By Michelle Pepino, Library Aide, Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library
On Bodhi Day, some Buddhists eat rice porridge as part of the day’s celebrations because some believed it was Buddha’s first meal after gaining enlightenment.
Source: A Year Full of Celebrations and Festivals by Christopher Corr and Claire Grace
For Diwali, people light candles, clay lamps and oil lanterns placing them throughout the home and outside. They also set off fireworks to ward off evil spirits.
Source: National Geographic Kids
In France, children place candy in their shoes, hoping Père Noël (Father Christmas) will grant them piles of sweets!
Source: Snippets of Paris
Typically celebrated between mid-January and mid-February, Chinese New Year lasts 15 days and the color red is used in clothing and decorations to symbolize happiness, wealth and prosperity.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
Every year on Dec. 13, people in Sweden, Denmark and Norway celebrate Saint Lucia’s Day to celebrate light during the long, dark winter. They also honor the patron saint of light who was killed by the Romans because of her religious beliefs. Scandinavian countries pay tribute to her, and it also marks the beginning of their Christmas season.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
Toji, Japan’s winter solstice, consists of lighting bonfires on Mt. Fuji and people soaking in yuzu-scented onsens (natural hot springs) to welcome the winter solstice.