As we are in the midst of the holiday season, it’s important to remember and respect people who celebrate holidays differently than you. The Blue and White was given the opportunity to talk to students and staff about their families’ traditions and why they are important to them.
Samhain
Samhain, pronounced Sow-wen, is a day typically celebrated by Celtic people from October 31st to November 1st. It is one of the four annual fire festivals and is a way to celebrate the harvest and welcome the darker half of the year as well as to mark the Celtic New Year. Historically, celebrants believed that during Samhain, the barrier between spirits and the physical world was broken, allowing their ancestors as well as monster-like figures to pass through. To keep the fairies from kidnapping their ancestors, villagers left offerings outside their homes and in fields. Modern Halloween traditions also originated from Samhain during the Middle Ages, including Jack-o-lanterns, which were carved turnips at the time. Dressing up is another custom we derive from Samhain, which was previously called mumming. As Christianity became more common, Pope Boniface attempted to reform Samhain into a Christian holiday in the 5th century. Over time, Samhain became known as Halloween and combined pagan traditions and new Christian practices.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is an annual holiday in the United States and Canada that occurs on the third Thursday of November, which was November 23rd this year. Many people are taught that settlers on the Mayflower ended up at Plymouth after leaving England to escape religious persecution. The settlers then became allies with the Patuxet tribe. Their leader, Squanto, taught the Pilgrims things the Natives knew from living on the land for centuries. In November 1621, they held the first Thanksgiving. However, the correct story of Thanksgiving isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. When Europeans arrived, they spread foreign illnesses that killed Natives at extremely high rates along with kidnapping and selling Natives into slavery. After the first Thanksgiving in which they had a feast, Pilgrims celebrated by fasting and praying. There are several instances of this happening to celebrate the massacre of Native people. Thanksgiving can serve as a painful reminder of the brutality the Natives faced, in addition to non-Natives dressing up in headdresses to “honor” Thanksgiving, which many view as a mockery. Some see Thanksgiving as a national day of mourning.
Diwali
Diwali is a five-day holiday commonly celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs. It honors the triumph of light over darkness, education over ignorance, and good over evil. It’s a huge celebration in India and some observers may not have religious ties to this holiday, similar to how Christmas is treated in America. To Ariana Mahavir, a sophomore, Diwali is “a time to really reflect and be able to look back on my ancestral roots and just meditate on my ancestors.” Diwali gets its name from the Sanskrit word dipavali, which means “row of lights”. The lights and candles are considered cleansing and Ariana explained how they’re symbolic of dark thoughts and desires being destroyed. This year, it took place November 10th through the 15th, with the main celebration being on the 12th. Each day of Diwali has different traditions and meanings. Diwali is associated with the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, who represents wealth and good fortune. It also celebrates her birthday, and many prayers are addressed to her during celebrations. Common traditions include fireworks, rangoli (designs made on the floor with brightly colored sand) patterns, lighting diyas (clay lamps), and dishes like jalebi (fried bread soaked in syrup), as well as samosas (fried pastries with a savory filling). Sophomore Ana Jodharam described how every year on Diwali her family sages their house, lights candles, and eats vegetarian food like roti (a round flatbread) and potato curry.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple. This holiday originated in the second century BCE, when the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids. The Seleucids attempted to force Israelis to accept Greek culture, but a small group of Jews defeated their powerful army. When the Jews lit the Temple’s Menorah, they could only find a single cruse of olive oil. Miraculously, the one-day supply of oil lasted them eight days. Hanukkah celebrations start on the eve of Kislev 25, but the date changes each year on the Gregorian calendar. This year it will last from December 7th to December 15th. This holiday is celebrated by lighting a menorah nightly and eating fried foods, which represent the olive oil in the original Hanukkah miracle. Mrs. Katz described how she’s famous for her latkas, which are fried potato pancakes. Another traditional celebration of Hanukkah is the dreidel, which was originally created as a way to study the Torah without being punished.
Bodhi Day
Bodhi Day, pronounced Bow-dee day, marks the yearly remembrance of the day Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha 2,500 years ago. The date in which Buddhists celebrate this holiday depends on which calendar is used. Using the Gregorian calendar, this holiday occurs yearly on December 8th. However, if you follow the Lunar calendar, it’s the eighth day of the twelfth moon, with the exact date changing each year. According to the story, Siddhartha was a spoiled prince who was unaware of the suffering of the rest of the world until he ventured into the city. Once he learned of the sickness, death, and poverty that everyone else was facing, he went on a long journey to find the true meaning of life. Siddhartha eventually came to rest under a Peepal tree (pronounced pee-pl), which became known as the Bodhi Tree. He meditated under this tree for an amount of time still disputed today until he became enlightened. On the morning of the eighth day of the twelfth moon of the year, he awoke with the ability to “see” and realized suffering is due to our habit of clinging to worldly objects. Bodhi Day celebrates the enlightenment of Buddha. Buddhists and other followers of Buddha remember this day by decorating their homes with statues of Buddha, fig trees, and candles to symbolize his enlightenment.
