Page 12 - 2021 Almanac

The colourful festivals of light such as Christmas, Hanukkah and Diwali might be over, but January has its fair share of celebrations to look forward to.
5th January Twelfth Night
For Christians, Twelfth Night used to be the day when Christmas was celebrated. In some countries, 6th January is still the day on which children get their presents. It is also known as Epiphany, St Nicholas’s Day and the Feast of the Three Kings.
5th January Wassailing
Wassailing is a pagan tradition. The word wassail comes from the Anglo- Saxon words waes hael which mean ‘good health’. The festival looks forward to what people hope for in the new year to come: good weather, good health and a good harvest.
Wassailing involves going out into the countryside to bless the apple trees. The wassail king and queen lead everyone in a sing-song around the tree to encourage it to produce lots of apples.
13th January Lohri
Hindus and Sikhs all over the world celebrate Lohri. During Lohri, songs are sung to the sun god, Surya, thanking him for his warmth and praying for his return after the cold weather.
People drink jaggery – a delicious sugary drink made from sugar cane. Gajak is also eaten – a thin, dry sweet made from roasted sesame seeds cooked in sugary syrup and spices. Children go from house to house singing folk songs and are given sweets. In the evening,
a bonfire is lit and people gather together to dance.
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