Holiday & Celebration Picture Books

The library has moved to a new catalog system is more intuitive and user friendly, unfortunately this means the migration will break all of the previous links in our libguides and blogs referencing links to books in our old system. Our team will be working to fix the issue as soon as possible, but in the meantime you may experience broken links while browsing, we apologize for the inconvenience.

Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus and incorporating the feast of Saint Nicolas, who is the basis for Santa Claus.

Celebrated on December 25th

Check out our complete Christmas guide here

Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.

Celebrated May 5th

The Mexican celebration coinciding with the Catholic holidays of All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day and an observance of family and friends that have passed.

Celebrated November 1st & 2nd

Diwali is a five-day Hindu festival that celebrates new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil and light over dark.

 Celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika (between mid-October and mid-November)

A Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection and ascension of Jesus to Heaven.

Celebrated the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after March 21st

A fall holiday with Christian and Pagan roots that celebrate the dead.

Celebrated October 31st

Check out our complete Halloween guide here

Hanukah, or Chanukah (the Hebrew word for 'dedication'), is the eight day festival of lights in the Jewish religion. 

Starts on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar

Check out our complete Hanukkah guide here

Holi is the Hindu festival of colors and celebrates the arrival of Spring.

Celebrated on the last full moon of the Hindu lunisolar month marking the Spring (Typically March or late February)

The celebration of American independence and the founding of the U.S.A.

Celebrated July 4th

Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, the holiday celebrates the emancipation of slaves in the United States after the Civil War.

Celebrated June 19th

Dr. Maulana Karenga introduced Kwanzaa 1966 to the United States as a ritual to welcome the first harvests to the home. Dr. Karenga created this festival for African Americans as a response to the commercialism of Christmas and for them to connect with their culture heritage. It has been said that Kwanzaa does share similarities with the American holiday of Thanksgiving. 

Celebrated December 26 - January 1

Check our complete Kwanzaa guide here

Also called Chinese New Year, it is the beginning of the year based on the lunar calendar which is based on the moon cycle and used particularly in East Asia.

Typically celebrated in late January or early February based on the moon cycle

Nowruz is the Iranian New Year, also known as the Persian New Year. Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox, and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It marks the first day of the first month (Farvardin) of the Iranian calendars.

It usually occurs on March 21.

Also called Pesach, Passover commemorates when God "passed over" the houses of the Israelites during the last of the ten plagues.

Occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring

The Islamic holy month focusing on prayer and fasting to be closer to Allah, commemorating Muhammad's first revelation. Ramadan ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

Celebrated based on the Islamic lunar calendar and determined by the moon sighting committee in Saudi Arabia

The Jewish new year, also referred to as The Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah. The first of the Jewish High Holy Days.

Celebrated 163 days after the first day of Passover, and thus is usually (but not always) determined by the new moon closest to the autumnal equinox

The feast of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Celebrated March 17th

Also called the American Thanksgiving, it is a harvest celebration focusing on family meals featuring native foods of North America and thankfulness.

Celebrated the fourth Thursday in November

Also called the Feast of Saint Valentine, and in modern times is a celebration of love and romance.

Celebrated February 14th

The Jewish Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year for Jews.

Celebrated on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, which is 9 days after the first day of Rosh Hashanah