorated trees. The fact that it takes place on December 25, the same day as Christmas, has been presented as just a coincidence, and it has been stated that Decemberween traditionally takes place "55 days after Halloween". Homestar Runner
See also
References
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† dagger indicates extinction. ° degree symbol indicates changes in date, name or location. ( ) indicate demographic
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