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Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, is the Punjabi and Nepali New Year, and the beginning of the harvest season in Punjab, India and Nepal. It is one of the major Sikh religious festivals, and is celebrated by Sikh communities around the world. The date of Vaisakhi is determined by the solar calendar; it is the [...] Read More »

Easter celebrations are filled with many traditions, but nothing has come to symbolize the Easter holiday as much as the colored or painted Easter egg. Many children spend their Easter Sunday hunting for Easter eggs, rolling them, or running races while carrying their eggs in spoons. Across Eastern and Western cultures, eggs have long symbolized [...] Read More »

Songkran, the Thai New Year, is celebrated from April 13 to 15 in Thailand. It is also celebrated in Laos (where it is called "Songkan"), Cambodia, Myanmar, and by ethnic Dai in Yunnan, China. “Songkra” comes from Sanskrit and means "a move or change." Songkran is also known as the “Water [...] Read More »

The Persian New Year holiday, alternately spelled Norouz, Nowruz, Nevruz, Newruz, or Navruz, coincides with the rebirth of nature on the first day of spring. It is celebrated by some communities on March 21st, or on the exact day of the vernal equinox, which occurs on March 20th, 21st or 22nd. Traditions include spring cleaning, [...] Read More »

The first of March is Martisor, a celebration of Spring in Romania, with some similar traditions in Macedonia and Albania, too. On Martisor, people exchange small amulets made of red and white string braided together – often given by men to women. The amulets symbolize the coming spring, joy and good luck in [...] Read More »

The Muslim New Year falls on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic Calendar. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Muharram migrates throughout the seasons. In 2007, it is on January 20th. Although there is no religious significance attached [...] Read More »

There are a lot of different good luck charms to help in the New Year. Here are some that are widely available as chocolate or marzipan figures in Germany. Let us know if there are other good luck symbols in your culture! Four-leaved clovers Lucky pigs – a symbol of fertility for the Germanic tribes The lady bug, [...] Read More »

In traditional Chinese cultures, age is based on the Chinese Lunar New Year. Babies are said to be one year old when they are born, and they turn two as soon as they enter the New Year – regardless of how many months ago they were actually born. Not all birthdays are important in traditional [...] Read More »

Diwali is a major festival celebrated in India and communities around the world. Each of the five days of the Diwali festival has specific customs and traditions: 1. Dhanteras: Dhan means "wealth," and this is an auspicious day for shopping. In some regions, this day is dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. [...] Read More »

Diwali is a five-day festival that typically falls in October or November on the Gregorian calendar. It occurs either in the middle of the lunar month of Ashwayuja, or at the end of that month and the beginning of the lunar month of Kartika, depending on which version of the Hindu calendar is prevalent [...] Read More »