Holidays You May or May Not Have Heard of

To shake it up, let’s start at the end of the year with Boxing Day. Similar to the American “Black Friday,” it is an event where stores hold massive sales. Nowadays, people also gather with family and friends to watch big sports games on this day. Boxing Day is celebrated in countries of the British Commonwealth the day after Christmas.

Originally, the holiday had nothing to do with the sport of boxing or sports in general. The tradition started during the Victorian era in the 19th century. On this day, wealthy people boxed presents for the poor, which is where the name “Boxing Day” comes from. In addition to a day off, wealthy noble families also gave “gifts,” usually leftovers and unwanted gifts from others, to their servants.

Today, shopping is an activity many people like to do together because of Boxing Day sales. Watching sports is another activity that has become synonymous with the holiday. In the UK, watching football (soccer) and rugby is popular, while in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, watching cricket is more common. Of course, watching the sport of boxing is a must.

Speaking of Christmas, the next holiday is a very unexpected, but related tradition. It is called the “Santa Run” and it started in Newtown, Wales, in 2001. It was held every year in the last week of November and now many other cities have their own versions of it.

In classic British fashion, the idea was formed in a pub. On this day, up to thousands of people dressed up in red and white Santa suits and participated in a long-distance race. There were also different kinds of courses to accommodate wheelchair participants and children. The registration funds all went to charity. The Santa Run became popular with the help of news outlets and media. Because of its unique concept, people came from all over the country to experience this one-of-a-kind event.

The original Santa Run in Newtown is, unfortunately, not running anymore (pun intended). However, over the 10 years that it had been operating, the runners had raised over 150 thousand pounds -over 200 thousand US dollars- for charity.

Some of you may have heard of Dia de Los Muertos, a holiday popularized a few years ago by Disney's movie Coco. The name means “Day of the Dead” in Spanish, coming from the tradition of remembering and honoring one’s deceased family members. This holiday is celebrated during the first two days of November, but communities spend weeks preparing for it.

Families create offerings, called ofrendas, to honor the family members that have passed away. These ofrendas consist of altars decorated with yellow marigolds and colorful sugar skulls. Photos and favorite foods and drinks of the ones being remembered are placed on the altars. Ofrendas are thought to draw spirits to visit and meet with the family members still alive.

Dia de Los Muertos isn’t all about cherishing the dead, it is also a celebration of life. In Mexican culture, death is a normal and welcomed part of life, so the occasion is joyous, not somber. People dance, play music, and feast on this holiday, taking the time to enjoy time with family and friends, dead or alive.

Usually lasting the last week of September, the Gerewol Festival is an interesting event most similar to a male beauty pageant. It is celebrated annually by the nomadic Wodaabe people somewhere in Chad or Niger; there is no set location, them being nomadic and all.

Wodaabe clans from all different regions gather together once a year to celebrate this one-of-a-kind tradition. At the crack of dawn, single, young men spend hours decorating themselves in vibrant paints, accessories, and robes. Then, they dance and pose in front of the ladies, attempting to impress them. In this culture, it is the woman who dominates the relationship. Throughout the event, girls choose who they find most beautiful. Even married women can participate, going so far as to choose a new husband if she wishes.

This courtship could last for a single night or for the rest of the couple’s lives, whichever works best for them. Whether for just a whirlwind romance or a lifelong partnership, this festival is sure to be memorable for all who experience it.

May Day! In terms of when it takes place, the name is pretty self-explanatory. You can guess: it’s May, specifically on May 1st. This holiday is one of Celtic origin, celebrated in the British Isles and New England area in the United States. Occurring directly halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice, this holiday is a celebration of spring and gives colorful, floral, sunny vibes.

There are two special traditions that occur on May Day: the gifting of May Day baskets and the dancing around a maypole. May Day baskets are usually made out of colored paper and filled with flowers. Anonymous senders will put these baskets at the doorstep of their loved ones, shouting “May basket!” while knocking on the door before running away. If the sender is caught, they have to be kissed.

