Kwanzaa
Activist Maulanga Karenga wanted to rebuild the neighborhoods affected by the riots and encourage pride within the Black community. As part of his plan, he created Kwanzaa in this year to empower African Americans to rediscover and honor their African roots.
1966
At the end of this holiday comes a day called the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day
the Twelve Days of Christmas
the winter solstice is the day of the year with this characteristic
shortest day of the year
St. Lucia’s Day, festival of lights celebrated in Sweden, Norway, and the Swedish-speaking areas of Finland on on this day in honour of St. Lucia (St. Lucy).
December 13
Soyal is the winter solstice ceremony of these peoples held December 21, the shortest day of the year.
Zuni and Hopi
Kwanzaa is a week of festivities honoring African American culture and heritage. It is celebrated every year from
December 26 through January 1
On this day in this country, many children get their Christmas presents.
Spain
The famous geoglyphs—which are giant outlines of monkeys, lizards, and other figures etched into the earth by an ancient culture in Peru around A.D. 1 to 700—match up with the winter solstice. On the solstice, some of these lines touch the spot on the horizon where the sun sets.
Nasca Lines
The festival begins with a procession led by the St. Lucia designee, who is followed by young girls dressed in white and wearing this object on their heads.
lighted wreaths
These items are made prior to the Soyal ceremony, to bless all the community, including homes, animals, and plants
Pahos prayer sticks
Kwanzaa means this in Swahili, and refers to the joy and unity many Africans have when celebrating the harvest season.
"first fruits"
In this country, before children go to sleep on January 5, they leave a box with hay under their beds so the kings will leave good presents.
Puerto Rico
Ancient people built many monuments to celebrate the winter solstice. One example is this site, a huge tomb mound built in Ireland around 3200 B.C., about a thousand years before Stonehenge. A tunnel facing the solstice sunrise runs to a main chamber, and a small window bathes the chamber in solstice light for 17 minutes.
Newgrange
According to legend, she brought food and aid to Christians hiding in this location, wearing a candle lit wreath on her head to light her way, leaving both hands free to carry as much food as possible.
The Roman catacombs
These sacred underground chambers are ritually opened to mark the beginning of the Kachina season.
kiva
The holiday encourages people to honor what seven principles.
unity, self-determination (helping yourself succeed), collective work and responsibility (teamwork), cooperative economics (sharing), purpose, creativity, and faith.
In this country on Three Kings Day, a delicious "kings' cake" known as la galette des rois is baked.
France
This country's Dōngzhì festival celebrates when winter's darkness begins to give way to light.
China
Lucia, she is represented as a lady in a white dress and a red sash, with a crown or wreath of candles on her head. The red sash is symbolic of what?
red sash symbolizing the blood of her martyrdom
To the Hopis, these are supernatural beings who visit the villages to help the Hopis with everyday activities and act as a link between gods and mortals.
kachinas
This item holds seven candles: one black, three red, and three green. The black candle in the middle represents unity among people of African descent; the red candles on the left represent the past, and the green candles on the right stand for the future.
The kinara (kee-NAH-ruh)
A coin, jewel, or little toy inside this item.
Kings Cake
This country's Yalda festival marks the day when Mithra, an angel of light, was thought to have been born.
Iran
Lucia, she is represented as a lady in a white dress and a red sash, with a crown or wreath of candles on her head. The white dress is symbolic of what?
white dress symbolizing a baptismal robe
The Zuni believe that the kachinas live in this mythical lake which is reached through Listening Spring Lake. This is located at the junction of the Zuni River and the Little Colorado River.
The Lake of the Dead