This page covers 24 holidays that start with Y, from “Yom Kippur” to “Yaum al-Ashura.” They include religious observances, national memorial days, harvest festivals, and winter celebrations from Israel, Japan, China, West Africa, and beyond. You can use the list to plan a trip around a festival, learn about another culture, or find a new tradition to try.
Holidays are special days set aside to celebrate, remember, or honor an event, a belief, or a group of people. Take “Yalda Night,” a Persian festival where families stay up through the longest night of the year, reading poetry and eating pomegranates.
Below you’ll find the table with the holiday name, date, country or region, traditions, and description.
Holiday: The name of each celebration, so you can quickly spot the ones you know and discover the ones you have never heard of.
Date: When the holiday takes place each year, including lunar or religious calendar dates, so you can plan ahead or mark your own calendar.
Country/Region: Where the holiday is observed, whether in one country, a single city, or across many communities, so you know where to experience it.
Traditions: The main customs, foods, and activities people practice on the day, which give you a quick picture of what a celebration looks like.
Description: A short summary of what the holiday means, where it comes from, and why people observe it, so you understand the story behind it.
Holidays
| Holiday | Date | Country/Region | Traditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yom Kippur | Tishrei 10 (September or October) | Israel and Jewish communities worldwide | Fasting for about 25 hours, prayer, synagogue services, wearing white |
| Yom HaShoah | Nisan 27 (April or May) | Israel and Jewish communities worldwide | Memorial ceremonies, sirens, candle lighting, reading victims’ names |
| Yom HaZikaron | Iyar 4 (April or May) | Israel | Sirens, memorial ceremonies, visits to cemeteries, flags at half-mast |
| Yom Ha’atzmaut | Iyar 5 (April or May) | Israel | Fireworks, barbecues, public concerts, flag displays, Israel Prize ceremony |
| Yom Yerushalayim | Iyar 28 (May or June) | Israel | Flag march through Jerusalem, prayers at the Western Wall, singing and dancing |
| Yule | December 21 to January 1 (around the winter solstice) | Northern Europe, now worldwide among Pagans and Wiccans | Yule log burning, evergreen decorations, feasting, gift giving |
| Yuletide | December 25 to January 5 (roughly) | Northern Europe and English-speaking countries | Carols, feasts, family gatherings, seasonal decorations |
| Yalda Night | December 20 or 21 (winter solstice) | Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Iraqi Kurdistan | Staying up late, eating pomegranates and watermelon, reciting Hafez poetry |
| Yennayer | January 12 or 14 | Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia | Family feasts, couscous with seven vegetables, traditional dishes, music |
| Yuanxiao Festival | 15th day of the first lunar month (February or March) | China | Eating tangyuan rice dumplings, lantern displays, lantern riddles, lion dances |
| Yu Lan Festival | 15th day of the seventh lunar month (August or September) | China, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan | Burning joss paper, food offerings, street operas, floating paper lanterns |
| Yosakoi Festival | August 9 to 12 | Kochi, Japan | Group dance teams, naruko clappers, colorful costumes, street parades |
| Yamayaki | Fourth Saturday of January | Nara, Japan | Bonfire on Mt. Wakakusa, fireworks, ceremonial torch lighting |
| Yam Festival | August to September (varies by community) | Ghana, Nigeria, and West Africa | Offerings of new yams to gods and ancestors, drumming, dancing, feasting |
| Yap Day | March 1 to 2 | Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | Traditional dances, canoe races, stone money displays, woven crafts |
| Yorkshire Day | August 1 | Yorkshire, England | Reading the Declaration of Integrity, wearing white roses, Yorkshire pudding and tea |
| Youth Day | June 16 | South Africa | Marches, memorial services, wreath laying at Soweto’s Hector Pieterson memorial |
| International Youth Day | August 12 | Worldwide (United Nations observance) | Youth forums, workshops, community projects, awareness campaigns |
| Youth Day (China) | May 4 | China | Youth rallies, school events, volunteering, flag ceremonies |
| Yuri’s Night | April 12 | Worldwide | Space-themed parties, film screenings, talks by astronauts and scientists |
| Yom HaAliyah | Cheshvan 7 (October or November) | Israel and Jewish communities worldwide | Educational programs, ceremonies honoring immigrants, community events |
| Yawm Arafah | 9 Dhu al-Hijjah (day before Eid al-Adha) | Saudi Arabia and Muslim communities worldwide | Prayer at Mount Arafat, fasting for non-pilgrims, supplication |
| Youm-e-Takbeer | May 28 | Pakistan | Public ceremonies, official speeches, flag displays, fireworks |
| Yaum al-Ashura | 10 Muharram | Muslim communities worldwide, especially Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan | Fasting among Sunnis, mourning processions and passion plays among Shia |
Descriptions
Yom Kippur
The Day of Atonement is the holiest day in Judaism. It closes ten days of repentance that begin with Rosh Hashanah, and observers reflect, seek forgiveness, and fast.
