A Complete Calendar of December Global Holidays

If there’s one month that everyone eagerly looks forward to, it’s December! And that’s all for the December Global Holidays.

December is a month of festivities. You’re enjoying the holidays, there’s snow, and you can feel the aroma of baked cookies and food all around you. It’s all about happy times.

While some see it as a month to take time off and spend it with friends, family, and relatives, some others look at it as a time to take moments for celebration and revive themselves with positivity and optimism. The month inevitably brings new hopes for everyone, and people love to celebrate them in any manner they can.

In fact, if you look at travel bookings for all the months of the year, December seems to be much more booked than the other months, given that people are traveling back to their homes or planning vacations and trips.

All in all, December is a time when people are merrier, and there’s a different and soothing kind of happy vibe in the surrounding. People will look more excited, and everyone is more about spreading friendliness and joy in different ways, such as exchanging gifts, inviting others to dinner, etc. And everyone’s laughing and giggling all around. It’s probably all in the December air.

It’s as if no one even has to make an effort to be happy. The atmosphere and surroundings are enough to put a smile on everybody’s face, and they move around with glee and blithe filling their hearts.

Moreover, everyone would actually plan their December holidays much in advance. They’d open up the calendar, mark all the holidays, and plan how they want to spend them and make the most out of them. Well, whatever you do, relax on a beach, go for dinners, or it’s just some happy and fruitful time at home with family. Remember that the month is all about being happy and living it up to the fullest.

With that said, here we have shared the entire calendar of the December Global Holidays so that you may plan your month in the best way possible.

International December Global Holidays List 2022

Well, there’s just so much to look forward to in December. There’s Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s, and everything in between. So here are all the December Global Holidays you must be looking forward to this year.

1. Hanukkah

Hanukkah is the most important festival for the Jews. The festival is celebrated in Jerusalem, Israel, to honor the victory of Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks in getting back the temple of Jerusalem.

It’s an eight-day long festival and one of December’s major and longest holidays. You can see all the Jewish people moving around and getting together with their friends and families and indulging in the festive joy.

The festival, naturally, began in Israel and spread across the world eventually. Now, Hanukkah is celebrated in over 21 countries worldwide, and people have become more aware of the rich Jewish heritage.

An interesting story is associated with Hanukkah, which the Jewish people relive every year. It’s believed that when the Jews were fighting the Greeks in Jerusalem, they’d found a lamp and believed that it would last for the day. However, from some miracle, the lamp lasted for eight days. Hanukkah, since then, has been celebrated as the anniversary of this miracle.

The Jews get together, share stories of Hanukkah, and the dining table is wholesomely decorated with delicious foods, the major highlights being potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts. 

The Holiday Armadillo, a part-Jewish friend of Santa, is also a famous attraction of Hannukah and the Jews have a ritual relating to it. However, the ritual is very secret, and even the most knowledgeable Jews might not know about it.

2. World AIDS Day

The first Global December Holiday, World AIDS Day, commenced on the 1st of December 1988. Since then, every year, it’s commemorated internationally to create and spread awareness about HIV/AIDS and to support those who are fighting it.

Its main purpose is to encourage people to get tested for the virus and get confirmed about their reports and status. Additionally, people take the time to pass on knowledge and information about it along with messages about preventing and reducing the risk of the virus affecting you.

It’s also a good opportunity for those struggling with AIDS disease to share their stories and inspire others like themselves. Additionally, people take time to remember and commemorate those who lost their lives to the disease.

So, basically, the holiday is to invoke a sense of empathy among people for those who are suffering from an incurable disease.

3. Krampusnacht

Krampusnacht is a rather different kind of festival that is celebrated in alpine countries to teach naughty and disobedient children a lesson, and it can be understood to be quite like Halloween, except that, it’s celebrated with the purpose of scaring children so that they would behave during the Christmas season.

The story goes that Krampusnacht is to celebrate the arrival of the demonic monster Krampus who used to punish children for their misbehavior and disobedience. It’s celebrated in different ways in different towns. People would go out on rallies, dressed up in scary costumes, and knock door to door to scare the children. 

The festivities also include parties and get-togethers where people enjoy the scary costume dresses and treat themselves to delicious snacks and drinks.

4. Bodhi Day

Bodhi Day is a Buddhist festival celebrated mainly in Japan to commemorate and honor the spiritual enlightenment of Gautam Buddha. However, while it’s most famous in Japan, the Buddhist faith community worldwide celebrates this day to honor this day which is believed to be the day of the “Awakening of Sambuddha.” It’s for this belief that Bodhi Day is also called Sambuddhatva Jayanti.

The Bodhi Day is observed on the 8th of December every year with the belief that it’s the day when Siddhartha Gautama, honorably called Gautama Buddha, attained his supreme insight into life and death.

The Buddhist community also observes and celebrates the day as their New Year, marking the beginning of something new for their religion, culture, and beliefs.

