When you think about winter break or the winter holidays, Christmas most likely pops into your head. Most people know or surround themselves with people who celebrate Christmas, however there are so many other winter holidays that are celebrated along with Christmas, including, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and another big one, New Years eve.
Most holidays that you don’t celebrate go unnoticed. Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday, celebrated by lighting a candle on the menorah each night of Hanukkah. There are eight nights and family will often give small presents on each night of Hanukkah. It is also celebrated by playing dreidel, which is a game where you have to spin a little top called a dreidel and whatever it lands on if the move you make. This is a tradition that does not go undone during this wonderful holiday. Families will also prepare lots of delicious food and sing songs. Hanukkah is a wonderful holiday and should not go unnoticed.
Another holiday that is celebrated during the winter is Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is an African American holiday. During Kwanzaa families and communities come together to eat big meals, honor ancestors, and celebrate African American culture. Similar to Hanukkah, during this holiday they also light candles. However, it is a bit different. They have the candles set on something called a kinara, where they place one black candle, 3 red candles, and 3 green candles. Each color represents something different; black represents the people, red represents their struggles, and green represents their future. This is an important part of the holiday for the people who celebrate Kwanzaa.
A popular holiday celebrated during winter is Christmas. Christmas is celebrated usually by christians who center the holiday around the birth of Jesus Christ, however it is also celebrated by non-christians who center the holiday around the beliefs of Santa Clause. Kennedy Wilhite discussed with me her traditions and activities she does during Christmas. When asked if Christmas was centered around Jesus she stated, “ yes, every Christmas eve we go to church. I also read the book of Luke everyday in December leading up to Christmas.” When asked what traditions she has for Christmas she explained, “Personally, I like to read my bible to know more of why we celebrate and have Christmas.” These traditions are going to vary from person to person and there are many different ways people celebrate Christmas. When it comes to Santa Clause, he is said to be a jolly man who makes and leaves toys under your Christmas tree, for good girls and boys. Many people celebrate him and children get excited for Christmas because they know Santa is coming.
New Year’s Eve is also a widely celebrated holiday. Even though each place that celebrates it celebrates the same thing, the new year, there are different traditions that go with each place. To begin, Spain celebrates New Year’s by eating grapes. They eat 1 grape with each chime of the clock at midnight. They do this to bring luck and happiness into the new year. Denmark also does something pretty cool to celebrate the new year. In Denmark they smash plates and glasses on friends and neighbors’ front doors. They believe this leaves ill-will and aggression behind in the previous year. In Brazil, they wear colorful underwear. Each color on the underwear attracts a different type of luck for the new year. Green underwear brings good health, yellow represents financial prosperity, white represents peace, red attracts passion, pink brings romance, and purple symbolizes intellectual and spiritual inspiration. The US watching the ball drop. They either watch this from their TVs at home in their homes, or Times Square in the middle of New York City where the event takes place.
The holidays that take place during the winter are all important and hold many fun and cherishable memories for the cultures that celebrate them. No matter what holiday someone celebrates, they are all important and create wonderful memories for those who celebrate them.
