Celebrations all year round!
People have the need to have events, gatherings and parties to celebrate life’s many phases. Celebrations take place all across the globe, and there are completely different traditions in different parts of the world. There are also big differences between the Nordic countries. Each month has its milestones and celebrations somewhere in the world. Let’s take a closer look at some of the things that happen in October to December.
Ei jente prøver å ta et stort jafs av en helstekt kalkun.
The month October written in white on a black background
The balloon festival
For nine days in October, the International Balloon Festival takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the USA. Hot air balloon enthusiasts from all over the world gather for this event. The festival started in 1972 with 13 hot air balloons. Today, it is the world’s largest hot air balloon festival with over 500 participants.
A spectacular sky view
A number of events and competitions are held during the festival, but the most spectacular sight is when all the participants fly their balloons into the sky. Within a few hours, the whole sky is filled with hundreds of hot air balloons.
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Diwali
Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is a festival of lights celebrated in October or November. The celebration is particularly popular in the northern parts of India and Nepal. It is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, and is linked to various religious scriptures and stories. The main symbolism of the celebration is the victory of light over darkness. During Diwali it is said to be particularly lucky to get married.
The goddess of luck is welcomed
Diwali is celebrated three nights in a row with candles, oil lamps and fireworks to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune and wealth. Homes are cleaned, doors are opened and candles are lit to welcome her in. The lights are also meant to keep away any evil spirits.
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Ung jente tenner lys og lager en fargerik og sirkelformet dekorasjon for å feire Divali.
Halloween
Halloween is celebrated on the evening of October 31st. Halloween is a very old tradition. Legend has it that the dead came to the human world on Halloween, causing a lot of fear and disturbance. For protection against evil spirits, lanterns and bonfires are lit.
Trick or treat
When the tradition was brought to America in the 19th century by European immigrants, the tradition continued to develop. Today, it is common for children and young people to dress up, and many go ‘trick or treating’ from door to door, asking for sweets. A lot of people decorate with lanterns and pumpkins.
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En dame åpner døra for en gjeng med barn og voksne som går knask eller knep på Halloween.
Dìa de los Muertos
On 1 and 2 November, Dia de Muertos, which means «day of the dead» is celebrated. The celebration is a combination of Colombian and Spanish cultures. The Day of the Dead is a big celebration in Mexico, Spain and Central America, but it is also celebrated in other parts of the world.
The dead are guests of honour
According to old myths, the boundaries between the world of the dead and the living disappear on this day. The souls of the dead wake up and come back to Earth to eat, drink and party with their families. The living welcome the dead to their celebrations as their guests of honour.
Honouring the dead with an altar
An altar is often prepared where food and drink, toys and pictures of the dead are presented. Some place the items at the grave. It is popular to decorate with orange flowers and pumpkins. Another symbol used is the skull, often in the form of a mask. It is also common to make cakes and other baked goods that look like a skeleton. Children will often dress up and ask for sweets.
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Jente med flosshatt og langt hår sminket som en fargerik hodeskalle.
Yi Peng Lantern Festival
The Yi Peng Lantern Festival is celebrated in Northern Thailand on the full moon of the twelfth month in the lunar calendar. The festival is based on Buddhist and Hindu traditions where candles are lit and placed in the entrances to people’s homes, in temples and in shops. It is common to decorate with coconut leaves and flowers. Glowing lanterns are thrown into the sky. The lanterns symbolise to let go of negative energy and that you wish the new year to bring happiness and luck. The festival also marks the transition from autumn to winter.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a holiday that takes place on the fourth Thursday in November in the US, and the second Monday in October in Canada. It is a time to celebrate the harvest season. In the past, people used to give thanks to God for the good harvest and the good things in their lives from the past year. The religious meaning of the holiday is not as important as it used to be.
A big family party
Nowadays, Thanksgiving is a special occasion for families to come together and enjoy a meal with turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. One of the more unusual customs is when the American President pardons a turkey. This happens every year in a ceremony outside the White House in Washington D.C.
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Mor og datter forbereder en kalkun til Thanksgiving-middag med familien.
Hanukka
Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration which takes place in November or December. The date varies and is based on the Hebrew calendar. The celebration is in memory of the reestablishing of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BC. A few years before that, the temple had been plundered and the Jews had been denied access to their holiest house. During the consecration, an oil lamp was used. It was supposed to burn for just one day, but miraculously it burned for a whole eight days! This is why Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days.
Hanukkah candles
Each evening a candle is lit on the eight branches of the candle holder called a hanukiah, and the hymn Maoz Zur (O, my castle) is sung. This is a bit like Christian Advent when a new candle is lit every Sunday during Advent time. Food and cakes are boiled or fried in oil. Donuts and potato pancakes are especially popular. It is tradition for children to get money or presents during the celebrations.
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Jødisk familie med mor, far og datter tenner en åttearmet lysestake som står på et festpyntet bord.
The month December written in white on a black background
Bodhi Day
Bodhi Day is celebrated on December 8th and is a celebration for Buddhists involving meditation, tea and cakes and lit candles. Some will visit temples and other holy places to honour Buddha on this day. It is also common to decorate a fig tree, also called a bodhi tree, with beads and multicoloured lights. Bodhi Day is celebrated in memory of the awakening of the first Buddha.
