Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Or maybe just Happy Holidays? However you say it, or celebrate it, season’s greetings.
Every year around the world, people of different cultures and religions settle down with their friends and families to start off their holiday celebrations. But it’s a commonly known fact that not everybody celebrates the same way. In fact, every family has their own way of celebrating the holidays.
Christmas is an annual holiday that’s celebrated on December 25, and is one of the most commonly celebrated holidays in the world.
Yet, the commercialization of this holiday has taken away from the religious celebration.
It’s become a custom to celebrate Christmas by buying an evergreen tree and decorating it with ornaments, and such. Another custom is to buy presents for family and friends, and leave them under the tree for unwrapping on Christmas morning.
‘On Christmas Eve, my family goes over to my aunt’s house,’said sophomore Victoria Heshme. ‘Then on Christmas Day, my whole family comes over. We have a party, and exchange gifts as a family.’
People of Jewish ethnicity celebrate Hanukkah, which is observed for eight nights.
‘Hanukkah means rededication, and it commemorates the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by foreign forces. The celebration also reaffirms the continuing struggle to live by God’s commandments and to lead Jewish lives,’said the Jewish Outreach Institute.
Hanukkah includes several traditions depending how people celebrate. For example, the lighting of the Menorah is always involved. Other things involved with the holiday are playing the dreidel game, using candies or chocolate coins, and cooking certain foods, such as the latkas, or potato pancakes.
‘[For Hanukkah], my family lights the menorah every night, and I open one gift for every night,’said sophomore Andrew Shed.
During Kwanzaa, those who celebrate enjoy a weeklong celebration that honors African heritage and culture.
Traditionally, those who celebrate this holiday decorate their houses with art work, colorful African cloth, and fresh fruits representing African idealism.
Modern Kwanzaa celebrations include both a Christmas tree and a kinara, a candle holder, as well as exchanging gifts and candle-lighting ending with a feast.
‘This season of the celebration of Kwanzaa comes at a time of heightened hope and historic turning, not only for us as a people, but also for this country and the world,’said Kwanzaa founder, Maulana Karenga, in a press conference.
These holidays are all different in terms of culture but similar in how traditions are practiced.
Holidays are all about bringing friends and family together, and celebrating a happy time in life.
