Timely coverage of upcoming holiday seasons and celebrations around the world.
The first days of November bring a global season of remembrance. All Saints' Day on November 1, All Souls' Day on November 2, and related observances create a week when the boundary between the living and the dead feels thin.
Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus, is marked by fasting, prayer, and deeply moving traditions that range from silent processions in Europe to dramatic reenactments in the Philippines.
Pentecost, observed 50 days after Easter, commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. Known as Whitsunday in Britain, it is celebrated with special services, processions, and traditions across Europe.
Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish harvest festival in which families build and dwell in temporary shelters called sukkahs. It is a celebration of gratitude, nature, and the fragile beauty of impermanence.
The Jewish High Holy Days begin with Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, and culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Together, these ten days form the most sacred period in the Jewish calendar.
Canada Day on July 1 celebrates the confederation of Canada in 1867. From Parliament Hill in Ottawa to small-town parades across the provinces, Canadians celebrate with fireworks, barbecues, and a distinct national spirit.
Australia Day falls on January 26 in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere's summer. While many celebrate with barbecues, beach outings, and fireworks, the date also prompts important conversations about Indigenous history.
Every January 26, India marks Republic Day with one of the world's most spectacular parades. Tanks, floats, folk dancers, and flyovers fill Kartavya Path in New Delhi in a display of national unity and democratic pride.
The Qixi Festival, falling on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, is China's answer to Valentine's Day. Rooted in a 2,000-year-old legend of a cowherd and a weaver girl, it blends ancient tradition with modern romance.
Every July, Japan celebrates Tanabata, the Star Festival, based on the legend of two star-crossed lovers who can only meet once a year across the Milky Way. Bamboo branches decorated with colorful wishes fill the streets.
Lohri is a vibrant Punjabi festival celebrated on January 13 each year, marking the end of winter and the harvest of sugarcane and other rabi crops. Bonfires, folk songs, and festive foods define this joyful night.
Each summer, Japan welcomes back the spirits of the dead during Obon, a Buddhist festival of remembrance. Families return to their hometowns, clean ancestral graves, and light lanterns to guide spirits home.
Korea's Chuseok and America's Thanksgiving both center on harvest-time gratitude, family gatherings, and abundant food. Despite their vastly different origins, these autumn holidays share a remarkably similar spirit.
Passover and Easter both arrive in spring, both carry themes of liberation and renewal, and both trace their roots to the ancient Near East. Yet they belong to distinct traditions with rituals, foods, and meanings all their own.
Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, is one of the two major holidays in the Islamic calendar. Rooted in the story of Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son, it brings together families, communities, and acts of charity across the Muslim world.
Autumn's harvest festivals and Halloween share ancient roots in the Celtic calendar. Today, the season blends spooky fun with solemn thanksgiving traditions across the Western world.
The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, has been celebrated since prehistoric times. Today it is marked with bonfires, festivals, and gatherings from Sweden to Spain.
Far from being a morbid occasion, Dia de los Muertos is one of the world's most life-affirming celebrations. Families honour their ancestors with food, music, and elaborately decorated altars.
Diwali is more than fireworks and sweets. Spanning five days in October or November, the Festival of Lights celebrates the victory of good over evil across Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and Buddhist traditions.
Ramadan is far more than abstaining from food. For 1.8 billion Muslims, the holy month is a period of spiritual purification, charity, and community, culminating in the joyous celebration of Eid al-Fitr.
Spring's arrival has been celebrated for millennia. Easter, Nowruz, Holi, and countless equinox traditions share a common theme: the triumph of light over darkness and life over winter.
Lunar New Year triggers the largest annual human migration on Earth. Billions of people across China, Vietnam, South Korea, and diaspora communities celebrate with elaborate feasts, red envelopes, and spectacular fireworks.
December brings a remarkable convergence of celebrations. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa each carry distinct histories, rituals, and meanings, yet together they define the winter holiday season for billions of people.