Winter Celebrations

3. Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus.
8. Celebrated primarily in India, this Festival of Lights signifies the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.
10. A Mexican celebration, reenacting Joseph and Mary's journey.
12. Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is the most important holiday in Vietnam, celebrated according to the lunar calendar. Falling between late January and mid-February, it is marked by family reunions, ancestor worship, festive foods, and traditional customs.
13. Chinese New Year festival.
16. The culmination of the Carnival season, celebrated before Lent. It is most famously observed in New Orleans, Louisiana, with parades, masquerade balls, and feasting.
17. Also referred to as Epiphany, the holiday celebrated in Spain, Europe, and Latin America highlights the baby Jesus.
21. Icelandic folklore figure group who visit during December.
23. Punjabi festival celebrating the end of winter and harvest.

1. Celebration of the epiphany in Spain & Latin America.
2. African-American cultural celebration.
4. The longest night of the year.
5. Korean Lunar New Year, typically celebrated in late January or early February. It marks the beginning of the lunar calendar year.
6. Observed by Buddhists on December 8 and commemorates the day Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
7. Celebration where children leave shoes out for treats from St. Nicholas.
9. East Asian festival celebrating the winter solstice.
11. Ancient Roman winter festival of feasting and revelry.
14. A month-long Islamic holiday observed by Muslims worldwide, during which participants fast from dawn to sunset, engage in prayer, reflection, and community activities. The dates vary each year according to the lunar calendar.
15. Celebrated on February 2 in Mexico and parts of Central America. It marks the presentation of Jesus at the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary.
18. Japanese New Year celebration.
19. Pagan celebration marking the winter solstice in Northern Europe.
20. Jewish festival of lights.
22. A winter solstice ceremony celebrated by the Zuni and Hopi Native American tribes in the southwestern United States. Held around December 21, it marks the return of the sun and involves rituals to ensure the sun’s strength and the fertility of the earth.