Ever heard of Oktoberfest? Maybe Thanksgiving is what you are familiar with and Christmas in December. You guys might recognize these as holiday traditions, but can you name any global holiday traditions? Here are some of the awesome holidays around the world.

“I don’t hate anything, I love all of it,” said Marius Romain, an exchange student from Belgium. A classical tradition coming from the country of Belgium is Saint Nicholas Day. On this day, it is customary to give gifts out to friends and family on the 6th instead of the 25th. Family time is an important part as it is what makes this tradition super special. Marius said it’s one of his favorites as he can spend a bunch of time with family and friends and be happy.

Another cool holiday tradition is the tradition on Finland’s Independence Day, where they celebrate their independence from Russia. Their tradition is a bit different though, as they don’t have fireworks. They have another cool thing: the President of Finland will invite random people from the public to his house to hang out on Independence Day while they are on TV. Their Independence Day is on the 6th of December. I spoke with Saara Nori, a transfer student from Finland, about her experience with their tradition. She said, “I am always happy because I get extra time to spend with my family.” Another cool fun fact is that Finland celebrates Christmas on the 24th instead of the 25th.

In Spain, they celebrate a holiday called Three Kings Day where they give gifts and they eat a bunch of food to celebrate the exclusive holiday. The celebrations often last up to a couple of days which can be very tiring. Exchange student from Spain, Sara Abarca, told us about her experience with this holiday. She said that she always remembered staying with her family and staying at the parades for a long time. She disliked how long the parades were.

Coming from Africa, we have Gina who is an exchange student from Cameroon. Speaking of family, in Cameroon, they celebrate and take Mother’s Day very seriously. “Mother’s Day is something very important to us,” Gina said. Mother’s Day is important because it recognizes the importance of mothers and how they are important in society, and it’s a great way to show your appreciation for your mother.

No matter who you are, no matter where you are from, holidays and traditions always bring us together, and they are always time to celebrate. It’s good fun to see family and to get some rest. Holidays are fun days.