Globe Trottin' Kids

Burns Night
2026-01-25
Burns Night is celebrated in Scotland to honor the life and contributions of the bard (poet) Robert Burns, born on January 25, 1759. Burns’ best-known work is Auld Lang Syne.

World Buskers Festival
2026-01-23
Buskers, also known as street performers, gather in Christchurch, New Zealand for the ten-day World Buskers Festival. Comedians, jugglers, acrobats, magicians, and more entertain visitors for voluntary donations.

Martin Luther King Day
2026-01-19
Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday in the United States on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr.
Related Post: Celebrate the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Through Song

World Religion Day
2026-01-18
The aim of World Religion Day, held on the third Sunday in January every year, is to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony.

Kid Inventors' Day
2026-01-17
Kid Inventors’ Day celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of young inventors. The day encourages children to explore their innovative ideas, fostering a spirit of curiosity and discovery.

Pongal
2026-01-14
Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, India to honor the sun, nature, and farmers for a bountiful harvest.
Central to the festivities is the preparation of Pongal, a sweet rice dish cooked with milk and jaggery, symbolizing prosperity and gratitude. The festival includes rituals like decorating homes with kolam (rangoli designs), offering prayers, and rejoicing with family and community.

International Kite Festival
2026-01-10
The International Kite Festival, held annually during Makar Sankranti in Gujarat, India, is a vibrant celebration of artistry and culture.
The skies fill with colorful kites of all shapes and sizes as people from around the world participate in friendly competitions and showcase their designs.

Orthodox Christmas
2026-01-07
Orthodox Christmas, celebrated by many Eastern Orthodox Christians, follows the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. It is a deeply spiritual holiday centered on church services, hymns, and fasting, culminating in a festive meal with family.
Customs vary by region but often include blessings, candlelight processions, and the sharing of traditional foods that reflect cultural and religious heritage.

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
2026-01-05
The Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is the largest ice and snow festival in the world. It takes place in Harbin, (Northeast) China.

World Braille Day
2026-01-04
World Braille Day is celebrated on the birthday of Louis Braille, the inventor of braille. Braille is a reading and writing system for people who are visually impaired.

Independence Day, Haiti
2026-01-01
Haitian Independence Day is celebrated on January 1st to commemorate the day in 1804 when Haiti declared independence from French colonial rule, becoming the first independent Black republic in the world.
Lit Connection: Freedom Soup: A Taste of Haitian Independence

Shōgatsu, Japan
2026-01-01
Shōgatsu, or Japanese New Year, is one of the most important holidays in Japan, celebrated from January 1–3 with family gatherings, traditional foods, and special customs.
Activities include cleaning homes beforehand, decorating with kadomatsu (pine and bamboo arrangements), and visiting shrines to pray for good fortune in the coming year.
It is a time for renewal, reflection, and cultural traditions, such as enjoying osechi-ryōri (special New Year dishes) and playing traditional games.

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.