Maypoles are decorated with long, colorful ribbons streaming down from the top. People hold the ends of these ribbons and dance merrily. In medieval times, there would be a possibility of courtship between young people. Additionally, a May Queen and her court would be appointed, now it’s more like a popularity contest in school.

As of the time of writing this article, Ramadan is in full swing all around the globe. At the end of it, Eid al-Fitr will occur. I talk about both of these holidays at the same time because one cannot happen without the other. Ramadan takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, which changes every year on the Gregorian calendar, the calendar we all use today. This year, it is between April and May.

Ramadan is a time for Muslims to practice “self-restraint, God-consciousness, compassion, and collective worship,” as Harvard University states. During Ramadan, Muslims fast (to not eat or drink) from dawn to dusk. People who celebrate Ramadan eat and drink before sunup, known as suhoor, and after sundown, known as iftar. These meals are festive and lively, including many special foods like dates. Additionally, during both night and day, Muslims actively abstain from “evil” actions like swearing and negative thoughts and actions. This is why we must warn Muslims of this content using the “NSFR (Not Safe For Ramadan)” indication on social media.

Eid al-Fitr is a commemoration of Ramadan’s completion and the breaking of the month-long fast. Muslims gather with their community to party and give gifts. Parents and elders also take this time to educate their children on the traditions and importance of Islam in their lives.

Out of all of the holidays here, Holi is by far the most colorful. It is nicknamed the Festival of Color, after all. Also referred to as the Festival of Love, Holi is a time for people to forget all grudges and bad feelings towards one another. It is celebrated in India on the day of the full moon in the Bengali/Nepali calendar month of Falgun. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually lands during the spring months.

Holi eve kickstarts the festivities with the burning of Holika the night before. This way, the Holi celebrations can last for all 24 hours of the day.

As shown in the picture above, people joyfully cover each other in brightly colored powders called gulals. Kids like to throw water balloons and play with a type of water gun, called pichkari. People also exchange sweets, dried fruits, greeting cards, and other gifts. They eat delicious Holi foods like gujiya, malpuas, mathri, puran poli, and dahi vadas. There is dancing to folk music and singing. The day overall is fun and exciting with more activities and traditions than I can talk about here.

In East Asia, White Day is kind of like a second Valentine’s Day. It is on March 14th, exactly a month after Valentine’s Day. Couples, friends, and family celebrate both of these holidays together pretty similarly, but with a little twist.

Couple culture is very important in countries like China, Japan, and South Korea. Couples celebrate dates like the 100th, 200th, 1000th, and 5000th day anniversaries in addition to the traditional annual anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, and of course, White Day. Heads up: since East Asian culture is still a bit conservative, the vast majority of couples are between men and women, boys and girls.

In these areas, Valentine’s Day is when the girl treats the guy, taking him out and giving him lovely presents. On White Day, it is the other way around, when the guy treats the girl, giving her chocolate, gifts, and things like that. Most importantly, White Day is meant to be an answer, a “thank you,” to the partner that treated you on Valentine’s Day.

This section is for those who don’t take Mandarin at ISB. Also commonly referred to as Chinese New Year, the Lunar New Year is a celebration of the beginning of the lunar calendar. It is similar to how New Year’s Day is a celebration of the beginning of the Gregorian calendar. The celebrations last up to fifteen days, starting at the end of January or the beginning of February, as the calendars are not quite the same length.

In East and Southeast Asian countries, this holiday is so important that people often get two weeks off of work and school for it. This is sometimes the only break workers will get in the entire year, so it is extremely cherished. This time is spent with friends, neighbors, and family, eating traditional foods, dressing in traditional clothing, hanging lanterns, giving children money in red packets, and launching fireworks and firecrackers.

The Lunar New Year is celebrated slightly differently depending on where you go. A lot of East and Southeast Asia both used to use the lunar calendar, thus many cultures within those regions have developed their own new year traditions. For example, Koreans will wear various-colored han-bok, Korean traditional clothing, while Chinese people will mostly stick to red-colored qi-pao, Chinese traditional clothing.