Sharnelle Kan
Are the winter holidays your favourite time of the year? It is for many people around the world! While Christmas is a popular holiday in December, different cultures and religions also celebrate this festive time in other special ways.
KWANZAA
WHEN? December 26 and January 1
WHAT IS IT? An African American celebration, Kwanzaa means “first fruits” in the East African language Swahili. It is a festival of crops that celebrates family, community and heritage while focusing on seven principals: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Each day of the festival a candle is lit, dedicating the day to one of the principals.
DID YOU KNOW?
– The Kwanzaa candelabrum is called a kinara and is placed on top of a straw map called a mkeka.
– On the sixth evening, there is a feast known as a karamu.
ST. LUCIA’S DAY
WHEN? December 13
WHAT IS IT? Celebrated in Scandinavian-speaking countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, this holiday is held in honour of St. Lucia, a Christian killed by Romans in AD 304 because of her religious beliefs.
DID YOU KNOW?
– On the morning of St. Lucia’s Day, the eldest female in the household serves her family breakfast wearing a white dress and a red sash.
– Foods served include saffron bread (lussekatter) and ginger biscuits.
– The festival begins with a procession in the streets led by each town’s St. Lucia representative, who is chosen prior to the festival. Young girls and boys dressed in white follow, singing traditional songs.
BODHI DAY
WHEN? Traditionally, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, but more commonly, December 8
WHAT IS IT? This Buddhist celebration commemorates the day Buddha discovered the meaning of life while meditating under a tree. It was on that day that he set out the principles that Buddhists now follow.
DID YOU KNOW?
– Bodhi Day is also known as Rohatsu, when Buddhists go through an intense meditation period known as sesshin.
LAS POSADAS
WHEN? December 16 to December 24
WHAT IS IT? Originating in Spain, this holiday is often celebrated by Catholic Mexicans and in other Latin American cultures. It pays tribute to Joseph and Mary’s search for a place to stay in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.
DID YOU KNOW?
– It is commonly celebrated within neighbourhoods where processions and traditional songs commemorate Joseph and Mary’s journey.
– A piñata, which is a papier-mâché object filled with candy, is often incorporated into the festivities.
HANUKKAH
WHEN? On the Hebrew calendar, it falls on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev. This year, it begins at sundown on December 11 and ends on the 19.
WHAT IS IT? Spanning eight nights, it honours the triumph of ancient Jews over persecution and the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE.
DID YOU KNOW?
– This holiday is also known as the Festival of Lights. Each night, one candle of a menorah is lit.
– Fried foods like latkes and sufganiya, a type of jelly donut, are often eaten during Hanukkah. This association comes from the miracle of the Hanukkah menorah. During the original rededication of the Holy Temple, only a one-day supply of pure olive oil was found to light the menorah. Amazingly, the supply ended up lasting eight days.