(clunking)
- Whoa, I am throwing rocks all night.
We can fix that in post right?
Make it a strike or something?
- [Voiceover] What?
- Just do it.
(upbeat music)
It's that time of the year again.
December is filled with cultural reasons
to get together, enjoy
one another's company,
and eat some of our favorite foods,
and I'm not just talking
about Christmas here.
Sure Christmas is one of the most popular
holidays in the world,
but it's not the only end
of the year celebration.
There's so many more.
Each with their own traditions, folkways,
and of course as I mentioned earlier food.
(upbeat music)
Hanukkah, also known as
the Festival of Lights
is an eight night
celebration that occurs on
Kislev 25th of the Hebrew calendar.
Usually that's mid to late
December in the Western calendar.
This holiday commemorates triumph
over religious persecution,
when the Jews were able
to escape oppression
at the hands of Antiochus, a Syrian king.
Hanukkah incorporates a rich variety
of traditions and practices including
lighting the candles of
the menorah or hanukiah,
playing with the dreidel,
exchanging chocolate coins
called gelt, and more.
While Hanukkah may not have
much religious importance
as the Jewish high holidays
Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur,
it remains the most well
known Jewish holiday
among gentiles.
(upbeat music)
Bodhi Day is Buddhist
holiday commemorating the day
that Siddhartha Gautama
experienced enlightenment or Bodhi
as he meditated under a pipal tree.
Various Buddhist sects celebrate this day
with differing services and traditions.
This could be stuff like
meditation, chanting of sutras,
or enjoying a traditional
meal of tea and Boani cookies
along with readings.
In most of the world
Bodhi Day is celebrated
on the eight day of
the twelfth lunar month
in the Chinese calendar.
Or on December 8th in Japan.
(upbeat music)
In China millions of people
celebrate the Dongzhi Festival,
also known as the Winter
Solstice Festival.
This typically occurs on
or around December 22nd
and it's a time for
families to come together,
reunite, and venerate the
memories of their ancestors.
This holiday dates all the
way back to the Han Dynasty
and since that time people
have celebrated the festival
with specially made glutinous
rice balls, or dumplings,
traditional cakes, and more.
And all the food is crazy good.
(upbeat music)
But not every end of the
year celebration is ancient.
Pancha Ganapati is a
five day Hindu festival
that wasn't created until 1985.
It was founded by a Western convert
originally named Robert Hanson.
Pancha Ganapati is meant
to be a Hindu alternative
to Western December holidays.
So here's how it works.
It takes place from
December 21st to the 25th.
During this time families get together
and they focus on a specific
discipline or sudhana
for each day of the festival as they honor
the elephant headed Lord Ganesha.
These are just a few of
the non-Christmas holidays,
celebrations and festivals that take place
at the end of every year.
We didn't even talk about
Boxing Day, or Kwanza,
or all the days that don't
occur in December like Ramadan.
There's good news however,
you can learn about
all the other holidays
from across the globe
and across the calendar
at howstuffworks.com
So let me know your
other favorite holidays
in the comments below
and stay tuned for more
What The Stuff.
I'm gonna give this one more shot,
no lookin' .
Ahh, did I hear a gutter?
