Christmas is important to kids around the world; after all, it is widely known as “Christmas Break” at Newport. But different cultures and religions all have different ways of celebrating the winter holidays. Likewise, individual religions have many different traditions for their respective holidays.

The Christmas holiday itself is based in the Christian religion. Most Americans are familiar with Santa and Christmas, but its original basis in the birth of Jesus on December 25 is sometimes forgotten. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Christians celebrate by singing Christmas Carols which usually relate to the birth of Jesus, reading the Nativity story, and participating in various activities that discuss and represent the Christ story.

Starting on December 7, those who practice Judaism celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah is an 8-day celebration to commemorate the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem centuries ago. Each night a family member will light a candle for a total of 8 nights. Traditional songs are sung after lighting the candles.

Pagans celebrate Yule as opposed to Christmas. Yule is one of the oldest winter solstice celebrations. Its origins reside in Norse mythology. Some historians believe that sacrifices played a part in the original celebrations, though this has not been proven. Although Christmas is much more known as a celebration, certain Yule traditions are still practiced today, such as the Yule Log and the Yule Goat. The Yule log is a cake decorated as a log, based off of a log that was burned for 12 days. The Yule goat is a goat made of straw and a way to honor the God Thor.