20 holidays around the world Americans don't celebrate

Celebrated across Europe, Boxing Day began as a day dedicated to donating gifts, but it’s slowly turned into a day for consumers to shop for deals. It’s informally recognized in the United States, but it’s by no means a holiday like it is to Europeans. Given that it’s essentially just a day to shop anymore, it’s surprising more Americans don’t participate in Boxing Day. 

Most Americans know about Día de Muertos (which translates to Day of the Dead), but it's not celebrated like in Mexico. It's a day to honor deceased loved ones, and it comes with many colorful traditions used to pay respects to those who've gone before you.

St. Lucia Day is a holiday that honors Lucia of Syracuse, a woman who, according to tradition, helped keep Christians alive while they lived in Roman catacombs. Lights are a major aspect of the holiday, as Lucia was said to have worn a wreath of candles on her head so she could use her hands as much as possible. 

Bloomsday is a holiday that celebrates the life of the Irish writer James Joyce. Of course, it's celebrated in Ireland, but other places worldwide also celebrate it. There are pub crawls, celebrations near monuments, live readings of Joyce's novel Ulysses, from which the holiday's name comes, and more to commemorate the day. 

Bastille Day is essentially France's Independence Day. It takes place 10 days after Independence Day in the United States, and many of the festivities overlap. Bastille Day is celebrated with fireworks, parades, dances, and more. 

Yu Lan, or the Ghost Festival, is celebrated in countries throughout Asia. Different rituals and traditions are performed across the continent, as those who celebrate the holiday believe that hungry ghosts come that evening to see the living. One ritual involves setting food out for the ghosts and eating after the ghosts have eaten. 

Tapati Festival is a relatively new holiday. Originating in the Easter Islands, it started in the 1970s to celebrate the Rapa Nui culture. The people who celebrate take part in traditional Rapa Nui activities, including dancing, swimming, and crowning someone Queen of the Tapati. 

The Surva Festival, also known as the International Festival of the Masquerade Games, takes place in Bulgaria 49 days before Eastern Orthodox Easter. People gather to push away evil spirits. The festival is celebrated with festivities and costumes, many of which look like the devil. The holiday has been compared to Halloween, but its origins and intentions are far different. 

Don't get the first letters of these two words mixed around! Puck Fair is an Irish holiday where a goat is caught and crowned King Puck. Once the goat is crowned, the festivities begin and last for days. The holiday has been celebrated for hundreds of years in County Kerry. 

Holi is a major holiday in the Hindu religion. It's a celebration of love and good, mainly celebrated in India. There are bonfires, singing and dancing, and lots and lots of colors. People celebrate with friends and families and enjoy special Holi foods. 

Guy Fawkes Night is a UK holiday named in honor of, you guessed it, Guy Fawkes. The holiday is also called Bonfire Night, as its origins involve King James I surviving an explosive assassination attempt. Bonfires, fireworks, and effigies of Fawkes are lit to celebrate the holiday. 

While people around the world are celebrating the New Year, people in Scotland are celebrating Hogmanay. This holiday has basically all the same celebrations as New Year’s, it just comes with a different name and origins. The Scots take their celebration into the next day. 

Flower Carpet is a holiday celebrated in Brussels held every other year. It started in the '70s when a landscaper created a carpet out of flowers in the Grand-Place in Belgium to market his work. People enjoyed it so much that it became a biannual tradition. 

Walpurgis Night is a holiday celebrated mostly in parts of Europe. It honors Saint Walpurga, a woman who converted many people to Christianity. The holiday takes place on April 30 and May 1 and, depending on the country, has different festivities like bonfires and picnics. 

Thimphu Tshechu is a Bhutanese holiday on which Buddhists rid themselves of bad karma. Celebrants dress up and come together for a three-day celebration. There are dance performances, markets, concerts, and more. 

Chuseok is a Korean holiday that celebrates harvest. To celebrate, people perform rituals, visit the graves of their family members, and share meals with their living family members. It's a major event in South Korea but celebrated less abundantly in North Korea. 

Family Day is a holiday celebrated throughout Canada, and it's exactly what it sounds like. It's a day to celebrate what family members mean to each other. Canadians celebrate it by doing whatever they want to do, as long as it includes their entire family. 

Enkutatash is an Ethiopian holiday celebrated on September 11. It's known as the Ethiopian New Year, and families come together to celebrate with special meat. Church programs, coffee ceremonies, and more are held in honor of the holiday. 

The Festival du Voyageur also takes place in Canada. It's a 10-day winter festival held in Winnipeg that celebrates fur trading and French heritage. The festival features live performances, art fairs, food vendors, snow sculptures, and more throughout the entire 10 days.  

Nauryz is the Kazahk New Year. It's celebrated in Kazakhstan, and those who celebrate it do so by constructing temporary yurts, dressing up, playing music, attending concerts, and more. There are special foods and fairs, and the celebrations are steeped in tradition. It's a time to celebrate happiness, love, wealth, and goodness.