List of multinational festivals and holidays

Christianity.

• Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: 9 January
• Feast of the Circumcision: 1 January
• Saint Basil's Day: 1 January – In Greece, traditionally he is the Father Christmas figure.
• Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve): 5 January
• Epiphany: 6 January – the arrival of the Three Magi.
• Armenian Apostolic Christmas: 6 January
• Orthodox Christmas: 7 January – in churches using dates corresponding to the old Julian calendar, 7 January is equivalent to 25 December in the Gregorian calendar

Judaism

• Tu BiShvat

Secular

• New Year's Day: 1 January – First day of the Gregorian Year.[1]
• Old New Year: 14 January: New Year's Day according to the "old" Julian calendar. Includes a winter ritual of strolling and singing that was later incorporated into the Christmas carol

Punjabi

• Lohri: 13 January

Telugu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra

• Makar Sankranti: 14 January

Tamil

• Pongal : 14 January

Christianity

• Candlemas: 2 February – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord; 40 days after Christmas; end of Christmas/Epiphany Season

Historical

• Lupercalia: 15 February – the Roman end-of-winter festival

Paganism

• Imbolc: 1 February – first day of spring in the Celtic calendar

Secular

• Groundhog Day: 2 February
• Darwin Day: 12 February
• Valentine's Day: 14 February

Paganism

• Ostara, Spring equinox: 21 March

Christianity

• Saint David's Day: 1 March – the fixed date to honour Saint David, patron saint of Wales, celebrated by Welshmen and women everywhere throughout the world
• Saint Patrick's Day: 17 March – the fixed date to honor Saint Patrick has sometimes been moved by Church if it coincides with Holy Week, but the secular world usually always celebrates it on 17 March

Judaism

• Purim

Secular

• International Women's Day: 8 March
• World Kidney Day: second Thursday of March

Secular and multiple religions

• Nowruz, Persian: (نوروز) : spring equinox (on or near 21 March) – originally the Iranian New Year, celebrated as a secular holiday in Iran and many neighboring countries and as a religious holiday by Alawites, Alevis, Baha'is, Bektashis, Zoroastrians, and most Shi'a Muslims.

Hinduism

• Holi (Hindu holiday in honour of Vishnu)

Judaism

• Passover: late March or in April See "movable"

Secular

• April Fools' Day: 1 April
• Autism Day: 2 April
• Earth Day: 22 April
• Anzac Day: 25 April

Christianity

• Easter: typically in April, but sometimes in March or May, see "movable"
• Good Friday: the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, see "movable"

Hinduism

• Rama Navami: birth of the god Rama
• Hanuman Jayanti: typically a week after Rama Navami, in honour of the birth of Hanuman
• Gangaur: occurring in April, in honour of the victory of Goddess Mahagauri

South and Southeast Asian

• Traditional New Year: 14 April (Usually between 12th-14th April. Date is reckoned based on sun's entry into the constellation Aries)  – In many South and Southeast Asian cultures the festival is based on harvesting of crops and a new beginning marked by the sun's entry into the constellation Aries.

Judaism

• Yom HaShoah
• Yom HaZikaron & Yom HaAtzmaut
• Lag BaOmer

Paganism

• May Day: 1 May – a traditional spring holiday in many cultures..

Secular

• International Workers' Day/Labor Day: 1 May
• Star Wars Day: May the 4th
• Cinco de Mayo "May 5"
• Matariki: The "Maori new year" festival running between a week and month from late May, celebrated by kite flying and a range of artistic activities.
• Mother’s Day

• Inti Raymi: late June – festival of the Sun in Quechua, winter solstice festival in areas of the former Inca Empire, still celebrated every June in Cusco.
• We Tripantu

Judaism

• Shavuot. See "movable".

Hinduism

• Ratha Yatra: procession of Vishnu

Islam

• EID UL FITR (5 June 2019)

Secular

• World Environment Day: 5 June
• World Humanist Day: 21 June

• Yulefest/Midwinter Christmas: late June or July – Australian New Zealand winter 'Christmas/Yuletide'

Hinduism

• Guru Purnima: a reverential day in honour of all teachers and instructors.
• Devshayani Ekadashi: solemnity of the repose of Vishnu, coincides with the first day of the highly inauspicious Chaturmas season.

Christianity

• Assumption of Mary: 15 August
• Saint Bartholomew's Day: 24 August

Judaism

• Tishah B'Av

Hinduism

• Raksha Bandhan: a festival commemorating filial love.
• Krishna Janmashtami: birth anniversary of Krishna.

