A multiethnic study of winter holidays can help students correct misconceptions of other groups as “abnormal” or “deviant” by illustrating that there are other ways of living that are as valid and viable as their own. Comparisons of many of the symbols and customs integral to the winter holidays reveal characteristics and needs common to people from all ethnic groups:
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to educate the young in the principles and beliefs of the group.
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to reward members of the group with gifts.
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to light the winter darkness.
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to reflect on the past year and anticipate the new year.
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to feast and sing.
The specific cultural variations on these themes illustrate how groups are affected differently by certain geographic and social positions.
“The origins of many of the major holidays are directly related to the changing of seasons and the agricultural cycle. As many of the autumn holidays are celebrations at the end of the harvest season, many of the winter holidays originated in response to the winter solstice.”
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Since ancient times, fires were lit to the dying sun around the time of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and the beginning of our winter. Ancient Mesopotamians celebrated the arrival of winter for twelve days with fires, feasting, and gift-giving. The Jews did, and still do, celebrate Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. The Persians lit fires in honor of the birth of the Sun God, Mithras. The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with the exchanging of gifts during the Festival of Saturnalia. Christians celebrate the birth of Christ and call him the Light of the World.
Chanukah
December 3 December 10
Chanukah, the Feast of Dedication, is a joyous celebration which lasts eight days. It begins on the twenty-fifth of the Jewish monthly Kislev and commemorates the rededication of the Temple after the recapture of Jerusalem in 165 B.C. from the Syrians. This battle was fought for religious freedom and was one of the earliest battles against religious oppression in the history of the world.
Chanukah is also known as the “Feast of Lights” from a miracle which is said to have happened during the rededication of the Temple after it was cleansed. There perpetual lamp was to be lit with sacred oil, but there was only enough oil to burn for one day. Miraculously, the oil continued to burn for eight days until more could be prepared. In memory of this miracle, Menorahs or Chanukah lamps are kept burning throughout the eight days of the celebration.
The
Menorah
is a candelabra with eight candleholders at equal level and a ninth in a higher position. This place is for the candle called the
shamesh
or servant. The
shamesh
is the first candle lit each night and is used to light the other candles. For example, on the first night of Chanukah, the shamesh and one other candle is lit. On the second night of Chanukah, the
shamesh
and two other candles are lit. It is customary for women and children to light the candles.
Services are attended in the synagogue during the entire week and work is forbidden while the candles are lit. Instead, games are played, parties held, and gifts exchanged. The traditional foods are
latkes
, potato pancakes, and
kugel
, a potato pie.
Christmas
December 25
The first Christmas holiday was celebrated at the same time as the Roman Feast of Saturnalia. Around the year 320 A.D. the date of December twenty-fifth was established. Today, the customs and manner of celebrating Christmas are as varied as the countries and people who celebrate them.
Christmas in Great Britain is celebrated in much the same way as in America except for their traditional wassail bowl. The wassail bowl contains a mixture of spices, toasted apples, and hot ale and is traditionally drunk for health’s sake. The word
wassail
means “good health.”
Germans were the first to decorate evergreen trees at Christmas and this is still the highlight of the season. Sometimes each member of the family has his/her own tree.
Young people in Switzerland try to drink from nine fountains on their way to church. Tradition dictates that their future husband or wife will then be waiting for them at church.
In ltaly, it is customary to distribute gifts from a large crock called the Urn of Fate.
People in Spain celebrate Christmas with a huge
nochebuena
dinner and street dances after attending midnight mass.
The children of Mexico think the best part of their Christmas celebration is trying to break the
pi–ata
, usually an animal figure made of
papier-m‰ché
and filled with gifts and candy.
In Sweden, young girls vie for the honor of portraying St. Lucia. They dress in white gowns and wear wreaths containing seven burning candles on their heads.
In Puerto Rico, Christmas is celebrated twice, once on December twenty-fifth with the arrival of Santa Claus, and then on January sixth with the arrival of the Three Kings.
Kwanza
December 26 January 1
As I have previously mentioned in the section on African Harvest Festivals, celebrations at the end of the harvest of the first crops are traditional in Africa. In some parts of Africa this celebration is called
Kwanza
meaning “first.” Consequently, this festival has been adapted to meet the needs of Africans born and raised in America in an effort to pass on to future generations those ideals and principles upon which their ancestors built and nurtured their societies. The basic theme of Kwanza is unity, honoring and teaching of offspring, self-determination, work, and self-respect all of which will build and nurture strong communities today. Kwanza is celebrated from December 26 through January 1 in America. It is a time when Afro-Americans gather together at the end of the year to celebrate the accomplishments of their communities.
The seven principles of Kwanza are:
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1. Umoja (Unity)
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2. Kujichagulia (Self-determination)
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3. Ujima (Collective work and responsibility)
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4. Ujamaa (Co-operative economics)
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5. Nia (Purpose)
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6. Kuumba (Creativity)
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7. Imani (Faith)
On each day of the week of Kwanza when asked
Habari gani
?(What’s the news?) the answer, depending on the day, will be one of the seven principles. For example, on the fifth day the reply is
Nia
, which is the fifth principle.
Each night of the festival, one of the
Mshumaa
(one of the seven candles symbolizing the seven principles) is placed in the
Kinara
(seven branch candelabra). It is then lit and an explanation of the principle it represents is given. On the second day, two
Mshumaa
are lit, and so until the seventh day on which all are lit.
December 31 is the night of the feast for adults. It consists of seven phases: food, drink, music, dance, conversation, laughter, and ceremony. Everything is prepared according to the third principle, Ujima (Collective work and responsibility). On the last day of Kwanza, January 1, the
Zawadi
(gifts) are opened. A large dinner is prepared with the help of the children and the last principle is explained and discussed. The children are then asked to declare their commitments for the coming year.
Three Kings’ Day
January 6
The sixth of January, known as Three Kings’ Day in most of Latin America, has traditionally been a time of gift-giving. This tradition was brought to Latin America by the Spaniards. The origin of Three Kings’ Day comes directly from the New Testament and the story of the Three Kings, who were said to have journeyed from distant lands following a star that was to lead them to the place where the new born King was to be found. The Three Kings traveled far and brought gifts for the Christ child.
Today, the holiday is celebrated in a variety of ways in Puerto Rico. On Three Kings’ Eve, groups of musicians go through the streets of the town singing
aguinaldos
or there are processions through town with people dressed as the Kings, Mary, or Joseph.
Another important aspect of Three Kings’ Day is celebrated by having the children place grass or grain and a dish or water under their beds to feed the camels of the Three Kings. The Kings then leave gifts for the children to thank them for the food they left for their camels. Children who misbehave are told that the Kings will leave them a piece of charcoal instead of a gift.
This was the main gift giving occasion during the Christmas season. Although the twenty-fifth of December was acknowledged as the birthday of Jesus, and there were parties and special masses; it was not known as a time for gift giving.
No single discipline is sufficient to help students adequately understand the origins and significance of holidays with geographic, religious, mythical, and political dimensions. The activities at the end of this unit have been selected and designed to facilitate an interdisciplinary approach to learning about autumn and winter holidays. Consult the bibliography for complete information on authors, particularly the books by Ilene Hunter and Marilyn Judson, Florence Temko, and Virginia Brock.