Holiday Traditions from Around the World

Since the Gold Rush, immigrants have come to this county from countries around the world. Through a variety of craft activities, visitors can discover some of the Holiday Traditions that people brought with them to the Peninsula.

Holiday Traditions from Around the World, will feature craft activities for the whole family between 10 am and 4 pm. Since California’s Gold Rush days, immigrants to the Peninsula have come from countries around the world. When they came, they brought customs from their homelands. The day’s activities will explore some of their holiday traditions. Kids will be invited to create:

- Dreidels. A four-sided spinning top, a dreidel is played with during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

- Hagoitas. Hanetsuki is a traditional Japanese New Year’s game, similar to badminton but played without a net. The hagoita, or wooden paddle, was traditionally decorated with pictures of kabuki actors. Today, hagoita can be decorated with portraits of celebrities from sports, politics and entertainment.

- Parols. In the Philippines, people make Christmas decorations called parols. A parol is a star lantern, which can be carried in parades.

- Rattles. Rattles are popular during Mexican New Year’s celebrations. The rattles are shaken to welcome the generous spirits of the New Year and to drive away the unhappy spirits of past years.

- Cracker and Paper Crown. In the mid-1840s, crackers became popular holiday favors in England. Paper crowns and treats are often found inside the cracker. Typically, they are used to decorate individual place settings and are often opened before serving food.

- St. Nicholas Day Shoes. On the eve of December 5 in Germany, children leave their shoes outside for St. Nicholas, who places treats inside the shoes.