Islam

• Eid al-Adha: 11 August 2019

Secular

• International Friendship Day: 2 August
• International Lefthanders Day: 13 August

Judaism

• Rosh Hashanah: usually September, sometimes early October
• Yom Kippur: late September, early October
• Sukkot: sometimes late September, usually October

Secular

• Labor Day/Labour Day: first Monday of September (US/Canada)
• International Talk Like a Pirate Day: 19 September
• International Day of Peace: 21 September

Christianity

• All Hallows' Eve (Halloween): 31 October – a Christian-titled holiday that is often celebrated with traditions originating from a mixture of secular and Celtic pagan influences.
• Dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead): 31 October–2 November Celebrated in mostly catholic Mexico but with origins that predate European contact.

Judaism

• Simchat Torah

Hinduism

• Navratri: celebrates the conquest of Goddess Durga
• Gandhi Jayanti: an indoctrinated festival; the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, falls on 2 October.
• Diwali: mid-October–mid-November – see "movable"
• Kartik Purnima: An additional commemoration of the Celestial Diwali, or the "Diwali of the Gods"; hence the Sanskrit appellation "Dev Diwali", in honour of Vishnu, Kartikeya and Goddess Ganga.

Paganism

• Samhain: 31 October–1 November – first day of winter in the Celtic calendar (and Celtic New Year's Day)

Secular

• Columbus Day: October 12 or the second Monday in October
• Indigenous People's Day: the second Monday in October

Christianity

• All Saints Day: 1 November – in Western Christian churches
• Nativity Fast: forty days leading to Christmas – also St Philip's fast, Christmas fast, or winter lent or fast (Eastern Christianity).

Secular

• Thanksgiving: fourth Thursday of November (US); second Monday of October (CAN)[2]
• Calan Gaeaf: 1 November – the first day of winter in Wales
• Guy Fawkes Night: 5 November – celebrated in the UK commemorating the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot
• Armistice Day (also (Remembrance Day or Veterans Day): 11 November: memorial day honoring the war dead

Hinduism

• Diwali: mid-October–mid-November – see "movable"

Buddhism

• Bodhi Day: 8 December – Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi).

Christianity

• Advent: four Sundays preceding Christmas Day
• Saint Barbara's Day: 4 December – The Feast of St. Barbara is celebrated by Artillery regiments across the Commonwealth and some western Catholic countries.
• Krampusnacht: 5 December – The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. In Alpine countries, Saint Nicholas has a devilish companion named Krampus who punishes the bad children the night before.
• Saint Nicholas' Day: 6 December
• Feast of the Immaculate Conception Day: 8 December – The day of Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception is celebrated as a public holiday in many Catholic countries.
• Saint Lucia's Day: 13 December – Church Feast Day. Saint Lucia comes as a young woman with lights and sweets.
• Las Posadas: 16–24 December – procession to various family lodgings for celebration & prayer and to re-enact Mary & Joseph's journey to Bethlehem[3]
• Longest Night: A modern Christian service to help those coping with loss, usually held on the eve of the Winter solstice.
• Nikoljdan: 19. December - the most common slava, St. Nicholas's feast day.
• Christmas Eve: 24 December – In many countries e.g. the German speaking countries, but also in Poland, Hungary and the Nordic countries, gift giving is on 24 December.
• Christmas Day: 25 December and 7 January – celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.[4][5][6]
• Anastasia of Sirmium feast day: 25 December
• Twelve Days of Christmas: 25 December–6 January
• Saint Stephen's Day: 26 December – In Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic a holiday celebrated as Second Day of Christmas.
• Saint John the Evangelist's Day: 27 December
• Holy Innocents' Day: 28 December
• Saint Sylvester's Day: 31 December

Hinduism

• Pancha Ganapati: a modern five-day Hindu festival celebrated from 21 through 25 December in honor of Ganesha.

Historical

• Malkh: 25 December
• Mōdraniht: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
• Saturnalia: 17–23 December – An ancient Roman winter solstice festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and expanded with festivities through to 23 December. Celebrated with sacrifice, a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival.
• Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Day of the birth of the Unconquered Sun): 25 December – late Roman Empire

Humanism

• HumanLight: 23 December – Humanist holiday originated by the New Jersey Humanist Network in celebration of "a Humanist's vision of a good future."[7]

Judaism

• Hanukkah: usually falls anywhere between late November and early January. See "movable"

Paganism

• Yule: Pagan winter festival that was celebrated by the historical Germanic people from late December to early January.
• Yalda: 21 December – The turning point, Winter Solstice. As the longest night of the year and the beginning of the lengthening of days, Shabe Yaldā or Shabe Chelle is an Iranian festival celebrating the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil. Shabe yalda means 'birthday eve.' According to Persian mythology, Mithra was born at dawn on 22 December to a virgin mother. He symbolizes light, truth, goodness, strength, and friendship. Herodotus reports that this was the most important holiday of the year for contemporary Persians. In modern times Persians celebrate Yalda by staying up late or all night, a practice known as Shab Chera meaning 'night gazing'. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons, whose red color invokes the crimson hues of dawn and symbolize Mithra.
• Koliada: Slavic winter festival celebrated on late December with parades and singers who visit houses and receive gifts.

