Holiday
Latest Stories

Oregon’s Vietnamese families reflect on how and why they celebrate Tết
Over the weekend, Vietnamese communities around the world celebrated Tết, more commonly known as the Lunar New Year. For many, it’s the time of year to honor ancestors and pray for good luck in year ahead. OPB reached out to Vietnamese American Portlanders to reflect on the holiday, its meaning and their traditions.

Ushering in the Year of the Rabbit
East and Southeast Asian communities are beginning celebrations for Lunar New Year, ushering in the Year of the Rabbit or Year of the Cat, depending. Many events kick off this weekend in the greater Portland metro area — and beyond.

What’s new, what’s old, and what’s on our OPB holiday playlists
There is no denying that holiday music has staying power: just ask Mariah Carey whose 30-year-old song, "All I Want for Christmas Is You," is back on the charts this month. And for the third year in a row, OPB's Christmas music guru, JT Griffith, is here to guide us through this very niche musical genre.

Through ‘Hanukkah Lights,’ sharing stories of the season in 2022
For the 32nd anniversary of "Hanukkah Lights,", Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz revisit old favorites and read a new story, "54 Menorahs."

Fourth of July parties will cost more this year but you can save with a bit of math
Hosting a July 4th barbeque is 11 percent more expensive than last year, thanks to inflation. The prices of chicken wings, ground beef and beer have all skyrocketed. Still, there are ways to save.

In states where Juneteenth is still not a day off, activists see a missed opportunity
It has been one year since Juneteenth became a federal holiday, but in roughly half of the country it is still not an official day off.
Warily eyeing omicron, Christmas revelers curb celebrations in Europe
Christmas revelers across Europe are lying low and changing plans as new restrictions and fears about the omicron variant of the coronavirus persuade many to stay home.

Christmas tree buyers face reduced supplies, higher prices after extreme summer heat in Oregon and Washington
Even Christmas trees aren’t immune to the pandemic-induced shortages and inflation plaguing the economy
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/opb/R6N5GZUJ65ETVCN2Z47IMPICQI.jpg)
How holiday music went mainstream
To wrap up 2020, OPB decided to take a deep dive in the music of the holiday season. From the rise in popularity of Christmas music in the 1930's and 40's to new holiday songs for 2020, and how some classics have taken on a different meaning during the pandemic.

opbmusic’s 2020 holiday music guide
Our resident holiday music expert offers up his lovingly curated annual list of new seasonal songs