World Calendar: Must-Attend Events in December

There are some amazing events on tap all over the world, all the time. Here’s a taste of what you can see and do in December:

• Follow the sound of goombay drums and whistles to Nassau for the city’s annual Junkanoo parade, a Bahamian tradition with centuries-old roots. A kalidescope of masked musical troupes perform in the wee hours of the morning on Boxing Day, December 26, and again on New Year’s Day.
• Calling all U.S. history buffs: Don’t miss your chance to take part in recreating the most important event leading up to the American Revolution. Each year, the Boston Tea Party Reenactment commemorates the famous colonial protest. On December 16, join the throngs to converge on Boston Harbor and watch as reenactors storm a historical brig and destroy chest after chest of East India tea—just as the Sons of Liberty did on the same date back in 1773.
• Get into the holiday spirit at Frankfurt’s Christmas Market, one of the largest in Germany. Browse local handicrafts and sample mulled glühwein, savory bratwursts, and traditional marzipan candies against the backdrop of the Römerberg and St. Paul’s Square, then soak up the city on a guided tour.
• Tired of the cold weather? Head south of the Equator to witness one of nature’s biggest spectacles on Christmas Island. Though the exact timing is difficult to predict, December is a good bet for seeing the annual red crab migration, when millions of the crustaceans crawl across the 52-square-mile island, an Australian territory located about 300 miles south of Jakarta, from the forest to the coast, to breed and spawn.
• Seeking an authentic spiritual experience? Try taking a spin around Konya during the ten-day Whirling Dervishes festival, when the Turkish city honors the Sufi mystic, Rumi, who believed that union with God was possible through dance.

What would you add to the list? Let us know what we’re missing by leaving a comment below.