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</style><title>These are the 14 religious holidays believers celebrate in December - Deseret News</title><div class="original-url"><br><a href="https://www.deseret.com/2018/11/27/20577947/these-are-the-14-religious-holidays-believers-celebrate-in-december">https://www.deseret.com/2018/11/27/20577947/these-are-the-14-religious-holidays-believers-celebrate-in-december</a><br><br></div><div id="article" role="article" style="-webkit-locale: "en"; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="system exported">
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<div class="page" style="text-align: start; word-wrap: break-word; max-width: 100%;"><h1 class="title" style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.95552em; line-height: 1.2141em; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; text-align: start; display: block; max-width: 100%;">Here are 12 religious holidays believers celebrate in December</h1><div class="metadata singleline" style="text-align: start; display: block; margin-bottom: 1.45em; margin-top: -0.75em; max-width: 100%;"><a href="https://www.deseret.com/authors/herb-scribner" data-analytics-link="author-name" class="byline" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline; font-size: 1em !important; font-weight: normal !important; font-style: normal !important; display: inline !important;"><span style="margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; font-weight: normal !important; font-style: normal !important; display: inline !important;">Herb Scribner</span></a><span class="delimiter" style="margin: 0.07em 0.45em 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; font-size: 1em !important; font-weight: normal !important; font-style: normal !important; display: inline !important;"></span><time data-ui="timestamp" datetime="2018-11-27T19:19:22" class="date" style="margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; font-weight: normal !important; font-style: normal !important; display: inline !important;">Nov 27, 2018, 12:19pm MST</time></div>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Note:</strong> <em style="max-width: 100%;">This article has been updated to reflect this year's dates for these holidays.</em></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">December has finally arrived, and with it comes an abundance of colorful lights, vibrant wreaths and a bunch of family parties.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">Most of these celebrations are inspired by Christmas and Hanukkah, the two major religious holidays celebrated by Christians and Jewish believers, respectively, in America.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">But, <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/06/02/interfaith-marriage/" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">with an increasing amount of interfaith marriages</a>, many American families have had to figure out <a href="http://www.interfaithfamily.com/holidays/hanukkah_and_christmas/Christmas_Hanukkah_and_the_Interfaith_Family.shtml" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">how to celebrate both holidays</a>, according to InterfaithFamily, a support website for interfaith families.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">“Though the character of Christmas has changed significantly in modern times, Christmas has never been, forgive the expression, a small potatoes holiday like Hanukkah. As Jews are increasingly accepted into the mainstream of majority-Christian cultures, and marry into Christian families, there is no avoiding the primacy of Christmas.”</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">But those aren’t the only religious holidays this month that some families may have to celebrate together. In fact, the<a href="http://www.interfaith-calendar.org/2020.htm" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;"> Interfaith Calendar organization</a> lists a number of religious holidays for the month of December. Here are 12 holidays with a little explanation on each.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#m" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;"></a></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#b" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;"></a></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 6: Saint Nicholas Day — Christian</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">This holiday honors the birth of Saint Nicholas, the saint who serves as a role model for gift-giving and is <a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#S" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">commonly known as Santa Claus</a>, according to Interfaith Calendar.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 8: Rohatsu (Bodhi Day) — Buddhist</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">This holiday celebrates the historical Buddha’s decision and vow to sit under the Bodhi tree until he reached spiritual enlightenment. It’s celebrated through meditation and is embraced similar to how Christians celebrate Christmas <a href="http://www.doityourself.com/stry/bodhi-day#b" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">to honor Jesus Christ</a>.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 8: Immaculate Conception — Catholic</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">In the lead-up to Jesus’ birthday celebration on Christmas, Catholics celebrate the day of Immaculate Conception to honor his mother Mary, who they say was preserved from original sin <a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#i" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">for her entire life</a>.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 10 to 18: Hanukkah — Judaism</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">This is the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, which celebrates the Maccabean revolt in Egypt. Eight candles are lit with a menorah to honor the holiday.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 12: Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe — Catholic</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">This is a primarily Catholic holiday celebrated by Mexicans and Americans of Mexican descent that honors the reported appearance of the <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/lady-guadalupe-day" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">Virgin Mary in Mexico City</a>, according to Interfaith Calendar.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 16: Posadas Navidenas — Christian</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">This is a primarily Hispanic Christian holiday that commends <a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#P" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem</a> to give birth to Jesus, according to Interfaith Calendar.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 21: Solstice — Wicca/Pagan</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">Solstice is the point in the year "when the earth is most inclined away from the sun. It is the most southern or northern point depending on the hemisphere," according to Interfaith Calendar. Pagans and Wicca believers will celebrate that event through Yule, in which believers also honor “<a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#S" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">the winter-born king, symbolized by the rebirth of the sun</a>,” Interfaith Calendar explained.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 25: Christmas — Christian</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">Christmas is a primarily Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Many will attend <a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#c" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">church, have family parties and exchange gifts</a>, according to Interfaith Calendar.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 26: Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathustra) — Zoroastrian</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">Unlike many of the other holidays in the month, Zoroastrians <a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#z" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">honor the death of their prophet</a>, Zarathustra, who founded Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 27: Feast of the Holy Family — Catholic</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">Catholics use this day to honor <a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#h" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">Jesus, Mary and Joseph</a>, according to Interfaith Calendar.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 28: Holy Innocents Day — Christian</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">Christians solemnly honor the <a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#h" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">deaths of children killed by King Herod</a>, who was attempting to kill Jesus, according to Interfaith Calendar.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Dec. 31: Watch Night — Christian</strong></p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;">For Watch Night, Christians will thank God for the safety they received <a href="http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm#W" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;">during the year</a>, according to Interfaith Calendar.</p>
<p style="max-width: 100%;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">For more on world religious holidays, </strong><a href="http://religiouslife.princeton.edu/religious-holidays" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">head to Princeton University's website.</strong></a></p>
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