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A SEASON FOR CELEBRATION!
Many cultures and religions around the world have important holidays during the month of December. The following are a few of the most celebrated December holidays, along with descriptions of their historical and cultural backgrounds. As you'll see, there are many reasons for the holiday season! St. Nicholas Day is a Christian holiday that celebrates the life of St. Nicholas, a bishop who had a reputation for generosity and kindness. Nicholas was transformed into Father Christmas in England, Père Noël in France, and Sinterklaas in Holland. Dutch colonists took their traditional Sinterklaas with them to New Amsterdam (present-day New York City), where his traditions of gift-giving were adopted by the English-speaking majority as Santa Claus. To this day, many families still celebrate St. Nicholas Day with the giving of small gifts, such as fruit, nuts, and sweets. In December, usually on the 8th, Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day. According to tradition, Bodhi Day is the date that Buddhism was founded. After years of intense spiritual study, Siddhartha Gautama (later known as Gautama Buddha) sat beneath a Bodhi tree, and vowed not to rise until he understood the meaning of life. He sat there for a week, and on the eighth morning arose with the basic ideas of what is now known as Buddhism. From then on, Gautama was called the Enlightened One, and spent nearly half a century living among the common people of India and teaching his vision to people from all walks of life. The winter solstice (which usually occurs on December 21) is the shortest day of the year in Earth's northern hemisphere. This is because, on this one day in December, the Earth's axis is tilted the furthest away from the sun. The winter solstice is most commonly linked to themes of renewal, rebirth, the lighting of fires and candles for cleansing, healing, and battling the forces of darkness. Many cultures and religions have celebrated the winter solstice since ancient times, and continue to do so to this day. Christmas has been celebrated since about the fourth century A.D. as a way of commemorating the birth of Jesus. The Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Christians recognize this event on December 25th. Since many Eastern Orthodox churches follow another type of church calendar, their celebration of Jesus's birth comes at a slightly different time of year. Christmas is also a national holiday in the United States, where a number of non-religious traditions have grown up around the original holiday, such as Christmas trees, decorations like mistletoe and lights, plus the exchanging of cards and gifts. Hanukkah (or Chanukah, as it is often spelled) celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Jewish people's struggle for independence from Syria. After the occupiers were driven from the Temple, the Maccabees (a Jewish family of warriors) went in to restore the Temple. They needed pure olive oil to light a Menorah to rededicate the Temple. However, they found only enough oil for a single day. Miraculously, that tiny amount of oil burned for the eight days it took to get new oil. Celebrating this miracle led to the practice of lighting eight special candles (one the first evening, two the second, and so on) until they are all lit on the final evening. The menorah, a branched candlestick, is also used in the ceremony and is a popular symbol for the holiday. Because Judaism uses a semi-lunar calendar, the actual dates of Hanukkah change from year to year. Kwanzaa (or the "celebration of the first fruits of the harvest" in Swahili) is an African-American cultural celebration that runs from December 26th through January 1st of each year. It is a time when African Americans reflect upon their heritage and recommit themselves to working together so that their families, communities, and all of humanity can enjoy better lives. Kwanzaa's rituals are based on ideas that are important within both traditional and modern African societies, such as unity, self-determination, collective work, and responsibility. There are many reasons to celebrate in the month of December. Have a happy holiday season! |