From Thanksgiving to Ramadan, the citizens of United States of America celebrate a wide variety of holidays. Most of the holidays celebrated are holidays that mark the beginning of a religious period.

Across America Hindus celebrate Diwali. It is known as the Festival of Lights and what many people may not know is that Diwali is the Hindu New Year. It is celebrated for ten days, each day having a new event and/or meaning. During this time, Hindus decorate their houses with lights and prepare specialty food.

The next holiday Hanukkah celebrated by Jews and lasts for eight days and nights. The Jews light the menorah in the temple but only had enough oil for one night. The oil kept the fire going for eight nights. Today, Jews  light a menorah during Hanukkah to commemorate the miracle with nine candles to represent the eight nights of Hanukkah with one additional candle to light the others. Hanukkah is celebrated on the twenty-fifth day of the Jewish month Kislev.

Another holiday is Ramadan. It is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.  Over the course of Ramadan, Muslims fast completely during daylight hours. During this holiday, Muslims use this time as a way to purify their souls and refocus on God.

The most commonly celebrated holiday during the winter season is Christmas. Christmas is celebrated by Christians, and it is the day of Jesus’s birth. On Christmas day, Christians go to church for a mass. On Christmas morning, families and friends exchange gifts. However, Christmas is not only celebrated by Christians. People all over the world celebrate Christmas. Although it is a religious event for Christians, Christmas has become a trademark holiday for non-Christians, with Santa Claus being the most popular trademark known to man. Many people in America simply use it as an excuse to exchange gifts or listen to festive music or even eat as many cookies as they want.

Next, Kwanzaa comes from the term “matunda ya kwanza” means first fruit.The holiday celebrates the first harvest, hence the name first fruit and lasts for seven nights, starting on December 26th and ending on January 1st. On each night of Kwanzaa, the child of the household lights one candle on the Kinara ,starting with the black candle placed at the center of the Kinara. Each night a different principle is discussed corresponding with the candle lit. This ceremony helps recenter the African community.

The last holiday celebrated in winter is the Chinese New Year which is held to honor ancestors and households and heavenly deities. The holiday dates back to era of the reign of the Shang Dynasty in China. Moreover, the Chinese New Year is marked by one of the twelve zodiac signs, each year having a new sign. To prepare for the holiday, houses were thoroughly cleaned of inauspicious breaths.

There are many holidays that are celebrated during the winter season. All the holidays commemorate the beginning of an event and each holiday brings the family closer and reaffirms their faith or culture.