5. Feast of Immaculate Conception

The Feast of Immaculate Conception is a Catholic festival and is pompously celebrated in all catholic countries and states on the 8th of December every year.

The story around this feast is the catholic belief of God blessing us all with Mary as our mother. The story goes that God had chosen Mary to be the mother to Jesus and that she was pure, saintly, and blessed, and her conception of Jesus was without any misdeed or sin. It’s for this reason that she’s called Virgin Mary.

The day is to honor her sinless conception, and the entire catholic community visits church on this day for prayers. A special prayer is read nine times in a row on this day. The prayer is called “Novena,” and it’s made to thank the blessed soul of the Virgin Mary and ask her for help.

6. Human Rights Day

We are all well aware of the importance of Human Rights. The 10th of December, 1948, is an important day in history.

On this day, the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that lists the fundamental rights and freedom available to every individual irrespective of color, caste, creed, race, religion, nationality, and gender. Since then, 10th December has been celebrated as Human Rights Day internationally to commemorate and honor this adoptation.

The U.N. General Assembly organizes an event every year where it remembers and honors the adaptation and holds a constructive and productive discussion on the struggle to protect and prevent human rights and the progress made in the area.

7. St. Lucia’s Day

St. Lucia’s Day is celebrated every year on December 13 for commemorating and remembering the great Saint Lucia of 303 A.D.

There are many stories associated with the celebration of this day. It’s believed that it’s the day on which the shining star appeared to guide the three kings to Bethlehem on their visit to the newborn Jesus.

It’s also believed that Saint Lucia brought food and helped the Christians who were treated badly and were suffering during times of oppression. So, the day is also a way to honor her.

People sing Christmas carols on this day and indulge in other prayers and festivities. In addition, they would exchange gifts and distribute gift baskets to children. These baskets are traditional and contain things like candles, fruits, and cookies, all being important elements of the celebration of St. Lucia’s Day.

Another famous tradition of this day is wearing a lighted candle wreath on the head, reliving the look of St. Lucia and honoring the victory of light over darkness.

8. Las Posadas

Las Posadas is another eight days long festival celebrated right before Christmas from December 16 to December 24. The festival is to honor and acknowledge the plight and struggle of the blessed Virgin Mary and Joseph as they knocked door to door for a safe shelter where Mary could give birth to Jesus.

Unfortunately, their plight didn’t end soon. No one was ready to offer them shelter, and it was after a long struggle that they finally found the much-needed shelter in a horse stable. The day is celebrated to commemorate this moment of hospitality and to instill the same feeling of love, care, sympathy, and hospitality in the community.

Just like Mary and Joseph, people knock on other people’s doors during these days of Las Posadas and sing carols and songs for them. Those whose doors are knocked happily offer shelter to these people by offering them food and drinks.

9. International Human Solidarity Day

Solidarity is associated with a sense of unity and cooperation. The International Human Solidarity Day is celebrated on December 20 every year to promote and encourage this sense of unity, cooperation, equality, freedom, and justice among humans and commemorate the forming of the International Red Cross in 1863.

The International Red Cross was formed on the fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, independence, and neutrality. Human Solidarity signifies the principle, understanding, and belief that we are all one and have a responsibility to be humane towards each other and remain considerate of every persons’ rights and freedoms. 

The International Human Solidarity Day is meant to promote this idea and encourage others to think about how they can bring more solidarity into their lives. With its ideology and concept, this day also serves as a reminder that we are a part of a global community, connected closely with each other, no matter the distance, and that we must feel responsible for one and all.

10. Winter Solstice or Yule

The Winter Solstice or Yule is a popular festival in Antarctica, but it’s celebrated globally on the 21st of December to mark the chilliest day of the year. The 21st of December is the shortest day and longest night of the year, and it’s an extremely cold day. However, with its longest night, this day also marks the beginning of the days getting longer again, and people see it as a reason for celebration. Of course, they are getting a little further from the winter glooms.

People follow different practices and traditions for celebrating this day. They go around caroling, singing, and dancing house to house after it’s dark and place candles in paper bags to prevent fires. People also hang boughs of evergreen plants on their doors and even place evergreen trees beautifully decorated in their homes. Family parties and get-togethers are also common on this day, where people enjoy feasts and exchange gifts.

11. Christmas Eve

Christmas is the most awaited festival for everyone and a major December Global festivity. However, the vibes are set up much before Christmas Day. Before Christmas, it’s Christmas Eve on the 24th of December, and people are equally excited for the eve as they are for Christmas. And why not? The eve, after all, marks the birth of Jesus.

People look forward to the eve and have their own ways of celebrating it. They would get together with their family and friends or spend time giving church services. The eve is basically a tribute to the Lord Jesus himself, who brought hopes and happiness into the world. By celebrating Christmas Eve, people acknowledge that the world was a dark place before Jesus finally brought light to it by taking birth. 