Yule
Yule is a holiday dating back to the fifth century, historically celebrated by a diverse group of Celtic people. Yule is celebrated annually from December 21st to January 1st. Junior Sam Sauter said he feels that this holiday is a way to connect with his ancestors. It’s a midwinter feast meant to celebrate the winter solstice. It comes from the old Norse jól and Old English géohol. Yule is a time to embrace nature and new ideas. Over time, Yule and Christmas customs have blended, including the tradition of the Yule log as well as mistletoe. Norse people believed mistletoe was magical because it stayed green all year. Every year, mistletoe was placed in the town as a way to ward off evil. Originally, the Yule Log was the trunk of a tree lit by a branch of the previous Yule Log and burned continuously for twelve days. Modern traditions include laying out Yule shoes (which will have treats in them the next morning), setting intentions, or baked goods with flavorings like caraway and anise.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a uniquely Italian-American Christmas celebration that typically occurs on Christmas Eve. It commemorates the wait, the Vigilia di Natale, for the birth of baby Jesus. The seven is assumed to have religious ties, but no one is in agreement about the specifics. Origins can be traced back to Southern Italy, which is where the first wave of Italian immigrants were from. For Ava Walker, a sophomore, this holiday “means my family getting together.” This holiday is celebrated by making at least 7 dishes, most of them typically being seafood. Popular dishes include baked cod, calamari, fried eel, and baccalà (dried and salted cod), with Ava’s favorite being fettuccine with clams.
Christmas
Christmas, celebrated on December 25th every year, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Historically, this holiday was celebrated by only Christians, but has become much more of a general American holiday, now also being celebrated by people who aren’t religious. To people like Sophia Powell, a sophomore, Christmas is a very important holiday. She explained that “everyone’s happier during Christmas, everyone’s more giving during Christmas, and everyone’s nicer during Christmas.” Christmas was first celebrated in the 4th century, and some traditions from that time period are still practiced today. These include gift giving and singing songs. Other traditions, like the story of St. Nicolas, have evolved over time. St. Nicolas was believed to be a bishop in Asia Minor during the 4th century. He has different personas in different countries: Sinter Klaas in the Netherlands, Great Britain has Father Christmas, with Père Noël giving gifts to children in France. The American name for St. Nicholas, Santa Clause, evolved from the Dutch settlers’ Sinter Klaas. However, many have their doubts about his story..
New Year Day
The first new year celebration dates back to Babylonia in 2000 BCE. During this time, the new year was celebrated after the spring equinox, which occurred in mid-March. They also celebrated the victory of the Babylonian sky god over the evil sea goddess Tiamat on New Year’s. In addition to being culturally important, this day was politically important as well. New Year Day served as the time when a new king was crowned or the current ruler’s divine mandate was renewed. The date of the new year differs according to where you are. The date typically celebrated in America follows the Gregorian calendar, which currently marks the new year on January 1st. Previous to the Gregorian calendar being adopted, the Roman calendar was in use. It set the new year on March 1st, but this date was changed to January 1st in 153 BCE, which continued on to the Julien calendar. After the fall of the Roman empire in the 5th century CE, many Christian countries began celebrating the new year on March 25 or December 25 to better reflect their religion. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar, which solved the miscalculation of leap years and restored January 1st as the new year. Current New Year traditions include eating specific foods that symbolize good health or wealth and making resolutions.
Three Kings Day
Three Kings Day, also known as Epiphany or El Dia de los Reyes, is a Catholic holiday celebrated in many Latin American countries. This holiday, celebrated on January 6, commemorates the three Wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus. On the night of January 5, children go to sleep expecting presents from the three Wise men in the morning. Junior Beyonce Castro explained that to her, this holiday is “an opportunity for me to spend time with my family and friends and participate in a celebration that involves my religion and ethnic food.” After gifts are opened, Rosca de Reyes is eaten, which is a sweet bread with dried fruit. A small plastic doll representing baby Jesus is hidden inside and whoever finds it is supposed to host Candlemas Day, inviting everyone present to tamales. Mrs. Modesto mentioned that one of her best memories from Three Kings Day was “getting treats ready for the camels, listening to the story of the three kings and the anticipation of yet more gifts after Christmas.” Getting ready for the camels references putting hay in a box underneath your bed for the Three Kings’ camels.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is celebrated in many Asian communities. In some countries, the Chinese New Year has another name, like the Tet New Year in Vietnam. Matthew Nguyen, a senior, compares this holiday to the typical American New Year, but says it’s more spiritual. The date changes every year based on the lunar calendar, but will happen this year on February 10th, 2024. During celebrations, ancestors are honored and people bring luck, good fortune, and happiness with customs. In most countries, this holiday lasts for 15 days, usually ending with a lantern ceremony. Popular traditions include dragon dancing, fireworks, and exchanging red envelopes with money, called Hong Bao in Mandarin and Lai See in Cantonese. Common food for the Lunar New Year includes fish, which is a symbol of good luck, dumplings, mandarin oranges, and long noodles, which represent a long life. Junior Olivia Horn described the food she associates with the Chinese New Year, “I usually think of Tāngyuán which are these glutinous rice balls with different types of filling (red bean, black sesame, etc.) and served in a hot broth or syrup.”
Doesn’t celebrate any
Although this time of year is considered the holiday season, there are still many people who choose not to celebrate any holidays. The reasons behind this choice differ. For some, holidays are not a time for being thankful and spending time with family and friends. Rather, it’s a season of stress, loneliness, and trauma. Many people also believe that the holidays, especially Christmas, have become a season of consumerism. A materialistic culture surrounds many holidays. Things like Black Friday and Christmas sales have become much too common for many people. For Sophomore Bug Shubert, holidays can be very intense. Celebrations can also be extremely loud and crowded, which can be overwhelming and overstimulating for some. Despite choosing not to celebrate, Bug wants to make clear that they don’t discourage celebrations.
