- Number of holidays
- 12
- Day of the year
- 360
- Days left in the year
- 5
Kwanzaa is the seven-day pan-African and African-American cultural celebration established by Maulana Karenga in 1966, running from December 26 to January 1 — each night a candle is lit on the kinara while celebrating one of the seven principles (Nguzo Saba): unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Boxing Day is a public holiday on December 26 in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many other Commonwealth nations — originating in the Victorian tradition of giving boxes of gifts, food, and money to servants and tradespeople who had worked on Christmas Day. Day of Goodwill is the South African name for Boxing Day — observed on December 26 with a similar spirit of giving to the less fortunate. National Candy Cane Day celebrates the J-shaped peppermint stick — attributed to a Cologne choirmaster in 1670 who distributed sugar sticks bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook to keep children occupied during long Christmas services.
All holidays on December 26
Boxing Day
Kwanzaa
National Thank You Note Day
Day of Goodwill
Junkanoo
National Candy Cane Day
National Homeowners Day
Proclamation Day
Slovenia Independence Day
St. Stephen's Day (Ireland)
Synaxis of the Mother of God
About December 26
December 26 Q&As
What is the most popular holiday on December 26?
On December 26, Boxing Day is the most widely observed public holiday, observed in the UK, Canada, Australia, and many Commonwealth nations. Kwanzaa is the most significant African-American cultural observance, and National Candy Cane Day is the most recognized seasonal food observance.
What countries celebrate holidays on December 26?
December 26 observances span UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand (Boxing Day), South Africa (Day of Goodwill), Bahamas (Junkanoo), and the U.S., which hosts Kwanzaa, National Candy Cane Day, National Thank You Note Day, and National Whiners Day.
What awareness days are on December 26?
December 26 includes National Whiners Day, created to contain complaining to a single calendar square, and National Thank You Note Day, encouraging handwritten thank you notes as the most important act of holiday social reciprocity.
