“Not weird, just different.”

A third-grade teacher gently reprimanded her class during a social studies lesson 41 years ago inside a small Catholic school in Ocean City, New Jersey. 

We had our social studies books out, and were learning about some unfamiliar custom in a far-away country. Apparently, we had reacted with the maturity of 8-year-olds and immediately scorned what we didn’t understand.

Mrs. Perry’s admonishment followed a comment by James, a funny, red-headed boy who sat by the window. He declared (without raising his hand), “That’s just weird.”

“It’s not weird; it’s just different,” Mrs. Perry said, reminding us how other cultures might view some of the practices we considered “normal,” like placing a lost tooth under a pillow with the hope that a mysterious figure would sneak into our room while we slept and basically buy a piece of our skeleton.

How might third graders in Nepal react to our descriptions of a giant Easter Bunny hiding colored eggs (which come from chickens, by the way, not rabbits) to celebrate a religious holiday and Christians’ belief that a Jewish man was nailed to a wooden cross, and came back to life three days later.

I’ve not only remembered that four-word lesson for 41 years, but have repeated it more than once.

So to those elementary-school teachers who occasionally feel that their efforts are futile and their words are worthless, just know that some things break through and stay with us.

Here I am, 41 years later, repeating those four words as we take a look at some unfamiliar  — but never weird — holiday celebrations in faraway places.

Whichever holidays you celebrate, may they be meaningful and memorable.

WINTER SOLSTICE

SUN. DEC 21, 2025, 10:03 a.m. 

The winter solstice marks the official start to winter, when the sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the shortest day and longest night, and astronomically marks the beginning of lengthening days and shortening nights as spring and summer approach.

The Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice (also known as Yule) is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world and is marked by widely varying regional customs and traditions.

CHINESE NEW YEAR/SPRING FESTIVAL 

TUESDAY, FEB. 17, 2026

The Chinese New Year celebration is Feb. 17, 2026, which starts a year of the Fire Horse.  The Chinese New Year is associated with animals due to the Chinese zodiac, a 12-year cycle in which each year is named after an animal.Each animal represents different traits and characteristics, and the zodiac is believed to influence a person’s personality, compatibility and fortunes.

In Chinese culture, the Horse, also known as the Fire Horse, is known for its energetic and dynamic nature. It symbolizes vitality, speed and perseverance. People born in the Year of the Horse are believed to possess similar traits, such as being hardworking, warm-hearted and independent.

Chinese New Year, often referred to as Spring Festival in traditional Chinese, or Lunar New Year, starts on the new moon that appears each year between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20.  The celebration marks the start of the spring and is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. Observances can last for the first 15 days of the new year

As a public holiday, Chinese people will get eight days off from work from Feb. 15-22, 2026. Customs and traditions vary widely among different regions in China, as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

Most families thoroughly clean their house to sweep away ill fortune and make way for good luck. Windows and doors are decorated with red paper cutouts. Money is exchanged in red envelopes and fireworks are common.

ST. LUCIA DAY 

DEC. 13 IN SCANDINAVIA AND ITALY

St. Lucia Day, also called St. Lucy’s Day, is a festival of lights most widely celebrated in Scandinavia and Italy.

St. Lucia’s Day, a festival of lights, is celebrated in Sweden, Norway and the Swedish-speaking areas of Finland on Dec. 13 each year in honor of St. Lucia (St. Lucy). One of the earliest Christian martyrs, St. Lucia was killed by the Romans in 304 AD because of her religious beliefs.

ST. NICHOLAS EVE (SINTERKLAAS’ BIRTHDAY) 

DEC. 5 or 6, 2025

In Dutch, Sinterklaas or Sint-Nicolaas is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. Sinterklaas is one of the sources of the popular Christmas icon of Santa Claus.

St. Nicholas Eve and Christmas are separate holidays in The Netherlands.

