Introduction
The holidays are the biggest capitalistic and clashing times of the year. Everyone is expected to spend a bunch of money on food and gifts, and if anyone even murmurs anything to do with politics, religion, and/or race, expect a living hell to occur.
To alleviate some of the holiday stress, try to make your holiday gatherings diet-friendly.
Here are some ways to make 16 holidays vegan-friendly.
- Kwanzaa
- Hanukkah
- Día de Muertos
- Lunar New Year
- Diwali
- Eid al-Adha
- Anzac Day
- Oktoberfest
- Easter
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Valentine’s Day
- Independence Day
- New Year’s Eve
- Cinco de Mayo
1. Kwanzaa (African American)
- Support Black-owned businesses.
- Go to Kwanzaa Crawl.
- Make some vegan Kwanzaa dishes.
- Go to the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington DC, and inform others about their genealogy resources.
- Watch Black vloggers, including but not limited to youngmedusa, Lacresha Berry, Sweet Potato Soul, That’s Chelsea, and Koya Webb.
2. Hanukkah (Jewish)
- Get your vegan cooking on through One Green Planet.
- Learn how to veganize Hanukkah through Mayim Bialik. Read some articles on her making Hanukkah vegan-friendly from Grateful and Livekindly.
- Get some vegan menorah candles from GoodLight.
- Be inspired by these vegan and plant-based Jewish blogs: Jewish Food Hero and Jewish Veg.
3. Día de Muertos (Mexico)
- Get some advice on vegan Mexican food from some vloggers, including but not limited to Más Vegan, Dora’s Table, and Munchie Hunter.
- Go to Día de Muertos festivals, like Festival of Life and Death Traditions at Xcaret, visit Ciudad de México (Mexico City), or find one to go to in the United States.
- Make sure you’re aware of what common Mexican dishes and ingredients are and are not vegan.
4. Lunar New Year (Asia)
- Get some vegan Lunar New Year recipes from One Green Planet, Gastroplant, The Beet, and Green Queen.
- Note that the Lunar New Year traditions vary depending on the country. For example, Kicki Yang Zhang celebrates the Chinese New Year while The Viet Vegan is Vietnamese and also celebrates the Lunar New Year.
- Travel to Asia during the Lunar New Year celebrations, which could include Seollal (South Korea), Tet (Vietnam), the Chinese New Year, and the Losar Festival (Tibet).
5. Diwali (Hindu)
- Try some Diwali recipes from One Green Planet, Vegan Recipes News, VegNews, Vegan First, and Livekindly.
- Take the time to learn more about Hinduism.
- Indian cuisine can be extremely vegan-friendly. Find some more vegan-friendly, Indian recipes from Real + Vibrant, Cook Click N Devour, Carve Your Craving, Cookilicious, and WhiskAffair.
6. Eid al-Adha (Islamic)
- Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival based on animal sacrifice, and Islamic cultures show a great deal of hostility towards vegans and veganism. Here are three vegan Muslims who can help counteract this hostility: Diyana, Elina Gives, and One Arab Vegan.
- Learn more about The Vegan Muslim Initiative.
- Please have an open mind about Islam. If you need a great Muslim to admire, learn more about Malala Yousafzai.
7. Anzac Day (Australia & New Zealand)
- Anzac Day’s closest American equivalent is Memorial Day because they both remember fallen military members, so feel free to sing patriotic songs and bring red poppies to their graves to honor those who died during their military service.
- Bake Anzac biscuits, the main food associated with this holiday.
- After someone finishes serving in the military, watch out for the warning signs for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and/or suicide. Suicide rates among active duty members and veterans are higher than those who have never served in the military before, hugely due to PTSD.
8. Oktoberfest (Germany)
- The biggest thing to watch out for at Oktoberfest is the beer. Many beers aren’t vegan, so check out Barnivore and make sure you only drink vegan beer at your festivities.
- Try some vegan Oktoberfest recipes from Plant Power Couple, Zucker&Jagdwurst, and VegNews.
