{"id":174000000675,"date":"2019-12-11T11:50:54","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T16:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kidsrkids.com\/avalon-park\/?p=174000000675"},"modified":"2019-12-11T12:08:01","modified_gmt":"2019-12-11T17:08:01","slug":"holiday-traditions-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kidsrkids.com\/avalon-park\/2019\/12\/11\/holiday-traditions-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Traditions Around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

December is a busy time for Kids \u2018R\u2019 Kids. Next week our kids will be learning about other cultures and traditions like Christmas, Hanukkah, St. Nicholas Day & Kwanza. Click Here to Check out our December Events Calendar.<\/a><\/p>\n

The month of December feels like a magical time of year. Festive decorations, holiday films, and family traditions make this season special. There are many different holidays and traditions observed all around the world this month. Teaching your children about the other holidays and unique Christmas traditions observed in other countries and cultures can help them understand others and enjoy this season even more.<\/div>\n
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These are\u00a0four December holidays and unique traditions you can share with your kids. <\/strong><\/div>\n
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\"ChristmasChristmas<\/h2>\n
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Christmas is traditionally a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth to Mary and Joseph. Many religious celebrations of Christmas around the world include reenactments of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter on the eve of Jesus\u2019 birth or nativity scenes that represent Jesus\u2019 birth in a stable. The holiday is also celebrated through gift exchanges, family gatherings, and special religious services or masses. There are many beautiful and unique Christmas traditions observed around the globe.<\/p>\n

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In Portugal,\u00a0friends and family honor loved ones who have passed away on Christmas Eve with\u00a0a traditional dinner\u00a0called\u00a0Consoada. Usually, a chair is left empty at the\u00a0table for the souls of the dead or “alminhas a penar” to inhabit.\u00a0Leftovers\u00a0are left out overnight for any hungry ghosts who might stop in to\u00a0enjoy the holiday celebration.Finland has\u00a0a similar Christmas Eve tradition. Families visit the graves of loved ones and\u00a0light a single candle in the\u00a0snow\u00a0next to the grave. It\u2019s a symbol of peace and\u00a0resurrection. If you\u2019d love to learn about other Christian Christmas\u00a0cultural\u00a0traditions, check out WorldHolidayTraditions.com.\u00a0(http:\/\/www.worldholidaytraditions.com\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Many people in the U.S. and around the world celebrate Christmas as a non-religious holiday centered around good food, family and exchanging gifts. Holiday decoration, Santa Clause and KFC are the focus of Christmas celebrations in Japan where it is primarily celebrated as a secular holiday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"HanukkahHanukkah<\/h2>\n
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Hanukkah or Festival of Lights is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated between late November and late December (the exact dates change slightly every year since it\u2019s based on the Jewish lunar calendar). It\u2019s an eight-day celebration that commemorates when the Second Temple, in Jerusalem, was rededicated in 165 B.C.<\/p>\n

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At that\u00a0time, the Jewish people had successfully gained control of their temple after\u00a0revolting against a ruler who had\u00a0outlawed Judaism and taken possession of\u00a0their temple. To cleanse the temple and rededicate it, oil had to burn in a\u00a0menorah (or candelabra) for eight consecutive nights. Even though they only had\u00a0enough oil for one night, it burned all\u00a0eight days. Hanukkah is a celebration of\u00a0this miracle.On each\u00a0night during Hanukkah, Jewish families that observe the holiday light a candle\u00a0on their menorah. All eight\u00a0candles in the menorah are lit on the last evening.<\/p>\n

Exchanging gifts and playing games after the nightly candle is lit is part of this holiday tradition. The most popular game that\u2019s played during Hanukkah is ‘dreidel’ (Yiddish) or ‘sivivon’ (Hebrew).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"St.St. Nicholas Day<\/h2>\n
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St. Nicholas\u2019 Day or the Feast of Saint Nicholas is observed on December 6th in Western European nations and the United States. In Eastern European nations, it\u2019s usually celebrated on December 19th. It honors the life of the third-century saint who is one of the inspirations for modern-day Santa Claus.<\/p>\n

In many\u00a0Central European nations, this holiday is centered around gifts more than\u00a0Christmas. Children usually leave\u00a0their shoes outside their door on the days\u00a0leading up to St. Nicholas Day. If they\u2019ve been good, in the morning, it\u2019s\u00a0filled with sweets.<\/p>\n

In Austria and Hungry, Saint Nicholas has a devilish assistant, Knecht Ruprecht. While Saint Nicholas gives sweets and goodies to good kids, Knecht punishes naughty kids. He traditionally carries chains and a basket for whisking away bad children. There are Krampusnacht parties and Krampus Runs where revelers romp through town in beastly Knecht costumes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"holidayKwanzaa<\/h2>\n
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Kwanza is the last major holiday that\u2019s celebrated this month. It’s observed between December 26th and January 1st. It\u2019s primarily celebrated in the U.S. and other nations of the African diaspora in the Americas. This young holiday was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, an activist, and professor of African studies, in 1966. Dr. Karenga’s vision for Kwanza was that it would be a celebration of African and African American unity along with the values of self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. It has become a beloved celebration for many as a way to honor their African ancestry. Families and friends celebrate together by exchanging gifts, dancing, singing and enjoying a large feast with each other.<\/p>\n

What a\u00a0diverse range of holidays and traditions! Whether you are celebrating Hanukkah,\u00a0Christmas or Kwanzaa,\u00a0quality time with loved ones is at the heart of the\u00a0holiday. We hope that you and your kids are finding time to enjoy\u00a0each other\u2019s\u00a0company as you celebrate your holiday traditions!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December is a busy time for Kids \u2018R\u2019 Kids. Next week our kids will be learning about other cultures and traditions like Christmas, Hanukkah, St. Nicholas Day & Kwanza. Click Here to Check out our December Events Calendar. The month of December feels like a magical time of year. Festive decorations, holiday films, and family […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":289,"featured_media":174000000676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[174000000010],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-174000000675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHoliday Traditions Around The World - Children Holiday Activities<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This December Kids R Kids will offer holiday activities. 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