Stacker researched holidays not celebrated in the U.S.
25 holidays not celebrated in America
Let’s face it—we all love an excuse to throw a party and celebrate a time-honored tradition. And while we’ve got our fair share of holidays in the United States, there's always room for another nationally recognized day off work. While the U.S. gets to celebrate grassroots holidays such as Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, we're still missing out on some exciting and eclectic celebrations around the world. Whether it's dousing strangers in cold water, racing down the slopes of a volcano, or connecting with ancestors in the afterlife, there's a fair share of holidays that don't make the traditional American calendar.
So in recognition of Boxing Day, a worker's holiday celebrated the day after Christmas in parts of Europe, the team at Stacker decided to research holidays honored across the globe not observed in the U.S. We found 26 unique celebrations of cultural history on almost every Continent (sorry Antarctica), each with a festive component that embraced travelers, regardless of creed, political beliefs, or language, to partake in the celebrations. Check out our list of holidays not officially celebrated in the U.S. and some of the wacky traditions that accompany them, you may just find yourself with a taste for something a little different!
Hogmanay (Scotland)
If your New Year’s celebrations have been a little tame, then you might want to book a flight to Scotland to check out Hogmanay.
For several centuries, Christmas was seen as too Catholic in Protestant-dominated Scotland, and celebrations of it were either small or nonexistent. In its place, Hogmanay grew from traditional Viking ways of celebrating the winter solstice. A fiery parade of torches (and not the flashlight kind) light up Edinburgh each year, with similar blazes raging in towns from the
lowlands to highlands. A hefty dose of alcohol helps you wash down the traditional haggis, cock-a-leekie soup and shortbread.
Tapati Festival (Easter Island)
Looking to celebrate Polynesian culture with more than just a visit to the famed moai of Rapa Nui? The island’s annual Tapati Festival, held in February is the ultimate cultural festival. Don’t miss the Haka Pei, a race where participants slide down a steep incline on a sled made of tree-trunks—all while wearing a rather small loincloth. At the festival, which first started about 40 years ago, there are also displays of ancient dances and a competition for the queen of the two-week event.
Chuseok (South Korea)
Known as Korean Thanksgiving, Chuseok features a solemn remembrance of ancestors but also boisterous wrestling competitions and cheerful singing and dancing. Take a bite out of the fall holiday with a songpyeon, a rice cake filled with red beans, chestnuts, or other fillings and then infused with pine needles. Celebrate in Seoul at any number of cultural sites, including Korean Folk Village and Namsangol Hanok Village.
Bon Om Touk (Cambodia)
Cambodians connect with nature during this November festival celebrating the annual reversal of water flow between Tonle Sap lake and the Mekong River at the end of the country’s rainy season. The annual flooding keeps fields fertile for agriculture. Eat ambok, a flattened rice dish with banana and coconut, as you watch the evening parade of brightly-lit boats or the boat races during the day.
Ólavsøka (Faroe Islands)
The Faroe Islands might seem a little isolated halfway between Iceland and Norway, but that doesn't stop them from throwing a party. Ólavsøka commemorates the death of King Olaf nearly 1,000 years ago and includes Faroese chain dancing, group singing at midnight in Tórshavn, and a popular boat race. The holiday, at the end of July, also marks the opening day of the country’s parliament.
Enkutatash (Ethiopia)
Celebrated on either September 11 or 12, Enkutatash is an Ethiopian New Year celebration. Marked by the yellow daisies that cover the country following its rainy season, the holiday’s name translates to “gift of jewels” and stretches back to a tale involving the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. Join in the fun with a celebratory bonfire, traditional songs, and bouquets of those daisies, called adey abeba.
Puck Fair (Ireland)
It’s not every day that a wild goat becomes royalty. No, it’s not a nature-based version of the Prince and the Pauper-- it’s the
Puck Fair in Killorglin. Local lore pins the fair’s origins on a goat who, freaked out during the approach of Oliver Cromwell’s army, inadvertently warned the town’s residents in time to defend themselves. In this animal’s honor, each August Killorglin residents capture a wild goat and install him on a pedestal for three days. During that time you can enjoy a variety of musical performances and even see his new highness in a parade. Don’t worry-- at the end of the fair, the goat gets to go back to the countryside.
Carpet of Flowers (Belgium)
Big fan of the Rose Parade? Try the Brussels version—the
Carpet of Flowers. The festival got its start in 1971, as a way to commemorate Belgium, the world’s largest producer of these flowers and cultivator of approximately 60 million bulbs each year. Assembled in the city’s Grand-Place, the carpet features more than 600,000 flowers and spans 79 by 246 feet. It’s only celebrated in even years, and the theme changes each time. Make sure you bring your allergy meds!
Festival du Voyager (Canada)
This Winnipeg festival brings together two key parts of Canadian culture—its French roots and its celebration of all things winter. You might think the country’s French history is limited to francophone-Quebec in the east, but organizers created this festival in 1970 specifically to celebrate the French culture of Manitoba, a province of the Canadian prairies. Instead of just shivering this February, peek in on this party, which features a beard-growing contest where participants all shave 10 weeks prior to the even, then let their follicles do the talking. If that’s not your speed, they also have workshops featuring frontier craftsmanship, a snow sculpture competition, and plenty of poutine.
Holi (India)
A Hindu holiday celebrated in February or March each year, Holi pays a colorful tribute to youth and vitality. A variety of folk tales try to explain its tradition of throwing brightly-colored powder, much like a color run. Don’t wear your Sunday best, because the hues from this two-day festival might be permanent.
Boun Bang Fai (Laos)
Remember the time you built a rocket in science class? Supersize that, and you’ve got Boun Bang Fai in Laos, where locals launch bamboo, glass, and metal rockets to ensure their harvest isn’t damaged by natural disasters. Vaudeville performances abound in an attempt to anger the rain gods into showering down water to nourish the crops. Be careful—if your rocket doesn’t launch, you might have to drink muddy water as penance.
Walpurgis Night (Sweden, Germany and other European countries)
Although this April holiday bears the name of an 8th-century saint, its roots are in the pagan folklore of Sweden and its neighbors. The idea behind Walpurgis Night is to light bonfires to scare away witches, demons, and other creatures you wouldn’t want to find lurking under your bed. If you’re in Uppsala, watch for university students racing homemade rafts down the Fyris River.
Nauryz Festival (Mongolia and Kazakhstan)
Celebrate the new year in March, the way of the Kazakh people with a spring equinox. Start with kozhe, a thick soup with ingredients that symbolize virtues such as joy and agility. Embrace the festive atmosphere by visiting yurts in various city centers. Top it all off with a ride on an altybakan, a traditional Kazkh swing.
Abéné Festival (Senegal)
While the main attraction at the Abéné Festival is the drumming and related competitions, there’s everything from the arts to athletics celebrated at this famed festival. The holiday is a demonstration of cooperation among the country’s Casamance region, which had often been marred by violent unrest. Attendees can watch wrestlers take to the ring in traditional Senegalese garb, and if you want to be an active participant in the festivities you can match moves with the locals at the late night disco.
