By Cruz Ferreira, Web Editor
Every year, Moreau celebrates the holidays with a two-week break and a winter-themed dress-up week. Most think it’s to celebrate Christmas, but that isn’t the only holiday that people celebrate. There are many winter holidays that celebrate religion, important events, and even people.
A popular winter holiday, Kwaanza, is explored by Ronnie Amey in her article “Kwaanza 101: Understanding the Meaning of Kwaanza“. Now, let’s explore these other “Happy Holidays!”
Hanukkah
Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah, is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated for eight days early to mid December. This year’s Hanukkah started on the 15th. The holiday celebrates the small group of Jews who were led by Judah the Macabee in a successful attack against the Greeks in taking back the Holy Temple.
When the group of Jews went to get oil to light their Menorah (candelabrum), they only had one day’s supply of oil that wasn’t tainted by the Greeks. That supply lasted them 8 days. Jewish people all over the world celebrate this traditional, religious holiday.
Fried foods are also symbolic during this event, specifically, latkes and sufganiyahs. Latkes are fried potato pancakes, often garnished with applesauce or sour cream. Sufganiyahs are powdered donuts filled with jelly or custard.
Dreidel is the staple Hanukkah game, each side of the dreidel marked with nun, gimmel, hei and shin. This is an acronym for “nes gadol hayah sham,” which means, “A great miracle has happened here.” The game is played for a pot, which usually consists of coins, nuts, or other things.
St. Nicholas Day
Many European countries celebrate St. Nicholas Day on the 6th of December, his feast day. He’s the patron saint of Greece and Russia and, dating back to the 16th century Netherlands, holds the legendary tale of delivering sweets and gifts to good children on horseback while giving lumps of coal and potatoes to naughty children.
The Dutch spread the story to New Amsterdam, known now as New York City. Celebrating St. Nicholas would become popular over the centuries. In Europe, kids are given candies and gifts, and those kids also leave out carrots or grass for his horse (or donkey).
The American colonies widely interpreted St. Nicholas into what we know today, from the 19th century to now, as “Santa Clause.” England, similarly, reimagined the saint as “Father Christmas.”
Bodhi Day
Bodhi Day is celebrated primarily in East Asia, in countries like Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. They celebrate the day Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha while meditating and spiritually seeking.
Manuel Lopez, a professor of Buddhist Studies and Religion at New College of Florida, said via email in an article by the AP, “[Gautama achieved enlightenment by understanding] The origins of human suffering, the cycle of birth and death (samsara), and the path to liberation (nirvana).”
Celebrating may look like decorating a tree with colorful lights and candles and having a family dinner, or praying and reading scriptures. Buddhists might eat milk and rice, since that’s what Gautama ate to sustain himself during enlightenment. They also do good deeds to improve their karma.
Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice in itself is just an astronomical event, being the shortest day and longest night of the year. But there are many, many celebrations that different cultures celebrate on this day. Countries that have unique Winter Solstice traditions include Scandinavia, Ireland, Rome, Antarctica, China, England, Iran, Japan, Korea, Guatemala, and more!
In Vancouver, Columbia, they hold a Winter Solstice lantern festival in celebration of every other solstice tradition. Participants can create lanterns of their own, or navigate the Labyrinth of Light, a maze of 600 lit candles. Its message: To let go of old thoughts and look towards the new year. It takes place on the twenty-first of December this year.
Another fairly different Winter Solstice celebration is called Toji, in Japan. People eat kabocha, a winter squash, as that would be one of the only available foods in the times of old. You also take hot baths with a citrus fruit called yuzu, which is believed to refresh the body and spirits. A fun twist includes Capybaras who coincidentally also love yuzu baths. Japanese zoos will throw yuzu fruit into their Capybara’s baths during the Winter Solstice.
Each unique solstice tradition offers a different story. Many offer specific foods to grant good luck for the year or specific costumes that have significant meaning. But whether it be a parade, festival, or ritual, nearly every celebration is a huge party that everyone can participate in.
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