Written by Rebecca Straits (rjs006@marietta.edu)
Now that it’s December, we only have a few days until that most wonderful time of the year, but
what is that wonderful time of year?
In America and many other countries around the globe, they know Christmas as that wonderful time of year. Where a jolly old man, commonly known as Santa Claus, snakes down their chimney and leaves them presents under a Christmas tree if they’ve been good and coal in their stockings if they’ve been bad throughout the year. It is tradition to leave out a glass of milk or eggnog and cookies for Santa. And some families leave out carrots for Santa’s reindeers. The holiday is on the 25th of December and is well known as the season of giving. However, many Christians know it as the celebration of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth and commonly refer to Santa Claus as Saint Nicholas.
Another widely practiced winter tradition is Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a Jewish festival starting on
the 25th day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar and lasts for eight days and nights. The festival is
to celebrate the Jewish Maccabean revolt and victory against their oppressors. The holiday is
well known for the menorah, a candelabra-like object with nine candles on it four on either side
and one high up in the middle however, there is another well-known object relating to the
festival, the dreidel, a spinning top with Hebrew letters inscribed into it, as well as the lesser
known Hanukkah bush which is a lot like the Christmas tree.
Kwanzaa is a winter holiday originating in the United States and begins on December 26th and ends January 1st. The holiday was created by activist Maulana Karenga. Kwanzaa has deep roots in African American and Pan-African culture. It celebrates family, history, and culture.
The holiday is founded on seven principles: unity, self-determination, responsibility, economic solidarity, purpose, creativity, and faith. Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili language and has roots in the first fruit celebration that is found throughout many African Cultures. Like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa also has a candelabra-like object, but with three red and green candles on either side and one black candle in the middle.
Bodhi Day is a Buddhist holiday that is celebrated on December 8th and celebrates the day
Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha) gained enlightenment after sitting beneath a bodhi tree for 49
days. The holiday is widely celebrated throughout the Eastern world and is a 2,500-2,600 year
old holiday. During the holiday, some Buddhist homes decorate a bodhi tree much like a
Christmas tree with ornaments and multicolored lights.
Gita Jayanti is a Hindu celebration celebrated on the 11th day of the waxing moon during the
month of December, and this year it was on December 1st. The celebration is to honor the
creation of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred sculpture from Hindu mythology, and when the major
deity Krishna revealed eternal wisdom to the hero Arjuna. The holiday normally consists of
fasting and worship.
There are many other winter holidays, including the Yule or the Winter Solstice, a pagan festival, and
Soyal, a Hopi ceremony celebrated on December 21st. These both celebrate the return of the sun
after the longest night of the year. As the days get shorter and the nights colder, whatever
holidays or festivals you celebrate this December remember to stay warm and have a happy holidays.
References:
Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging. (2024, December). Key Religious Holidays and
Cultural Celebrations. University of Hartford. www.hartford.edu
Edited by: Zachary Worstell (zdw001@marietta.edu)
