Winter holidays in the U.S. [photo gallery]

Each winter, Americans of diverse backgrounds celebrate a variety of religious and cultural holidays with neighbors, family and friends. From Christmas and Hanukkah, to winter solstice celebrations marking the Northern Hemisphere’s longest night of the year, winters in the United States are a time of joyful traditions.

These photos capture celebratory moments similar to those that will occur across the United States in the coming weeks and months.

Shneur Wagner lights a menorah ice sculpture in honor of the first day of Hanukkah 2023 at the Chabad Jewish Student Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The eight-day Hanukkah holiday, celebrated this year from December 25 through January 2, commemorates a victory by a small band of Jewish fighters over an invading army. The victory allowed the Jewish people to rededicate their holy temple by lighting its menorah.

A sensory-friendly Santa event held each year at TIRR Memorial Hermann Pediatric Rehabilitation-The Woodlands provides a calm environment for young patients to share their Christmas wishes with Santa Claus and his elves. Above, Brynli Aguilar (left) meets with therapist and elf Shelby McDonough at the third annual event in The Woodlands, Texas, in December 2023.

A woman dances to djembe drumming in Boston during Kwanzaa. The seven-day festival, from December 26 to January 1, celebrates African American culture and African heritage through music, dance, poetry, storytelling and art.

A couple celebrates the new year with a kiss after the ball drops in New York’s Times Square January 1, 2023. The lowering of a lighted ball at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve in New York City dates to 1907. The celebration reflects the 19th-century maritime tradition when “time balls” were dropped down poles in ports to enable ships to adjust their clocks to local time, according to the news website Business Insider.

Traditional dances, such as this dragon marching through New York City’s Chinatown February 25, 2024, commemorate the Lunar New Year, which occurs between mid-January and mid-February with the first new moon of the lunar calendar.

Members of the Muslim community gather in New York’s Times Square for Taraweeh prayer during Ramadan in March 2024. In 2025, the holy month of fasting is expected to start February 28 and run through March 29, with the possible variation of a few days.