Selected International Holidays

Selected International Holidays

New Year, China, February 19, Second new moon after winter solstice: In Chinese tradition, twelve years’ cycle is used. Families gather on New Year’s Eve for a sumptuous banquet (the fish dish served last is not eaten, symbolizing the hope that there will be food left at the end of the year) and children awaken the next morning to find red envelopes filled with money under their pillows. Chinese tradition says babies are one year old at birth, and everyone’s birthday is New Year’s Day. So a child born at 11.59 p.m. on New Year’s Eve hits the terrible twos in under three minutes.

Cinco de Mayo, Mexico, May 5: Parades, parties, bullfights, and beauty pageants commemorate the 1862 Battle of Puebla, when Mexican soldiers beat the odds and the French. France finally conquered Mexico in 1864, but lost the country just three years later. A monument in the town of Puebla honors the soldiers of both armies who died there.

Canada Day, Canada, July 1: In honor of the nation’s confederation in 1867, fireworks (heavy on the read and white) light up the skies and “O Canada!” echoes through the capital city of Ottawa, which hosts an annual concert on Parliament Hill. Across the country, Canadians trot out their flags and firecrackers.

Obon Festival, Japan, July 13-15 or August 13-15 (varies by region): The souls of the dead are said to return for a visit during this festival, so the Japanese go to cemeteries and decorate their ancestors’ graves in anticipation. Drummers and kimono-clad folk dancers perform, and lanterns and bonfires are lit to comfort the spiritual guests.

Holidays. Photo by Elena

Bastille Day, France, July 14: A Parisian mob stormed the famous fortress and prison in 1789, nt satisfied to just eat cake and hell bent on releasing the political prisoners they though were held there. They freed seven inmates, non of whom was actually a political prisoner, but the action marked the lower classes’ entry into the French Revolution. Today, the Bastille is gone and the Parisians are slightly tamer: they light firecrackers, decorate their neighborhoods with paper lanterns, and waltz in the streets to accordion music.

Siter Klaas, the Netherlands, December 5: St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, so the Dutch celebrate his birthday to please them. Legend says he wears a red cape, rides a white horse, and delivers presents via chimneys. Children leave their shoes out overnight (as well as carrots for the horse) and find them filled with trinkets in the morning.

Santa Lucia, Sweden, December 13: St. Lucia wore a crown of candles to bring light during the darkest day of the bleak Swedish winter. At dawn in homes across the country, one girl dons a wreath topped with burning white candles (electric ones are available for wobbly Lucias) and a long white dress with a red sash. She and her white-clad siblings bring coffee and safron bread to their parents, singing carols as they go. Students often organize “Lucia trains” and visit the homes of their teachers as well.

Boxing Day, United Kingdom, December 26: Churches used to open their collection boxes the day after Christmas and distribute the contents to the poor. Now Britons use the occasion to give gifts to the people who have helped them throughout the year – those who deliver mail, newspapers, and milk bottles are the big winners.

International Barbies. Photo by Elena