Secular

• International Day of Disabled Persons: 3rd of December
• Boxing Day: 26 December.
• Human Rights Day: 10 December
• Dongzhi Festival – a celebration of Winter
• Hogmanay: night of 31 December–before dawn of 1 January – Scottish New Year's Eve celebration
• Newtonmas: 25 December – As an alternative to celebrating the religious holiday Christmas, some atheists and skeptics have chosen to celebrate 25 December as Newtonmas, due to it being Isaac Newton's birthday on the old style date.
• Kwanzaa: 26 December–1 January – Pan-African festival celebrated in the US
• New Year's Eve: 31 December – last day of the Gregorian year
• Soyal: 21 December – Zuni and Hopi
• Solstice: On or about 21 December.
• Zamenhof Day: 15 December – Birthday of Ludwig Zamenhof, inventor of Esperanto; holiday reunion for Esperantists
• Watch Night: 31 December
• Salgirah: 13 December - celebration of Shia Ismaili Muslims of their Imam (Aga Khan IV)

Unitarian Universalism

• Chalica: first week of December – A holiday created in 2005, celebrated by some Unitarian Universalists.[8]

Fictional or parody

• Erastide: In David Eddings' Belgariad and Malloreon series, Erastide is a celebration of the day on which the Seven Gods created the world. Greetings ("Joyous Erastide") and gifts are exchanged, and feasts are held.
• Feast of Winter Veil: 15 December–2 January – A holiday in World of Warcraft. This holiday is based on Christmas. Cities are decorated with lights and a tree with presents. Special quests, items and snowballs are available to players during this time. The character of "Greatfather Winter", who is modeled after Santa Claus, appears.[9][10] Festival of the Winter Veil was and still is a legitimate holiday of European religions like Wicca. The Germanic tribes used to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a time to be thankful for the blessings given to them to survive harsh winters. The term "Weil", incorrectly translated to "veil", means abundance in German.
• Feast of Alvis: in the TV series Sealab 2021.[11] "Believer, you have forgotten the true meaning of Alvis Day. Neither is it ham, nor pomp. Nay, the true meaning of Alvis day is drinking. Drinking and revenge."–Alvis[12]
• Hogswatch: a holiday celebrated on the fictional world of Discworld. It is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
• Festivus: 23 December – a parody holiday created by Daniel O'Keefe and made popular by Seinfeld as an alternative to Christmas.
• Frostvale: the winter holidays in the Artix Entertainment universe
• Decemberween: 25 December – a parody of Christmas that features gift-giving, carol-singing and decorated trees. The fact that it takes place on 25 December, the same day as Christmas, has been presented as just a coincidence, and it has been stated that Decemberween traditionally takes place "55 days after Halloween". The holiday has been featured in the Homestar Runner series.
• Wintersday, the end-of-the-year celebration in the fictional universe of the Guild Wars franchise, starts every year mid December and ends the next year on early January.
• IES Competition Time, Don's Event questions on the number of trips he took all over the world and in return offering prizes for the person who can guess closest. Follows this up with everyone's favourite Andrew Award presentation.
• Winter's Crest: the winter celebration held on the continent of Tal'Dorei in the world of Exandria, as featured in the RPG show Critical Role.
• Candlenights: pan-religious, pan-sexual, personal pan winter holiday created by Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy. Featured on the podcasts My Brother, My Brother, and Me, and Adventure Zone.
• Snowdown: A celebration observed in Runetera, The world in which League of Legends is set. During snowdown, starting in December and ending in January "Frost-chilled days give way to colder nights, but the warmth of Snowdown calls together kindred spirits and foes alike."[13] During this time, winter game modes, winter cosmetic map changes, and new Snowdown skins are released, as well as the previous years' Snowdown skins being made available again.
• Life Day: Wookie celebration of life, featured in the Star Wars Holiday Special, in which Wookies gather with family, wear long red robes, sing under sacred The Tree of Life and reminisce.
• The Dawning: A celebration of the Light of the Traveler, and a time to spread cheer and give gifts to help keep The Darkness at bay during the long days of the winter months. Celebrated in the Destiny franchise of video games.

