By Sheri Selway
December and January are months with many festive holidays and celebrations! Many people are already getting their Christmas decorations up. Although Christmas is probably the major holiday here in Hamilton, there are other festivals also.
On December 6 from 5 – 7 pm Christmas Tree lighting will take place in Gore Park. Go to the Events Page at the City of Hamilton website for all the events happening in Hamilton. https://www.hamilton.ca/things-do/festivals-events/events-calendar
Christmas is celebrated December 25 with Christmas eve the evening before. People also enjoy Boxing Day on December 26. Although Christmas is a Christian celebration, it is also a secular festival with Santa Claus, reindeer, and elves! Fun!
December 26 is Boxing Day. What is “Boxing Day?” Now it’s mainly post-Christmas Sales and a time to unwind after the holiday! One theory is that it got its name from the custom, hundreds of years ago, of the Lord of the Manor giving “boxes” to their servants for working at Christmas – like a holiday bonus and they sometimes got the day off! Another theory is churches put out boxes for donating to charity before Christmas and distributed the contents to the poor on December 26. https://www.history.com/news/why-is-the-day-after-christmas-called-boxing-day
December 26 is the first day of Kwanza, an African American festival. After Watts riots in 1966 in Los Angeles, Maulana Karenga, professor of Black Studies at California State University, started Kwanza as a way of bringing people together as a community. Kwanza is an 8-day festival from December 25 to January 1 and is also celebrated in Canada. To learn more about the principles of Kwanza, go to https://kwanzaa.org/
This year Hanukkah starts at nightfall of December 25 and ends at nightfall on January 2. It is an 8 day Jewish “festival of lights” commemorating events more than 2000 years ago and a remembrance of Jewish People’s struggle for religious freedom. Each night a candle is lit on a special candle holder called a menorah. https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/chanukah
December 31 and January 1 – New Year’s Eve and New Years Day are end of the year festivals. Hamilton used to have fireworks on New Year’s Eve which was fun for kids!
January 29 is the beginning of Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year, celebrated in many countries around the world! It is so much fun! It marks the first day of the new year and lasts for 15 days. It ends with a Lantern Festival. This is the year of the snake! A parade will be in Toronto on February 9, 2025! There may be some events in Hamilton.
National and International Days
December 1 – World AIDS Day
December 2 – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
December 3 – International Day of Persons with Disabilities
December 6 – National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
December 10 – Human Rights Day
December 11 – Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster. The Statute of Westminster a 1931 act of British Parliament, recognized Canadian autonomy and independence.
January 17 – Raoul Wallenberg Day. The Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jewish people’s lives in WW2. He provided special certificates for 4000 Jewish people which prevented them from being deported and helped save over 100,000 Hungarian Jews. He also helped establish hospitals, nurseries, a soup kitchen and more than 30 safe houses to conceal and help protect them. In 1985 he was named Canada’s first honorary citizen.
January 21 – Lincoln Alexander Day. (Yes, The Linc is named after Lincoln Alexander!) Lincoln Alexander was Canada’s first Black Member of Parliament, Cabinet minister, and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
January 24 – World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture. It is a time to recognize the contributions of the many living cultures of the African continent and the African diasporas around the world.
January 26 – International Day of Clean Energy
January 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day
January 29 – National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia.
The United Nations, whose motto is Peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet, designates special days, weeks, and years to mark special events or topics. The full list can be found at un.org. Click your language and scroll to the bottom and click Observances (although there is a LOT of interesting information there!)
