The holiday season is a cheerful time of year and is celebrated through a variety of occasions and traditions. There are many celebrations and Christmas is one of the most popular ones, being celebrated almost worldwide. Kwanzaa is celebrated in the U.S. and Africa, Three Kings’ Day is celebrated in many Latin countries, and Eid is celebrated among Muslims everywhere. Hanukkah is celebrated by Jewish people all over the world. Here at Worcester Tech, we have a diverse student body and many of us celebrate these many different holidays in many different ways as well.
One of the most celebrated holidays is Christmas. It originated in the 200-300s and the date of December 25th was set to be a celebration of Jesus’ birth. The name means the “Mass of Christ,” where Christians hold Mass to celebrate their Savior. The holiday is celebrated in multiple countries worldwide.
The holiday is celebrated with the tradition of Santa Claus. The legend of Santa Claus goes back to a generous monk from Turkey named St. Nicholas. He was known for donating and giving away all his wealth to the less fortunate out of his own kindness. He became more popular and known when the Dutch in New York in the 1700s honored his death anniversary. St. Nicholas’ name changed over time; from “Sint Nikolaas” to “Sinter Klaas” to Santa Claus today. The legend was added to by Clement Clarke Moore’s “An Account of A Visit from St. Nicholas”, more popularly known by its first line, “Twas The Night Before Christmas.” It describes Santa Claus as a jolly man who gives toys for children to houses that he visits, while on a sled pulled by reindeer.
The tradition of Christmas trees originated from the winter solstice, which is the day with the shortest amount of sunlight. In ancient times, people believed the sun was sick and decorated their homes with green plants for hope. Egyptians decorated with green palm rushes, to symbolize life over death. The early Romans celebrated the feast Saturnalia for Saturn, their God of Agriculture. They decorated with evergreen boughs to remind of the coming agriculture. This shows how the Christmas tree symbolizes positivity and looking towards the light and the future, rather than the present darkness.
Students at our school widely celebrate the Christmas holiday. Everyone has their own traditions as well. Jackie Hernandez, a Hospitality sophomore, opens her presents with her family at midnight, just as the clock hits December 25th. Alayla Padilla, also a Hospitality sophomore, celebrates with a pajama party at her aunt’s house with movies and lots of good food, including tembleque, coconut pudding-cake, and arroz con leche, rice pudding.
There might be differences in the way people celebrate Christmas, but they all celebrate it for common reasons: family and joy. To Jackie, Christmas means having “time spent with family and friends” and “cherishing the good moments.” Christmas brings lots of people together and makes them appreciate each other. Many go to visit their loved ones this time of year no matter where they are, and it reminds everyone to give back and appreciate even the little things in life.
Another holiday celebrated during these winter months is Three Kings’ Day. This is celebrated on January 6th, by mostly Spanish-speaking countries. It is to commemorate how the three kings, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, gave baby Jesus symbolic gifts by following a star to Bethlehem. Gold was given to represent Jesus as the King of the Jews, frankincense to show how Jesus was divine and the Son of God, and myrrh, sometimes used to embalm dead bodies, to symbolize how Jesus would have to suffer death later on. The three gifts were all symbolic and showed various parts of Jesus’ life.
The holiday is celebrated by Hispanics in a grand way. There are festivals and parades and in Mexico, a mile-long Rosca de Reyes, King’s Bread, is put out for thousands of families to taste. At home, the bread is made in a ring-shape like a crown, and it has candied fruits in it as crown jewels. It sometimes has a baby Jesus doll inside of it as well. Children leave their shoes by their door at night so they can receive gifts from the three kings when they come. Grass or hay are also sometimes left by the families for the camels the three kings rode on, similar to how milk and cookies are left for Santa Claus.
Another popularly celebrated holiday is Eid. There are two celebrations of Eid: Eid Al Fitr, celebrated first, and Eid Al Adha, celebrated second. Both celebrations last three days. Eid Al Adha is known as “Festival of Sacrifice” and is celebrated by Muslims everywhere. From the Islamic calendar, Eid Al Adha is celebrated on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, the month of pilgrimage. Muslims perform the Hajj pilgrimage during this time. Performing the Hajj pilgrimage, or Umrah, is one of the five pillars of Islam.
