At the end of the 12 Days of Christmas, children in Spain, Puerto Rico, and France celebrate _____________ in different ways. In France, a delicious king cake is baked with a hidden coin or toy inside.

The _____________ occurs on the first day of winter, about December 21st. People all over the world participate in festivals and celebrations on this day, the shortest day of the year.

To honor the 3rd century Saint, St. Lucia Day is celebrated on December 13th where many girls in _______ dress up as "Lucia brides" in long white gowns with red sashes, and a wreath of burning candles on their heads.

On December 6th, many European countries celebrate St. Nicholas Day to honor the man whose life inspired the tradition of ___________ and Father Christmas.

People around the world celebrate ___________, a Christian holiday by going to church, giving gifts, and sharing the day with their families.

The Christmas festivities in Ireland tend to be more religious in nature rather than being about _______, and last from Christmas Eve to January 6th (Epiphany Day)/\.

The Christmas Eve festivities in the Ukraine are known as Sviata Vechera, which means "_________________".

Kwanzaa, which means "First Fruits", is based on ancient ________ harvest festivals and celebrates ideals such as family life and unity.

It is possible "New Year's resolutions" came from a New Year's tradition from Ecuador where they make and burn a straw man (like a scarecrow). They do this after making a ______ of faults. The burning of the straw man symbolizes burning away the old year.

In Japan, Omisoka (or ______________) is the second most important holiday of the year, following New Year's Day where Japanese families gather for a late dinner around 11pm, and at midnight, many make visits to a shrine or temple.

Those in Hong Kong pray to the gods and ghosts of their ___________, asking that they fulfill wishes for the next year.

TO celebrate the Chinese New Year, many children dress in new clothes to celebrate and people carry lanterns and join in a huge parade led by a ___________, the Chinese symbol of strength.

Lent is a time for Christians to reflect, so the Tuesday before Lent begins, people in New Orleans (Louisiana), wear costumes and attend huge parades for the festival of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras usually occurs in February or March, 47 days before __________.