6 National's Day, Finland
Finland's Independence Day is on December 6, celebrating Finnish independence from Russia. The history behind Finland's Independence Day is the nomination of Finland to become an independent state, on December 6, 1917.
6 St. Nicholas's Day, Christian
Before there was Santa Claus, there was Saint Nicholas, known traditionally as the “bearer of gifts”. On December 6th many Europeans still celebrate Saint Nicholas Day, and many Christmas traditions were originally a part of this holiday.
9 National Day, Tanzania
Tanzania Independence Day is a celebration of independence from the British in 1961 of Tanganyika, which merged with Zanzibar in 1964 to become Tanzania.
12 Jamhuri Day (National Day), Kenya
Jamhuri is the Swahili word for "republic" and the holiday is officially to mark the date of Kenya's establishment as a republic on 12 December, 1964. However, the country also gained full independence from the United Kingdom one year earlier on 12 December, 1963, so Jamhuri Day is a double event and is generally regarded as Kenya's most important holiday.
13 St. Lucia's Day, Christian
St. Lucia’s Day, festival of lights celebrated in Sweden, Norway, and the Swedish-speaking areas of Finland on December 13 in honor of St. Lucia. One of the earliest Christian martyrs, St. Lucia was killed by the Romans in 304 ce because of her religious beliefs.
16 Hanukkah, Jewish
Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration in honor of a victorious battle for religious freedom. The holiday lasts for eight days.
Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights, an eight-day celebration that takes place at the end of the calendar year.
25 Christmas Day, Christian
26 Boxing Day and St. Stephen's Day
December 26th, is Boxing Day and is a holiday celebrated in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and other Commonwealth countries. Boxing Day is so called because it was the custom on that day for tradesmen to collect their Christmas boxes or gifts in return for good and reliable service throughout the year. Boxing Day is also St. Stephen's Day. St Stephen was a little known saint who achieved eternal fame by being the first Christian to be martyred for his faith by being stoned to death shortly after Christ's crucifixion. He's also named in the Christmas song Good King Wenceslas.
26 Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is an African-American and Pan-African cultural holiday that is centered around seven principles (called Nguzo Saba in Swahili).
31 New Year's Eve
Christmas Around the World Inferencing Cards
Each set of cards has the country's Christmas greeting and hint to the location. The card then lists different facts about the country's Christmas holiday traditions. The answer card has the name of the country, the countries map, and the country's flag.
Christmas Around the World + Photos with 3-5 pages that contain an arial view, landmarks and/or cities, landforms, etc... from the country.