A Season of Celebrations

A mention of December often conjures up the iconic Christmas traditions of Santa Claus, decorated evergreens, carol-singing and gift-giving. Other widely observed December festivities include Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Yule. In short, it's a month packed with hearty celebrations.

On December 31, an energetic round of merrymaking wraps up the calendar year. New Year's Eve is an occasion for fireworks, champagne, dancing and making noise. Some people travel to spend a glittering night in one of the planet's biggest cities, a beach to escape the cold winter of the Northern Hemisphere, or a place especially famous for its revelry, such as days-long Hogmanay in Scotland. In a more unusual ritual in Ecuador, people make scarecrows representing their past negativity that they beat up and burn to purify themselves. Still others look for remote experiences, flying to far-flung places like Iceland, Easter Island or New Zealand, whose Mount Hikurangi is the first location to see the sunrise of the new day.

The winter solstice, also called Midwinter or Yule, marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. Since ancient times, it has signified rebirth of life and hope as nature begins its return to new beginnings in spring. On this night in Taiwan, families share bowls of hot sweet broth and tangyuan, believed to attract unity and prosperity for the year ahead.

全球歲末節慶

提到十二月，常會讓人想起聖誕老公公、裝飾過的常青樹、歡唱頌歌以及贈送禮物等指標性的聖誕節傳統。其他廣為慶祝的十二月活動還包括光明節、寬札節以及耶穌聖誕節。簡言之，這是個充滿熱情慶祝活動的月份。
一輪充滿活力的狂歡活動在 12 月 31 日這天為一整年畫下句點。跨年夜是個放煙火、喝香檳、跳舞與歡鬧的時刻。有人會到世界上的某個大城市度過一個閃亮的夜晚、前往海灘以逃離北半球的寒冬，或是到特別以狂歡活動出名的地方，例如蘇格蘭長達數天的跨年慶典。在厄瓜多有個較不尋常的慶典，人們製作代表過往衰運的稻草人，然後加以毆打並燒毀，藉此淨化自身。還有些人尋求偏遠的體驗，飛到冰島、復活節島或紐西蘭等遙遠的地區。其中紐西蘭的希古朗基山是觀賞新年曙光的第一個地點。
冬至又稱為仲冬或耶穌聖誕節，是一年裡白晝最短、黑夜最長的日子。自遠古以來，冬至就象徵了生命與希望的重生，因為大自然在春天開始重返起點。在台灣的這天晚上，家家戶戶都會共享甜湯與湯圓，據信這能為來年帶來和諧及興旺。