In the Baha’i faith, December 11, 2025 marks the beginning of the Feast of Masa’il, or the Feast of Questions.
Find out more:
The Baha’i Faith at Baha’i.org
The Baha’i Faith at Baha’i.com
The Bahá’í Community of Canada
Celebrate Holidays & Holy Days at your school library.
Each year on December 10 the world celebrates International Human Rights Day and reaffirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, declared in 1948 by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
From the United Nations:
In this period of turbulence and unpredictability, where many feel a growing sense of insecurity, disaffection and alienation, the theme of Human Rights Day is to reaffirm the values of human rights and show that they remain a winning proposition for humanity.
Through this campaign, we aim to re-engage people with human rights by showing how they shape our daily lives, often in ways we may not always notice. Too often taken for granted or seen as abstract ideas, human rights are the essentials we rely on every day.
By bridging the gap between human rights principles and everyday experiences, we aim to spark awareness, inspire confidence and encourage collective action.
The campaign emphasizes that human rights are positive, essential and attainable.
Find out more:
Rohatsu, Laba and Bodhi Day are all different names for the celebration of the Enlightenment of the the Buddha.
In much of the world is is known as Bodhi Day. In China it is known as the festival of Laba, while in Japan it is known as Rohatsu.
The religion known as Buddhism dates back to the 6th or 5th Century BCE, when the Indian Prince Siddhartha Gautama became the “Buddha,” literally, “the Enlightened One.” The followers of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism observe Rohatsu, Laba, or Bodhi Day, in celebration of the day that the Buddha sat below the Bodhi Tree and meditated on the meaning of life.
This day is celebrated mainly by the Buddhists of northern and eastern Asia, and in countries to which those people have immigrated (such as Canada). To many this holiday is known as Bodhi Day and it occurs on the 8th day of the 12th month of the lunar year. With the Japanese adoption of the western calendar (Gregorian) Rohatsu is fixed on December 8th.
For more on Rohutsu and the life of the Buddha:
and these books in your School Library:
This 9 day festival is central to Navidad (Christmas) celebrations in Mexico. This is a neighbourhood festival that commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph, who could not find posadas, (Spanish for “lodging”) before the birth of Jesus. A procession, including people dressed as Angels, Saints and the Holy Family, marches through the neighbourhood, knocking on doors looking for a place to stay. Like Mary and Joseph, they are refused, until finally the parade ends at one home where they are welcomed in. Feasting ensues, including a pinata for the children.
Find out more:
Be sure to check out our display, “Holidays & Holy Days,” at your School Library.
If people tell you that Santa Claus isn’t real, tell them to think again! Saint Nicholas lived in the 3rd and 4th Centuries AD(CE). He lived in what is now known as Turkey, but what was then a Greek area of the Roman Empire. The legends surrounding his life grew and evolved over the years, eventually leading to our modern picture of Santa.
In much of Europe and in many parts of the world, St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6, or on another date other than Christmas.
For more information, check out the St. Nicholas Centre.
You can also check out these books about St. Nicholas AKA Kris Kringle AKA Santa Claus, at your School Library:
Krampus is coming to give you what you deserve, bad little boys and girls!
Many people all across Europe celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6 each year, as do some people in Canada who have roots in Europe. St. Nicholas comes during the night and leaves presents for good girls and boys. (Look for tomorrow’s post more more information on St. Nicholas.)
In some places, tradition holds that St. Nicholas had a helper– or at least a counterpart, who visited the bad children. Krampus.
In Germany, Austria and other Alpine countries, Krampus became a part of the St. Nicholas story. Half goat, half demon, Krampus is a nightmarish figure who comes for those overlooked by St. Nicholas, who has gifts for the good (or in some cases, the intelligent!) At best Krampus might deliver coal or twigs. But children fear far worse, that Krampus will punish them, torture them, even kidnap them and carry them away to his lair– or to Hell!
Krampusnacht is is observed in many places on December 5, with parades and other celebrations, including the Krampuslauf, or Krampus Run, in which young people dress up like Krampus.
Find out more:
Come down to your School Library to browse through our ever growing selection of titles to help you learn more about the Holiday Season.
Here are just some of the observances, festivals, celebrations and special days that take place in the coming month or so of holidays and holy days, known to many as “The Holiday Season.”
Visit your School Library, in person and online, to find out more about this season of Holidays and Holy Days.
Gita Jayanti is a Hindu observance that celebrates the Bhagavad Gita, one of the holy books of Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita is presented as a dialogue between Arjuna, a prince, and Krishna, the embodiment of God. In 2025 this day takes place on December 1, however local festivals may take place at different times, and can last several weeks.
Find out more:
December is a month of Holidays & Holy Days. Visit your school library to find out more.
The Holiday Season in the western world has traditionally been synonymous with Advent, literally the period of expectation of an important arrival. For Christians the season of Advent is about the anticipation of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ. In the Christian Church, on each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, candles are lit as symbols of Advent.
In 2025 the four Sundays of Advent are November 30, December 7, December 14 and December 21.
Happy Holidays! We have entered another season of feasts and festivals, holy days and holidays, in and around December. Visit your School Library, in person or online, to learn more about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, St. Nicholas Day, Simbang Gabi, Festivus, the Nativity, the Winter Solstice, Krampusnacht, New Year’s Eve, Advent, Bodhi, Boxing Day and more.
Jesse Welles gave us this gem in 2024. Listen carefully, and read the lyrics. You will get the point. This is an anti-war song for our time rooted in the traditions of protest songs from ages past.
War isn’t murder, good men don’t die
Children don’t starve and all the women survive
“War isn’t murder, ” that’s what they say
When you’re fighting the Devil, murder’s okay
War isn’t murder, they’re called casualties
There ain’t a veteran with a good night’s sleepLet’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got gravesCall your dead mother, ask her when she died
It’s a deathly silence on the other line
The dead don’t talk, but the children don’t forget
So in 20 short years, you could live to regret thatWar isn’t murder, there’s money at stake
Girl, even Kushner agrees it’s good real estate
War isn’t murder, ask Netanyahu
He’s got a song for that and a bomb for you
War isn’t murder, it’s an old desert faith
It’s a nation-state sanctioned, righteous hateLet’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
War isn’t murder, it’s the vengeance of God
If you can’t see the bodies, they don’t bloat when they rot
And the flies don’t swarm, and the children don’t cry
If war isn’t murder, good men don’t die
So in a short 20 years, when you vacation the Strip
Don’t think about the dead and have a nice tripWar isn’t murder, we should all give thanks
I saw it all in a movie, give it up for Tom Hanks
War isn’t murder, they don’t ship out the poor
And the bullets they fire aren’t part of the cure
War isn’t murder, land is a right
But the banks called dibs, it’s something you can’t fightLet’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got gravesWar isn’t murder, ain’t a river of blood
Stretching all-through time and raining down in a flood
It’s a dark sacrifice, made on your behalf
So get down on your knees and thank the sweet Lord that
War isn’t murder
Find out more about Jesse Welles, “War Isn’t Murder,” and other protest songs:
Other “Songs of Peace” in this series:
November is Peace Month at your School Library
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 