Sorry Santa, December isn't all about you

Asia has a tradition of livening up dark winter days with celebrations. Some are folk, some religious and the rest are downright odd. Mark these dates on your calendar for next year, or check out the upcoming festival on December 27th and 28th in Indonesia.   December 1: Unduvap full moon poya (Sri Lanka)

In Sri Lanka, each full moon heralds a Buddhist public holiday called Poya. The last reflection of the year commemorates the arrival of the Bo-tree sapling.

  December 1: Datta Jayanti (India)

Datta Jayanti celebrates the birth of Dattatreya, a Hindu deity consisting of all the gods of the trinity: Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Devotees participate in processions and temple rituals.

  December 1-7: Hornbill festival (Nagaland, India)

Every year, the 16 Naga tribes meet in Kohina for the Hornbill Festival. Expect a colorful flurry of warrior dances, folk songs and handicrafts.

  December 8: Bodhi Day (Japan, China and other Buddhist regions)

Buddhists reflect on the day Prince Siddhartha reached enlightenment under the Bodhi tree on Bodhi Day.

  December 11: Tsongkhapa Butter Lamp Festival (Tibet)

Tsongkhapa, founder of the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism, passed away on this day. Monks and laypeople burn butter lamps and chant prayers in his memory during the Tsongkhapa Butter Lamp Festival in Tibet.

  December 12: Ghe ngo festival (Vietnam)

New Years falls on December 12 for the Khmer people in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Revelries include releasing sky lanterns and racing boats made from hollowed-out Sao trees.

  December 14: Gishisai (Ako, Japan)

Gishisai honors the 47 ronin that killed Lord Kira and then committed seppuku to avenge their master. Every year, their hometown lights up with festival stalls, colorful lanterns and winding processions.

  December 14: Iwatsuta Shrine Fire Festival (Osaka, Japan) Young men run between 108 flaming wooden bundles in a purification ritual called yassaihossai during the Iwatsuta Fire Festival. Bring home a charcoal ember to protect your family from evil spirits.   December 21: Dong zhi (China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) First celebrated during the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhi (winter solstice) is the time to dispel bad spirits and let in positive energy. Families honor their ancestors and eat red bean soup and dumplings during Dong Zhi.    December 27-28: Tabiuk (Indonesia) Shi'a Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali while Sunnis remember Moses' fast on the Day of Ashura, known as Tabuik or Tabut in Indonesia. Residents of Pariaman, West Sumatra re-enact the Battle of Karbala, play traditional drums and throw a funeral bier into the sea.