They say variety is the spice of life, and it must be true. The various holiday celebrations help to break the monotony of everyday life and bring family and friends closer together. And the various ways holidays are celebrated adds flavor to the festivities!

Thanksgiving

• Americans celebrate the Pilgrim’s successful occupancy in the New World and the abundant harvest that helped sustained them, the 4th Thursday each November. Their close neighbor, Canada, celebrates on the 2nd Monday in October; a day of general thanksgiving to Almighty God for a bountiful harvest.
• Many of the native Indian cultures in South America express gratitude and thanksgiving. In modern Brazil a public day of thanksgiving and prayer is designated for the fourth Thursday of November each year.
• For centuries Jewish families have celebrated an autumn harvest which begins on the 15th day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar.
• Early Romans celebrated Cerelia, a harvest festival. The celebration was in honor of their goddess of corn, Ceres (from which the word cereal is derived). Offerings of the first fruits of the harvest were made; celebrations included a thanksgiving feast, parades, and sports events.
• An African festival is held at the end of the rainy season. It is called a Yam Festival because yams are the first crops harvested; they are also one of the most common foods in many African countries. Yams are offered to gods and ancestors first before being distributed to villagers, as a way of giving thanks.

Christmas

• In Brazil, Father Christmas is called Papai Noel. Various celebration customs are similar to the United States, including making Christmas crafts. Those with enough money enjoy a feast of several meats, salad, and fruits. Poorer families enjoy a simpler meal; perhaps just chicken and rice.
• Christmas is always referred to as Noel in France. Christmas trees are often decorated the old traditional way; red ribbons and white wax candles. Family reunions, gifts and candy for the children, and gifts for the poor mark holiday celebrations. Most provinces celebrate Christmas on December 25th; in eastern and northern France, however, the celebration begins on December 6th.
• On December 6th children in Hungary clean their shoes and place them outside near a door or window before bedtime. Candies and small toys in small red bags are found in the shoes of nice children the next morning. Naughty children find a golden birch twig – symbolic of a spanking – next to their sweets. On the 24th it is customary for children to visit relatives or go to the movies. This allows time for little Jesus to bring the tree and presents to their homes.
• Because the United States is so multi-cultural Christmas is celebrated in a variety of ways. Trees are decorated, gifts are wrapped, family gatherings are many, a Christmas poem might be recited, and eggnog served. Although turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie traditionally punctuate the celebration, some households serve ham, cabbage dishes with sausage, or even lasagna!
• With the fall of Communism, Christmas became a favored holiday in Russia, celebrated either on December 25th or January 7th. Meat dumplings are a favored holiday food.

New Year’s

• People in Japan join together and laugh as they usher in a new year; tradition teaches that by doing so, happiness and good luck will be awarded.
• In Spain, people celebrate New Year’s Eve by filling their mouths with grapes. They begin plopping grapes in their mouths at midnight, one for each chime of the clock. The tradition began long ago after a king dolled grapes out to the people on New Year’s Eve because the harvest had been so great.
• The Chinese set off firecrackers to chase off evil spirits on New Year’s Day.
• Children in Greece sing a New Year’s Day song and leave their shoes to warm by the fireplace on New Year’s Eve, in the hopes that Saint Basil will come during the night and fill their shoes with sweets and gifts. Young Greek maidens once believed if you ate something salty before going to bed on New Year’s Eve, you would dream about your future husband.
• In Venezuela many people wear yellow underwear on New Year’s Day, believing it will bring them good luck. Grapes are also eaten at the stroke of midnight. Persons who would like to take a trip during the New Year carry a suitcase around the house, in the hopes it will make their wishes for travel come true.

Holiday Celebration Idea

Everybody knows that when it comes to sending a greeting during the holiday season, nothing says it better than a hand selected holiday greeting card.

When it comes to card giving this year, why not try something different? Include a line or two in your holiday greeting card about unique holiday celebrations in other countries, or holiday trivia. Or use another language to convey the holiday greeting.

For instance, note the following Merry Christmas greetings in other languages:

• English – Merry Christmas
• Dutch – Vrolijk kerstfeest
• Italian – Natale allegro
• Spain – Feliz Navidad
• And finally Das Ende, which is German for the end.