The month of December is often associated with Christmas, but there are many other holidays celebrated during this time of year.

The Jewish Holiday of Hanukkah begins on December 18 and lasts 8 days. To celebrate the Hanukkah, people play the game of dreidel, sing songs, and light the menorah, a 9-branched candelabra that symbolizes 1 day’s worth of oil that extraordinarily lasted for 8 days in a battle. The name Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew words “to dedicate.”

Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday honoring African-American heritage, starting on December 26 and ending on January 1. Stemming from the harvest festival traditions in Southeast and West Africa, activist Maulana Karenga created the holiday “to give black people an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history.” Each of the 7 days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to a different principle of African Heritage: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Christmas is traditionally celebrated by Christians to commemorate the birth of Jesus, but over time it has evolved into a holiday that families of many different faiths celebrate. Celebrated on the 25 of December, this day entails gift giving, music, and the excitement of Santa Claus.