- Get more vegan German recipes from Bianca Zapatka, Seitan Is My Motor, Heavenlynn Healthy, Cheap & Cheerful Cooking, and Blueberry Vegan.
9. Easter (Christian)
- Please do not get or give any living creatures for Easter presents. Many bunnies and chicks are killed immediately following Easter because they are seen as cute Easter gifts.
- Get inspired by Vegancuts Audrey Dunham, Go Dairy Free, and Wee Little Vegans for vegan Easter candy.
- Have these vegan carrot recipes.
- Find which vegan Easter recipes suit you from My Darling Vegan, Oh She Glows, Abbey’s Kitchen, and MyDomaine.
10. Halloween (USA, UK, Canada & Ireland)
- Bake vegan candy recipes.
- Be kind to black cats, instead of believing in superstition.
- Watch some horror films.
- Try some vegan Halloween recipes.
- Eat vegan Halloween candy.
11. Thanksgiving (USA)
- Adopt or sponsor a turkey, instead of eating one. Just make sure you can make the commitment to take care of one before adopting a pet turkey.
- Make vegan Thanksgiving recipes.
- Be aware that all stereotypical Thanksgiving dishes aren’t vegan-friendly. Please be courteous of any vegan guests, and make some vegan recipes for their sakes.
12. Christmas (Christian)
- Learn more about the inhumane treatment that many reindeer face during the Christmas season.
- Get some vegan Christmas candle recommendations from LiveKindly and Ethica Magazine.
- Make some vegan cookies, and eat them with vegan milk.
- Create some vegan Christmas dishes.
13. Valentine’s Day (Worldwide)
- Read my blog post on vegan romance tips.
- Be aware that chivalry and cliché Valentine’s Day gifts may come off as insulting to vegans, so personalize anything you would give your vegan partner or spouse. Stuffed animals represent animal welfare and their mistreatment by humans. Almost all of the boxes of chocolate you would find at the store aren’t vegan. Plus, many vegans are also huge feminists, so they may be against chivalry because of that.
14. Independence Day (USA)
- Fireworks aren’t vegan because they are made with animal products and because fireworks torture animals.
- Note that Independence Day only celebrates the freedom of American humans. Bite Size Vegan points out this holiday’s hypocrisy because most Americans continue taking away the freedom of American nonhumans (animal welfare).
- Here are some vegan Fourth of July recipes.
15. New Year’s Eve (Worldwide)
- Do not buy and blow up any balloons because they aren’t vegan.
- Check to see if your alcoholic beverages are considered vegan on Barnivore before buying them.
- Try making some vegan New Year’s dishes from The Green Loot, Elephantastic Vegan, Maninio Vegan, Dreena Burton, and Glue & Glitter.
- Put your pets/companion animals away to keep them safe during the firework shows.
16. Cinco de Mayo (USA)
- Find a vegan Mexican restaurant near you with HappyCow.
- Prep some vegan Cinco de Mayo recipes.
- Visit some Mexican American sites, including but not limited to The National Museum of Mexican Art, The Mexican Museum, Mount Cristo Rey, Aztec Ruins National Monument, and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
Conclusion
I’m not much of a holiday person. I’ll blame my autism for that. Nevertheless, I’m obligated to celebrate societally constructed holidays just as much as you are, and it’s a little easier when relatives don’t constantly ask or comment about my veganism. After over 3 years of being vegan, my immediate family still fails to get why I am vegan and to accommodate for my vegan lifestyle. Please make an effort to be vegan-friendly.
If you don’t completely understand what is vegan and not vegan yet, check out my blog post that defines veganism in an easy way for non-vegans to understand. I also have an extensive vegan Pinterest board with many vegan recipes and links to various vlogs, blogs, podcasts, and more.
In the end, no matter if you want to celebrate the holidays or not, the aforementioned tips are great things to keep in mind to make your interactions with your vegan familiars and family are better for the both of you.