The festive holiday season is upon us once again. It’s important to know of all of the festive holidays of different cultures and religions in order to be an inclusive society here at FHS. As such, here are the different holiday events that are celebrated in the month of December.
Christmas
The holiday of Christmas tends to be divided into two days: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is the day that traditionally is held to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. However, over the years and especially in modern times with consumerist culture, Christmas has become a time of buying gifts for your loved ones and children, and oftentimes you are pressured to do so. Both days are considered one of the most culturally significant celebrations in Western society.
To show the Christmas spirit, people construct a nativity scene, which portrays baby Jesus in the manger with his parents and the wisemen. Christmas trees are also brought out and decorated, as well as different arrays of Christmas lights and decorations. Families also celebrate with a Christmas meal, and each family is different with what they eat. Christmas Eve is also when the legendary Santa comes to deliver presents in the night to be opened on Christmas Day. Christmas is celebrated by both Christians and non-Christians around the world.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is another festive holiday, observed by the religion of Judaism. The dates Hanukkah is celebrated varies from year to year, this year it’s celebrated from December 22 to December 30. Each day throughout the 8-day holiday, a candle is lit. Typically, two blessings are recited when lighting the candles. There is a tradition of eating food during Hanukkah that are fried or baked in oil. Different families will eat different kinds of food. These include latkes, a type of potato pancake, and jam-filed donuts called sufganiyot. Roast goose has traditionally been a Hanukkah food, but it is losing its popularity. After lighting the candles, it is a tradition to spin the dreidel.
Pancha Gandapati
Pancha Gandapati is a five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21 to the 25th in honor of Ganesha. This holiday was created as a Hindu alternative to other December holidays such as Christmas. The creator of Pancha Gandapati was Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, and he was one of Shaivism’s Gurus, the founder and leader of the Saiva Siddhanta Church.
HumanLight
HumanLight is a Humanist holiday that is celebrated each year on December 23rd. It’s a newer holiday and it was first celebrated in 2001. It is celebrated by many secular organizations and individuals across the United States and other countries. It focuses on the “positive, secular human values of reason, compassion, humanity and hope.” It’s basically Christmas without the concept of Christ.
Yuletide
Yuletide, or Yule, is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples. Many Christmas customs that we see today such as the Yule log, Yule goat, and Yule boar, come from these traditions.
During the holiday time, it’s important to be loving of everyone for who they are and to be accepting of all traditions and customs. Have a wonderful break, Sabers!