Features
Festive things come in threes
By Michelle Chung ’20
December 8, 2016
Tags features
Winter is here, and the month of December is one of the most festive times of the year. This month people will celebrate various holidays from Hanukkah to Christmas to Kwanzaa, each of which has a rich history and cheerful traditions. These three major holidays are celebrated by not only people across the world but also many students across the Hamilton campus, with each individual having their own personal traditions and ideas of what the holiday means to them.
Hanukkah is the festival of lights celebrating the Jewish triumph over the oppressive Greek empire’s ruling. Beginning on the night of December 24, those who celebrate Hanukkah will light one candle on the menorah for each of the eight nights. This act is a reference to when the Maccabees, who led the revolt against the empire, only had enough oil to light one candle. Yet, the oil lasted for eight nights and this miracle brought the tradition of lighting the menorah.
The holiday is also usually associated with traditions of playing dreidel, consuming gelt (or chocolate coins ) and receiving gifts each night.
“My family comes over and we have latkes, which are fried potato pancakes, and bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon. My favorite part of the holiday is mainly spending the night with good food and special people,” commented Michael Goldstein ’20, who has been celebrating the holiday since he was born.
Christmas, one of the most popular holidays in the United States, is primarily associated with the decoration of trees, large feasts featuring foods such as roasted ham and festive pudding, and a giving spirit. While a large number of individuals celebrate the holiday for non-religious purposes, Christmas began December 25 as a way to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
An image also largely associated with Christmas is the presence of Santa Claus, with a chubby tummy and red suit creeping into people’s homes during night to leave gifts by the tree. Santa was actually based on a real person named Saint Nicholas known for his generosity and for giving gifts to those in need as he traveled with his noble, white steeds.
For Luis Morales ’20, celebrating Christmas is all about getting to spend time with his family and truly feel the holiday spirit. “Christmas is a time where we get to have family dinners, reunite and even sing some Christmas carols. A tradition my family and I have is to always watch Christmas movies together too, including The Polar Express, which we watch every year,” Morales said. “Even so, my favorite part about Christmas is the love that fills the home when the family’s together and the peacefulness of the holiday itself.”
2016 also marks the 50th anniversary of Kwanzaa, which is a week-long celebration to honor African culture and traditions. The holiday begins December 26 with the lighting of one candle every day until the new year. Each candle represents a principle of the holiday: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
For Janika Beatty ’17, the celebration of Kwanzaa has always been an integral part of keeping in touch with her culture, as she and her family focus on the importance of how the holiday emphasizes African heritage and the principles of family and community. “We have a Mkeka that we use every year, which is a woven place mat that we put our Kinara (candle holder) on as well our Kikombe cha Umoja (a cup that symbolizes family and unity, we usually begin each night all taking a drink from the cup).” They also take a great amount of time to discuss the guiding principles of the holiday.
The winter season, though littered with various deadlines and the dread of finals, is a perfect time to just relax and enjoy the holiday spirit with close friends and family. With so many different traditions, values and historical moments to celebrate, who wouldn’t call it the most wonderful time of the year?