The following festivals have no fixed date in the Gregorian calendar, and may be aligned with moon cycles or other calendars.[14]

Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean/Mongolian/Tibetan/Japanese

• Lunar New Year: late January–mid February – considered the end of winter in the traditional Lunar calendar

Persian

• Sadeh: A mid-winter feast to honor fire and to "defeat the forces of darkness, frost and cold". Sadé or Sada is an ancient Iranian tradition celebrated 50 days before Nowruz. Sadeh in Persian means "hundred" and refers to one hundred days and nights left to the beginning of the new year celebrated at the first day of spring on 21 March each year. Sadeh is a midwinter festival that was celebrated with grandeur and magnificence in ancient Iran. It was a festivity to honor fire and to defeat the forces of darkness, frost, and cold.
• Chahar Shanbeh Suri: Festival of Fire, Last Wednesday of the Iranian Calendar year. It marks the importance of the light over the darkness, and arrival of spring and revival of nature. Chahārshanbe–Sūri (Persian: چهارشنبه‌سوری), pronounced Chārshanbe–Sūri (Persian: چارشنبه‌سوری) is the ancient Iranian festival dating at least back to 1700 BCE of the early Zoroastrian era.[1] The festival of fire is a prelude to the ancient Norouz festival, which marks the arrival of spring and revival of nature. Chahrshanbeh Soori, is celebrated the last Tuesday night of the year.

Islam

• Ramadan: During this holy time, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar year, Muslims do not eat, drink, or smoke from sunrise to sunset for an entire month. Instead, they spend their days in worship, praying in mosques. At the end of Ramadan, people celebrate with a festival known as Id-ul-Fitr.

Eid -Ul-Fitr Eid-Ul-Adha Hijri new Year Asyura Maulid Isra mi'raj Middle sya'ban (lay'at Al-Nisfu) Day of Arafa

Judaism

• Hanukkah – Ḥănukkāh, usually spelled חנוכה, pronounced [χanuˈka] in Modern Hebrew; a transliteration also romanized as Chanukah or Chanukkah), also known as the Festival of Lights, Feast of Dedication, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the re-dedication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire of the 2nd century BC. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
• Passover: late March or in April Festival celebrating the Hebrews captivity in Egypt at the time when God commanded Moses to ask for the Hebrew people to be released. As a result of being denied 10 plagues came open Egypt. One being the Angel of death coming and the first born son of each home dying. But God commanded the Hebrews to apply lambs blood to the door posts as a sign for the Angel to pass that house.
• Shavuot: mid May to mid June
• Rosh Hashanah: usually September, sometimes early October
• Yom Kippur: late September, early October
• Sukkot: sometimes late September, usually October

Hinduism

• Diwali: mid-October–mid-November – known as the Festival of Lights, this Hindu holiday celebrates the victory of good over evil. The five-day festival is marked by ceremonies, fireworks and sweets.
• Navratri: The great nine nights of the Goddess Durga, commemorating Her victory against the demon Mahishasura.
• Kartik Purnima
• Onam
• Janamashtami
• Rama Navami
• Maha Shivaratri
• Sharad Purnima / Lakshmi Puja / Kali Puja
• Vasant Panchami
• All Hindu festivals except Gandhi Jayanti.

Slavic

• Malanka caps off the festivities of the Christmas holidays
• Maslenitsa in Slavic mythology, a celebration of the imminent end of the winter

Christian

• Shrove Tuesday: one day before Ash Wednesday, 47 days before Easter
• Easter: the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon/the first full moon after the vernal equinox—shortly after Passover; typically in April, but sometimes in March or May
• Good Friday: Good Friday is a Christian religious holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday, or Easter Friday, though the last term properly refers to the Friday in Easter week.
• Advent: Advent is the preparation season for Christmas, when the first candle is lit on the Advent wreath and decorations go up. It starts on the first of four Sundays that precedes Christmas. It can be as early as 27 November or as late as 3 December, depending on which day of the week Christmas is held. It will start on 1 December if Christmas is on a Wednesday.

Pastafarian

• Holiday: Around the time of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa (generally known as the Christmas and holiday season), Pastafarians celebrate a vaguely defined holiday named "Holiday". Holiday does not take place on a specific date so much as it is the Holiday season itself. There are no specific requirements for Holiday, and Pastafarians celebrate Holiday however they please. They also celebrate Pastover and Ramendan.[15]

Religion

Many religions whose holidays were formulated before the worldwide spread of the Gregorian calendar have been assigned to dates according to either their own internal religious calendar, moon cycles, or otherwise. Even within Christianity, Easter is a movable feast and Christmas is celebrated according to the older Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian by some sects of the religion.

• List of holidays by country
• Lists of holidays
• List of minor secular observances

• Winter festivals around the world