Bodhi – Buddha’s Awakening
Buddha was the founder of Buddhism. His teachings (dharma) which are kept in Buddhist texts, form the basis of all Buddhist philosophy. Buddha means «the awakened one», and it is not the name of a special person but rather an honorary title given to the Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama after his awakening (bodhi) through meditation.
What happened under the fig tree
While sitting under a fig tree at what is now Bodh Gaya in Bihar, Gautama realised the connection of existence and the path to the ending of suffering, Nirvana. This was his awakening. Shortly afterwards he preached his first sermon and gradually, many people started following him. In time this developed into a world religion.
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St Lucia’s Day
St Lucia’s Day is celebrated on 13 December in memory of Saint Lucia, a martyr from Sicily. Lucia Day was originally a Catholic custom and really has no connection to Advent. There are many different stories about Lucia, but what is definitely known is that she was killed around the year 300. After her death, she was named a saint because she sacrificed her life for her faith in God. Among other things, she is said to have refused to pay taxes to the Roman gods, and rather give money to the poor in order to «please God.»
St Lucia’s Day in the Nordic countries
St Lucia’s Day is celebrated in schools, nurseries, nursing homes and other institutions. Children dress in white and walk in a parade. They all have a candle in their hands, and the person who walks in front also has a wreath of candles on their head. The parade goes through all the rooms whilst singing the Lucia song. It is also common to serve baked goods such as saffron buns on this day.
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Mange jenter som står ved siden av hverandre med tente lys og synger for å markere Luciadagen.
Yalda Night
Yalda is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan and other areas that have been influenced by Persian culture. The celebration takes place on the night between 20 and 21 December, the darkest night of the year. This is also known as the winter solstice.
Watermelons and gifts
Friends and family meet to eat, drink, dance and read together until late into the night. Watermelon and pomegranates as well as nuts play an important part in the celebrations. The red pulp of the fruit symbolises the glow of life. It is also common to get and decorate a cedar tree. The cedar tree, which is always green, is a symbol of immortality and freedom. Gifts are placed under the tree, similar to the tradition of Christmas trees and presents.
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Christmas
On the 24th of December, Christmas is celebrated in Norway. According to the Christian tradition, it is in memory of the birth of Jesus, but Christmas was celebrated long before Jesus was born. The celebration was called jólablót. This was a party around the time of the winter solstice where sacrifices were made to the gods and beer was drunk.
Christmas Eve is for the children
Many people put a Christmas tree in their living room, or decorate the house with fir branches. The colour green symbolises fertility and eternal life. It is common to gather family and friends to celebrate Christmas Eve and eat a traditional meal. Some people also dance around the Christmas tree and sing Christmas songs before they open their presents. Christmas Eve is a night for the children. Christmas Day and Boxing Day are public holidays.
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Boxing Day
Boxing Day is the British second day of Christmas, on 26 December. The day is also celebrated in other countries that used to be British colonies. Traditionally, on Boxing Day a box with leftovers from Christmas dinner was put outside, and perhaps even a bonus, for the help. It was also tradition to give money to the poor in a church box.
Football and shopping
These days Boxing Day is a shopping day. It is common to get together with friends and family to play games and have fun. There are also Premier League football games on.
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Dame med rød nisselua holder mange handleposer i hendene sine foran et opplyst shoppingsenter.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days between 26 December and 1 January. Kwanzaa is a newer, non-religious celebration that mostly takes place in America. The celebration is meant to give African-Americans a closer connection to their African culture. Families and communities organise activities, dance, music and poetry.
Afrikansk familie med to voksne og to barn feirer Kwanzaa og tenner syvarmet lysestake med røde og grønne lys.
New Year’s Eve
The celebration of New Year’s Eve is one of the oldest celebrations, and takes place all across the world. Different religions and cultures may have different dates for New Year’s celebrations, but a common characteristic of the various celebrations is that the New Year’s celebration marks the transition into a new year. Friends and family gather for festive meals and magnificent firework displays often mark the entrance into the new year itself.
Sources:
- Wikipedia (20.04.23): Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albuquerque_International_Balloon_Fiesta
- Jacobsen, Knut A.: divali i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/divali
- Næss, Helene K.: halloween i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/halloween
- Næss, Helene K.: de dødes dag i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/de_d%C3%B8des_dag
- Yipenglanternfestival.in.th: (20.04.23): Yi Peng Lantern Festival
https://yipenglanternfestival.in.th/
- Dybdahl, Audun: Thanksgiving i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/Thanksgiving
- Groth, Bente: hanukka i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/hanukka
- Kværne, Per; Borgland, Jens Wilhelm: Buddha i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/Buddha
- Stovner, Ina Louise; Dybdahl, Audun: luciadagen i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/luciadagen
- Wikipedia (20.04.23): Yaldā Night
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yald%C4%81_Night
- Stovner, Ina Louise; Bø, Olav; Groth, Bente: jul i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/jul
- Dybdahl, Audun: Boxing Day i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/Boxing_Day
- Wikipedia (20.04.23): Kwanzaa
https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa
- Stovner, Ina Louise: nyttårsaften i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 20. april 2023 fra https://snl.no/nytt%C3%A5rsaften
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