The story of Eid Al Adha goes back to when Abraham, or Ibrahim (AS), saw in his dreams that he was sacrificing his son, Ismail or Isaac. He knew this was God’s command. He told his son Ismail what he saw in his dream and Ismail being an obedient son obliged to the wishes of Allah (SWT), God. Allah (SWT) was testing Ibrahim’s and Ismail’s faith, and how strong their love for Him was. While Ibrahim was taking his son, the devil was telling him not to obey what Allah said. However, he didn’t listen to what the devil was saying. Ibrahim took his son to Mount Arafat to sacrifice him there. Just as he was about to slaughter his son, Allah sent a sheep from heaven to be slaughtered instead.
Today, Muslims around the perform Qurbani, or animal sacrifice, to remember what Ibrahim (AS) did. Muslims slaughter animals like sheep, cows, goats, and camels. The meat is divided into three equal portions to be distributed to charity, relatives, and families.
Fatima Al Hakeem, another Hospitality sophomore, traditionally goes shopping with her family for new Eid clothes before the holiday. On the morning of Eid Al Adha, Muslims wear new clothes and pray and listen to a sermon at a mosque. During the day of Eid, Muslims greet each other by saying “Eid Mubarak”, meaning blessed festival.
In addition, people visit relatives and eat delicious meals with their beloved ones during Eid. WTHS Sophomore Molly Abdelkader said, “After the mosque, my family and I visit our relative’s house and celebrate with them.” Freshmen student Hawa Amadou said, “When we come back from the mosque, my family and I eat a meal together.” Everyone has their own traditions when they celebrate Eid, however, the most important thing for most is to be with their family and to enjoy the moments with them.
Hanukkah is another widely celebrated holiday. It’s a Jewish celebration and also called the Feast of Dedication. Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, the Jewish group, over the Syrian army. In 168 B.C., Antiochus IV Epiphanes, ruler of Judea, wanted to outlaw Judaism. His soldiers went to Jerusalem and massacred the holy Second Temple, disrespecting it by sacrificing pigs and putting Zeus on an altar in it. There was then a large rebellion against Antiochus by the Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons, for all that they and the Jews had been through. When Mattathias died, his son Judah Maccabee took over in 166 B.C. Within two years, the Jews drove the Syrians out of Jerusalem. They cleansed their temple, rebuilt its altar, and lit its menorah-the candelabrum with seven branches to symbolize knowledge and creation.
The holiday lasts for eight days. This came from the miracle that the Jews witnessed-the candles burned for 8 days even though there was only enough oil in it for a single day. Each night, Jews light up candles on the menorah to remember this miracle. While the candles are lit, blessings are said over them. The menorah is placed in their window to show remind others of the miracle of Hanukkah. On these days, people eat traditional foods, play games, and exchange gifts with each other. It is a time of remembrance of triumph over prejudice.
Kwanzaa is also a widely celebrated holiday. It is mostly celebrated by African-Americans and Africans, in America and in Africa. Kwanzaa means “first fruits” in Swahili and it is a celebration of life, celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. During Kwanzaa, people welcome the first harvests to their homes. The celebration is one week long and it honors African Americans’ culture and traditions.
The festival was first introduced by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966. Dr. Maulana is a black and cultural activist. His goal was to bring Africans together as a community. During the seven days, they gather together and celebrate the holiday by storytelling, poetry reading, eating traditional meals, singing, dancing, and exchanging gifts. This reconnects African-Americans with their heritage by practicing African traditions.
Each day, people light up candles in the kinara, the candle holder. It has three different colors of candles that represent different things: red for the struggle, black for the people, and green for the future. The seven principles, or Nguzo Saba, of Kwanzaa, are unity, self-determination, collective work (responsibility), cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith, and they are celebrated each day. They represent the seven values of African culture and reinforce the African American community. On the last day of Kwanzaa, families enjoy Karamu, an African feast. These seven days of Kwanzaa show the black nationalists’ beliefs and represent their values.
The holidays, no matter what you believe in or celebrate, are a time of cheer and love. People all over the world celebrate this time of year with their loved ones, and by spreading love for others. Many people celebrate the holidays just because it brings them together, regardless of their religion or beliefs. The holidays simply bring lots of positivity, love, and joy to people all around the world, and allow this love to be spread all around.
We hope that you and your loved ones have a joy-filled and safe holiday season!