In a young nation divided over slavery, on June 19th, 1865, Union Major General Granger declared all enslaved people free from bondage in Texas, leading to Juneteenth as a recognized holiday to celebrate the abolition of slavery in the US.

After Shakespeare’s chilling words, “Beware the Ides of March,” the 15th of March has since been a day synonymous with bad luck. From wars, deadly weather, and viruses, we should all indeed, beware the Ides of March.

Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday,” and many scholars believe that Mardi Gras has its roots in the ancient pagan ritual of Saturnalia, which celebrated the coming of spring and the subsequent fertility of plants, animals and humans.

Boxing day traces back to a Charles Dickens reference to the holiday in 1833, but its origins are widely disputed. Today, the holiday is known as a day of charity, family, and sporting events.

Krampus, the Christmas devil, is the scary counterpart to Santa Claus, a half-man and half-mutant goat meant to scare naughty Austrian children into changing their ways.

The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a uniquely Mexican holiday where families honor their dead ancestors with food, drink and celebration.

Samhain is the more than 3,000-year-old Celtic tradition of celebrating life-giving harvests and a respect for the dead. Rituals and offerings are made to evil spirits to this day in the Gaelic festival of Samhain.