The feast  of St. Nicholas is celebrated with the giving of gifts on St. Nicholas Eve (Dec. 5) in the Netherlands and the morning of Dec. 6 in Belgium, Luxembourg, western Germany, northern France and Hungary. 

KWANZAA

DEC. 26-JAN. 1 IN THE U.S., CANADA, CARIBBEAN & WESTERN AFRICAN DIASPORA

Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday celebrated in communities in the United States and Canada, as well as in the Caribbean and Western African Diaspora, to honor African heritage in African-American culture and to highlight the importance of the pan-African family and corresponding social values.

BOXING DAY

FRIDAY, DEC. 26 IN GREAT BRITAIN, CANADA, AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Boxing Day is the holiday on which servants, tradespeople and the poor traditionally were presented with gifts. By the 21st century it had become a day associated with shopping and sporting events. 

HANUKKAH 

NIGHTFALL ON SUN, DEC 14, 2025 THROUGH MON, DEC 22, 2025 IN ISRAEL, U.S. & JEWISH COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE 

Hanukkah this year starts the evening of Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 and ends the evening of Monday, Dec. 22. Each year, Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev, which is the ninth month of the Jewish calendar. Hanukkah, which has many different spellings, is the eight-day Jewish holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees revolted in the 2nd century B.C. 

Hanukkah offers eight nights of light, joy and celebration during the winter season. The festival carries themes of religious freedom, miraculous provision and the triumph of light over darkness.

EID AL-ADHA 

TUE, MAY 26 – WED, MAY 27, 2026 IN MIDDLE EASTERN & ASIAN PACIFIC NATIONS

Eid al-Adha is the second of the two main festivals in Islam, alongside Eid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the three following days, known as the Tashreeq days.

Also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha is an important Islamic holiday celebrated worldwide to honor the willingness of the prophet Abraham to sacrifice his first-born son, Ishmael, as an act of obedience to God’s command. Eid al-Adha is the second and the largest of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam. It is celebrated with prayers, animal sacrifice, charity, social gatherings, festive meals and gift-giving.

 DIWALI “FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS” 

MONDAY, OCT. 20, 2025 IN INDIA, NEPAL, SRI LANKA, MYANMAR & OTHERS 

Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual victory of Dharma over Adharma, light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. 

The festival celebrates both the attainment of nirvana by Mahavira, an Indian sage, and the death anniversary of Swami Dayanand, a Hindu religious leader.

The main celebration of Diwali takes place on the day of the new Moon when the sky is at its darkest, so a big part of the celebration revolves around light. On the evening of Diwali, celebrants light dozens of candles and clay lamps, placing them throughout their homes and in the streets to light up the night.

THREE KINGS DAY JAN. 6 IN MEXICO AND COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE

Three Kings Day celebrates the Three Kings (Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar) and their visit to baby Jesus after his birth.

LAS POSADAS

DEC. 16-24 IN SPAIN, MEXICO, GUATEMALA AND PARTS OF THE U.S.

Las Posadas (Spanish for “the inns”) commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge where Mary could give birth to the baby Jesus. A religious festival traditionally held in Mexico and parts of Latin America, Las Posadas is an important part of Christmas festivities. 

Las Posadas is celebrated between Dec.16 and Dec. 24, and was originally designed to teach the Christmas story to those who couldn’t read the Bible. Many countries celebrate the religious festival of Las Posadas, though the vast majority of the celebrations are in Latin America.

THAI PONGAL

JAN. 14-17, 2026 CELEBRATED BY THE TAMIL POPULATION OF INDIA & SRI LANKA 

Celebrated by an estimated 80 million Tamil people, mainly in India and Sri Lanka, Thai Pongal is a multiday Hindu harvest festival dedicated to the sun god, Surya. The traditional Tamil dish of pongal is prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with raw sugar. The dish is first offered to the gods and goddesses and is then given to cattle, which Hindus hold sacred, before being shared by families.