Yom HaShoah
Holocaust Remembrance Day honors the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust and those who resisted. In Israel, a two-minute siren stops traffic across the country.
Yom HaZikaron
Israel’s Memorial Day remembers fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. It begins at sundown with a siren and leads directly into Independence Day the next evening.
Yom Ha’atzmaut
Israeli Independence Day marks the 1948 declaration of the State of Israel. The mood shifts from mourning the day before to street parties and celebration.
Yom Yerushalayim
Jerusalem Day celebrates the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. Parades, special prayers, and public events fill the city.
Yule
Yule is an ancient Germanic winter festival that marks the solstice and the return of longer days. Many Christmas customs, such as the Yule log and evergreen boughs, trace back to it.
Yuletide
Yuletide is an older name for the Christmas season. People use it today for the holiday period in general, often with a traditional or nostalgic feel.
Yalda Night
Also called Shab-e Yalda, this Persian festival celebrates the longest night of the year. Families gather to read poetry and eat red fruits that symbolize dawn and life.
Yennayer
Yennayer is the Amazigh (Berber) New Year, based on the old Julian calendar. Algeria made it an official national holiday in 2018 and Morocco followed in 2023.
Yuanxiao Festival
Also called the Lantern Festival, it ends the Chinese New Year celebrations. Streets glow with lanterns, and families share sweet glutinous rice balls.
Yu Lan Festival
Known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, it is a time when spirits are believed to visit the living. People make offerings to comfort the dead and ward off bad luck.
Yosakoi Festival
This energetic dance festival in Kochi draws thousands of dancers who perform in teams along the streets. Each group clacks wooden naruko clappers and moves to its own original music.
Yamayaki
The Wakakusa Yamayaki festival sets an entire hillside on fire in Nara. The blaze is visible across the city and ends a night of fireworks and rituals at nearby temples.
Yam Festival
The Yam Festival celebrates the first harvest of the yam crop. Communities give thanks, and people cannot eat the new yams until the rituals are complete.
Yap Day
Yap Day celebrates the cultural heritage of the Yap islands. Villages perform traditional dances and show off crafts, and visitors can see the island’s famous stone money.
Yorkshire Day
Yorkshire Day celebrates the English county’s identity and pride. It was established in 1975 and takes place on the anniversary of the 1834 emancipation of slaves in the British Empire.
Youth Day
South Africa’s Youth Day remembers the 1976 Soweto uprising, when students protested apartheid education policies. Ceremonies honor those who were killed.
International Youth Day
Declared by the United Nations in 1999, this day draws attention to issues affecting young people. Each year has a theme, such as education, employment, or mental health.
Youth Day (China)
China’s Youth Day commemorates the May Fourth Movement of 1919, when students protested for national renewal. Young people ages 14 to 28 may get a half day off.
Yuri’s Night
Yuri’s Night celebrates Yuri Gagarin’s first human spaceflight in 1961 and the first Space Shuttle launch in 1981. Events take place in cities across the globe.
Yom HaAliyah
Aliyah Day honors Jewish immigration to Israel. It marks the date Jews are said to have crossed the Jordan River into the Land of Israel under Joshua.
Yawm Arafah
The Day of Arafah is the central day of the Hajj pilgrimage. Pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat to pray, and many other Muslims fast in solidarity.
Youm-e-Takbeer
Youm-e-Takbeer marks the day in 1998 when Pakistan carried out its first nuclear tests. The day is observed with ceremonies and national pride.
Yaum al-Ashura
Ashura marks the tenth day of Muharram. Sunni Muslims remember the day Moses was saved, while Shia Muslims mourn the death of Husayn at Karbala.