Globe Trottin' Kids

New Year’s Day
2026-01-01
New Year’s Day on January 1 is celebrated by people around the world. It is a widely recognized and observed holiday in many countries and cultures. The celebration often includes various customs, traditions, and festivities to mark the beginning of the new year.

Ōmisoka, Japan
2025-12-31
Ōmisoka —or ōtsugomori —is a Japanese traditional celebration on the last day of the year.
It is customary for people to clean their homes, eat soba or udon noodles, and bathe at night to rid themselves of uncleanliness. Bells are struck 108 times to bring in the new year and lift people from suffering.

Kwanzaa
2025-12-26
Kwanzaa is an annual holiday, celebrated primarily in the United States, affirming African family and social values. It takes place through January 1.

Boxing Day
2025-12-26
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated on the day after Christmas Day. It is celebrated in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong and South Africa.
Originally it was a holiday to give gifts to the poor, but today Boxing Day is mostly known as a shopping holiday.

Christmas
2025-12-25
Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is marked by festive traditions, gift-giving, and gatherings with family and friends.
Check out:
Multicultural Versions of the 12 Days of Christmas
Jólabókaflóð: A “Christmas Book Flood”
World of Cookies for Santa

La Noche de los Rábanos, Mexico
2025-12-23
La Noche de los Rábanos, or The Night of the Radishes, is an annual tradition in Oaxaca, Mexico for carving festive radishes during the Christmas season.
Click here for information.

Dongzhi Festival
2025-12-21
The Dongzhi Festival, also known as the Winter Solstice Festival, is a traditional Chinese celebration marking the shortest day and longest night of the year, typically falling on or around December 21st or 22nd.
Rooted in the ancient philosophy of yin and yang, the festival signifies the turning point when days start to become longer, symbolizing increased positivity and light. Families gather to enjoy special foods such as tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) in southern China, representing unity and prosperity, or dumplings in northern China, traditionally eaten to ward off the cold. Dongzhi also serves as a time for honoring ancestors and celebrating renewal as winter deepens.

Yalda Festival
2025-12-21
Yalda, an ancient Persian festival, is a winter solstice celebration that takes place on the longest and darkest night of the year.

December Solstice
2025-12-21
This day marks the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the shortest day of the year.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the summer solstice – the longest day of the year.

Arabic Language Day
2025-12-18
Established by UNESCO, the day honors the rich history, beauty, and global importance of the Arabic language.

International Migrants Day
2025-12-18
Migrants are workers who move from place to place to do seasonal work. International Migrants Day is dedicated to recognizing the efforts and rights of these workers.

Wright Brothers Day
2025-12-17
On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers took their first successful flight in North Carolina. Every year on this day, Americans celebrate Wright Brothers Day to honor their contributions to aviation.

Las Posadas
2025-12-16
Las Posadas, (“The Inns” in Spanish) is a Mexican Christmas tradition that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem.
Celebrated from December 16th to 24th, it involves processions, caroling, and symbolic representations of the biblical story, culminating in a feast and breaking of a piñata.

Hanukkah
2025-12-14
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish celebration that lasts for eight nights (December 14 – 22, 2025). It commemorates the miracle of the oil in the Second Temple in Jerusalem and involves the lighting of the menorah, playing dreidel games, and enjoying festive foods.
Click here for information and activities.

St. Lucia's Day
2025-12-13
St. Lucia’s Day is a festival of lights celebrated in Sweden, Norway, and the Swedish-speaking areas of Finland on December 13 in honour of St. Lucia (St. Lucy).

International Mountain Day
2025-12-11
International Mountain Day is meant to bring awareness to the importance of mountains in peoples’ lives, and to preserving mountain ecosystems.

Human Rights Day
2025-12-10
Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10 – the day (in 1948) the United Nations adopted the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
Click HERE for information and activities.

Saint Nicholas Day
2025-12-06
Saint Nicholas Day is the feast day of Saint Nicholas. It is observed on December 6 in Western Christian countries and Romania, December 5 in the Netherlands, and December 19 in Eastern Christian countries.

International Volunteer Day
2025-12-05
International Volunteer Day promotes volunteerism and encourages governments to support volunteer efforts both locally and nationally.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities
2025-12-03
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities was created to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities and to increase awareness of their situation in all aspects of life.
“Let us remove physical and cultural barriers, build resilient societies and create opportunities that truly leave no one behind.” — António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

Monkey Buffet Festival
2025-11-30
The Monkey Buffet Festival takes place every year in Lopburi, Thailand. During the festival, people offer fruits, vegetables, and candies to the monkeys that live around the ancient temple of Phra Prang Sam Yot.

Native American Heritage Day
2025-11-28
Native American Heritage Day, observed on the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, honors the rich cultures, traditions, and contributions of Native American peoples.

Thanksgiving, United States
2025-11-27
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the U.S. on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a day to give thanks for the autumn harvest and other blessings.

Elephant Round-Up, Thailand
2025-11-21
The Surin Elephant Round-up is held every year in Thailand during the third weekend of November. Activities include elephants parading through the streets, partaking in the famous “elephant breakfast” and demonstrations, games, and traditional events.

Universal Children's Day
2025-11-20
Universal Children’s Day is celebrated to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) promotes and coordinates the day, which also works towards improving children’s welfare.

World Toilet Day
2025-11-19
World Toilet Day is an international observance day to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.

International Day for Tolerance
2025-11-16
The International Day for Tolerance is for educating people about the need for tolerance and the harm of intolerance.

Shichi-Go-San
2025-11-15
Shichi-Go-San literally means 7-5-3 in Japanese. The festival, held every November 15, is a traditional rite of passage for Japanese boys turning 3 and 5 and girls turning 3 and 7 years old. It celebrates the growth and happiness of young children.
Read more.

World Kindness Day
2025-11-13
World Kindness Day celebrates the natural human desire to be kind and the positive changes that kindness can bring to our communities.
Teach Kindness in Your Classroom

Guinness World Record Day
2025-11-13
Guinness World Record Day is an annual celebration of record-breaking, a day which sees thousands of people around the world come together with one common goal, to become a title holder.
