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15. December 2025When the days get shorter, it gets colder outside and warm lights illuminate streets and interiors, a special time of togetherness begins for many people. For some people, winter means “celebrating Christmas”. But this festival is by no means celebrated in all cultural contexts.
When the days get shorter, it gets colder outside and warm lights illuminate streets and interiors, a special time of togetherness begins for many people. For some people, winter means "celebrating Christmas". But this festival is by no means celebrated in all cultural contexts. All over the world, diverse traditions and festivals give winter a very special meaning. This blog post invites you to get to know and discover a small selection of the diversity of winter festivals around the world. It is also about understanding what connects people around the globe during this special time.
Christmas
Christmas, which is celebrated on either 24 or 25 December, is the best-known winter festival, especially for people in Western cultural contexts, and is strongly rooted in culture and society. It commemorates the birth of Jesus in Christianity. Typical traditions include decorating the Christmas tree, lighting candles, sharing a festive meal and exchanging gifts. Light in particular symbolizes hope and warmth in the dark season.
Diwali
While in some parts of the world winter begins with cold and darkness, people in South Asia celebrate Diwali, a colorful festival of lights, which takes place on a new moon night in late autumn and can last up to five days. At the heart of this Hindu festival of lights is the victory of good over evil, the renewal of life and the overcoming of darkness by divine light. It therefore marks a spiritual new beginning, similar to other cultural festivals that take place around the world during the winter season. Numerous lights illuminate houses, temples, streets and gardens. Prayer ceremonies are performed, fireworks are set, people cook and eat together and share gifts. Diwali is therefore an extremely joyful festival and, in terms of its religious and cultural significance for Hindus and also for secular people living in the Hindu cultural sphere, it is comparable to the significance of Christmas in the Western world.

Hanukkah
The symbol of light also plays a central role in the Jewish festival of lights, Hanukkah. Jewish people celebrate this festival to commemorate an important event in Jewish history. From the 4th century BC onwards, the Jews in Judea lived under Hellenistic rule, during which the king attempted to ban the practice of the Jewish religion. In the second century BC, the Jews revolted against this rule, eventually recaptured Jerusalem and established an independent Jewish state. According to legend, when the Jews were cleaning up a desecrated, recaptured temple, they found only a single unopened vessel of ritually pure oil to light the lamps – enough for one day.
Nevertheless, the candlestick in the temple burned for eight days, exactly as long as it took to produce new consecrated oil. That is why Hanukkah (hanukkat habajit = dedication of the temple) is celebrated for eight days. The Chanukiah is a nine-branched candlestick that commemorates the miracle described above. Each evening, another candle is lit until all eight lights – lit with the ninth, the shamash – shine. On Hanukkah, people like to play "dreidel", which is the name of a four-sided spinning top whose Hebrew letters commemorate the miracle of the oil jug (see the figure below). In the dreidel game, players place small tokens and win or lose depending on the letter that lands on top after the dreidel spins. The festival of Hanukkah, commemorating the resistance against religious oppression, is a symbol of cultural and spiritual renewal and of God's providence.

Dongzhi
Donghzi is an East Asian winter festival that is relatively unknown in Europe. It is rooted in Chinese philosophy as well as natural cosmology, particularly the yin-yang principle and the cyclical change of the seasons. Therefore it falls on the winter solstice. The name means 'arrival of winter'. The festival is one of the oldest and most important traditional festivals in China and is also celebrated in various forms in Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The symbol of light also plays an important role in this festival, as it represents the return of light. From this day onwards, when the night is longest and the day is shortest, the days become longer again, symbolizing the return of light, growth and new beginnings. On this day, families come together, prepare traditional dishes and eat together. In southern China, for example, sweet glutinous rice balls (tangyuan) are eaten, while in northern China dumplings (jiaozi) are eaten. The winter solstice thus marks the beginning of longer days, and family gatherings symbolize hope, warmth and continuity.

The universality of winter festivals
Winter festivals across cultures, whether celebrated in cold, dark climates or warm, dry ones, reflect universal human needs. They offer orientation during times of transition, create intentional moments of pause, and strengthen social bonds. Despite their diverse expressions, these celebrations share core elements such as light, community, and hope. Rituals like lighting candles, sharing traditional meals, telling stories, or holding festive ceremonies provide comfort and symbolize the overcoming of spiritual, symbolic, or seasonal challenges.
At the same time, these festivals serve as anchors of cultural identity. They make traditions tangible, structure the rhythm of the year, and convey values across generations. Even in a globally mobile world, rituals retain their meaning: they travel with people, adapt to new contexts, and continue to foster a sense of belonging while enabling intercultural exchange.
The intercultural perspective - what we can learn from the diversity of winter festivals
Knowledge about the festivals of other cultural contexts opens up new perspectives and can prevent misunderstandings. Those who know the meaning behind a particular cultural festival, have a better understanding of why colleagues take time off work, families get together or certain rituals are observed. Such knowledge promotes empathy and mutual respect, which are two foundations for successful social coexistence. An invitation to a Hanukkah celebration, for example, means not only learning about candles, “dreidels” and food, but also recognizing how important this festival is for Jewish families. Likewise, it creates appreciation to consider the holidays of other religions or cultures in calendars and work schedules. Those who recognize diversity understand that celebrations can build bridges, for example between neighbors, colleagues and cultures.This broader perspective encourages us to remain curious, ask questions and discover the beauty of other traditions. Because every holiday, whether big or small, familiar or new, reminds us of what connects us: Light, warmth and community.
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