Official Kids Mag

President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862. However, the decree did not take effect until the clock struck midnight on January 1, 1863. On New Year's Eve, 1862, African Americans gathered to watch and wait for the news of freedom. Today, Watch Night is a tradition that commemorates freedom, faith and community. milad un-Nabi Milad un-Nabi, or Mawlid, is celebrated by Muslims as the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. It is celebrated in most Muslim countries and others with large Muslim populations like India in October or November. The date varies each year because the Islamic calendar is based on lunar cycles. Mawlid is celebrated in different ways in different places. In Pakistan, the holiday celebrates national pride with flag-raising and ceremonies at national monuments. In other Muslim communities, the holiday is more festive. Some Muslims exchange gifts, give to the poor, and go to mosques to pray. Dong Zhi Dong Zhi, the "arrival of winter," is an important festival in China. It is a time for family to get together and celebrate the year they have had. Based on the traditional Chinese celestial calendar, the holiday generally falls between the 21st and 23rd of December. It may have started as an end- of-harvest festival, with workers returning from the fields and enjoying the fruits of their labors with family. Special foods, such as tang yuan (glutinous rice balls), are enjoyed. boxing Day Boxing Day is celebrated in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and other countries on December 26, the day after Christmas. Some say Boxing Day started in 19th century England as a day when people would give boxes of money, gifts and food to their servants on the day after Christmas, to try to make up for the fact that the servants had to work on Christmas Day. Another story links Boxing Day to collection boxes for the poor. Since the holiday season was a time to give to the poor, the day after Christmas was when the collection boxes full of money were opened and distributed to the less fortunate. Boxing Day in Canada is now a day to shop for deals on items discounted after the holiday season. In England, Boxing Day is a day to watch soccer (called football in Europe) as many matches are played on this day. three Kings Day At the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas is a day called the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day. This is the day the three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. On this day in Spain, many children get their Christmas presents. In Puerto Rico, before children go to sleep on January 5, they leave a box with hay under their beds so the kings will leave good presents. In France and other countries, a "kings' cake" is baked and eaten. Bakers hide a coin, jewel, or little toy inside of it. a glutinous rice ball for Dong Zhi Diwali milad un-Nabi three Kings Day cake Kwanzaa www.OfficialKidsmag.com • December 2021 • 27

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