There are many variations on holiday traditions around the world - but they all have joy and surprise in common. Melissa Pasanen, who writes for the Savorvore Section of The Burlington Free Press, discovered several celebrations that families have brought from their homeland to Vermont.
This week on The VPR Cafe, we'll learn about celebrations of Hanukkah and the Japanese New Year. In the Netherlands, people celebrate Sinterklaas, where children put out shoes. The legend has it that "the nice kids get something sweet and the bad kids get a switch. And then the kids who are really bad get stuffed in a sack and taken back to Spain!" You can learn more about international celebrations in Melissa's Free Press article.
"The nice kids get something sweet and the bad kids get a switch. And then the kids who are really bad get stuffed in a sack and taken back to Spain!"
Melissa also wants to learn how Kwanzaa is celebrated in Vermont. You can share how your family marks this tradition below or on our Facebook page.
The VPR Cafe is produced in collaboration with The Burlington Free Press and is made possible on VPR by City Market in Burlington.