The eve is all about prayers, tributes, and feasts. The major attractions are prayers in church and foods like hams and cookies.

12. Christmas

“Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way…”!

People go vibing around with this song on Christmas Day, especially children. Christmas is the most awaited December Global Holiday, and people are crazy about it. You can hear different stories about Christmas, all related to the birth of Jesus, the savior of the world, the saint and son of God who freed the world from darkness and brought light to it. 

It’s the merriest time of the year, and people are filled with a different feeling and vibe of gaiety, positivity, and cheerfulness. The celebrations generally include people getting together for delicious and lavish feasts, and there are always gifts to exchange. The children are most excited about Santa Claus and putting their socks on the beautifully  decorated Christmas tree with ribbon, leaving their wishes in them.

People also visit the church to offer their prayers and receive blessings from the Lord. It’s all about having happy moments, eating good food, and spending time with your close ones. So, whatever be your way of celebration, make sure that you make the most of it.

13. Boxing Day

Boxing Day falls right on the next day of Christmas, and it’s celebrated to acknowledge and appreciate the workers for their services. It’s a lovely day that instills a sense of appreciation and thankfulness in everyone.

People generally go to beaches and shopping sales on this day. However, that’s just a way to spend the holiday. The major part of the celebration is presenting gifts to those who work for you. People would especially acknowledge and appreciate the hard work of their servants and thank and honor them by giving gifts, prizes, and appreciation notes.

14. St. Stephen’s Day

St. Stephen’s Day is celebrated every year of 26th December to relive the memories of the great Saint Stephen, admire his life journey, and honor his sacrifice as the first Christian Martyr.

The great Saint Stephen had a plightful yet fulfilling journey of life. He was a Roman Catholic priest who later became the Christian King of Hungary. The story about Saint Stephen’s Day goes that it’s the day when he died of being stoned after he preached to his people for 40days in a row.  

It is also believed that he died holding a single stone in his hand that was given to him by the Lord himself. That stone was promised as protection for Saint Stephen’s followers, and Lord had blessed him with it, saying that his followers would never die from that stone. 

People relive the life of this great martyr on this day and honor him by organizing traditional feasts with foods like stuffed cabbage and Halushky (a meal prepared from buckwheat dumplings).

15. Kwanza

Kwanza is the last long holiday of December, celebrated the entire last week of the month to honor and commemorate the African American heritage and culture. The festival is dedicated to the seven basic and important principles of the African American community that are Unity, Collective Responsibility, Self-Determination, Creativity, Purpose, Cooperative Economics, and Faith, collectively called “Nguzo Saba.”

It’s a time when families, relatives, and friends get together and honor these principles that guide their behavior. They do that by lighting candles every single day of the holiday. Another part of the celebration of Kwanza is the feasts and parties where the people and community share food and enjoy having a good time playing music and dancing to it.

16. New Year’s Eve

The last holiday of December, on its very last day, the 31st of December marks the end of the year and the beginning of yet another one. People are a lot more excited, happy, and enthusiastic on this day, filled with new hopes for the new year, making new plans and resolutions.

The eve is celebrated worldwide, and everyone has a different way of celebrating. While some enjoy throwing huge parties and hosting concerts, events, and indulging in fireworks. Some others would enjoy a quieter evening in the presence of a few family relatives and friends, sharing food and making memories.

There are also some people who prefer being cooped up in their room, reflecting on the year that’s gone by, and making plans for the one to come.

People are filled with hopes and resolutions on this day, and the vibe is extremely happy and positive, which makes the end of the year fulfilling, happy, and joyous for everyone.

Final Words

So, that was an entire December Global Holiday Calendar, and we’re sure that the simple look at it has got you in the festive mood and vibe. It’s just the beginning of the year, and while you may think December is a long way from today, now is the time to start planning your holidays.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your holiday diary and start planning!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How many holidays are in December?
   December is a month of holidays and festivities. There are festivals celebrated for days in the month, and the festive vibes are set right from the beginning of the month, and they last right till the very last day of December.
   
   However, while the list of festivals is long, the number of holidays observed on them differs from location to location. For a general idea, you can expect around 12-15 holidays to fall in December.
2. Is it a paid holiday on Christmas Day and Boxing Day?
   In most countries, yes, it’s a paid holiday. However, there are still variations based on locations. For example, in India, people can choose if they want to take a day off on Christmas or not, and there’s no holiday for Boxing Day. So, it varies from country to country and the traditions and cultures of the place.
3. What can be construed by the December Global Holidays lyrics and chords?
   December Global Holidays are all about festivities and merriments, and music forms an important part of the celebrations. People would sing carols and traditional songs and dance to them the entire month of December. The December Global Holidays lyrics and chords are a combination of all the musical notes, strings, chords, and finger placements for the different songs of the December Global Holidays song album.