“Holiday season” means more than just Thanksgiving and Christmas
Holiday season is here again, but for many, that includes a lot more than the federal holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Many cultures have holidays from November to February that people celebrate.
In this article, three of those holidays are highlighted.
Diwali: November 12th-17th
The diyas, celebration candles, burn through the night in the Burramukko family’s home on Diwali. Around these traditional Diyas is Rangoli, a design made from materials such as colored sand, colored rice, flowers, and paint.
photo by Ramyambika Burramukko
Diwali, often referred to as the Festival of Lights, is the most celebrated holiday in India. Though it is a Hindu holiday, it holds some sort of significance for every major religion in India.
According to learnreligions.com, this 5-day holiday may have originated as a harvest festival. However it is now broadly celebrated as “the triumph of light over darkness.”
SJHS student Bavi Kaur, 11, celebrates Diwali every year with her family. “We light up candles and decorate our house,” she said. Though they don’t celebrate the whole week, as many do in India, they do clean their house all week which is one of the traditions to celebrate this holiday.
A local organization, called the Southwest Michigan Indian Association, also known as SMIA, hosts a Diwali celebration each year featuring Indian dance performances, mostly performed by children, and traditional Indian food.
Chinese New Year: Friday, February 12th
Celebrators dress up in the Chinese dragon costume for Chinese New Year.
Photo by Vladislav Vasnetsov from Pexels
The Chinese New Year begins every year with the first new moon after January 21st and is then celebrated over 15 days, or until the next full moon. According to britannica.com, people in China are given a week off to celebrate.
The website also states that one of the legends this holiday may have originated from “is that thousands of years ago a monster named Nian (“Year”) would attack villagers at the beginning of each new year.” This monster could be chased away with loud noises, bright lights, and the color red.
In St. Joe, the Bridge to China Cultural program holds a Chinese New Year celebration every year with traditional music, dancing, and martial arts. SJHS sudent Anya Walls, 11, would perform in the celebration when she was younger.
“A couple of girls and I would get together to learn a Chinese dance with giant skirts and head pieces. It was a pain to learn the dances but they always turned out really well,” she shared.
Kwanzaa: December 26th- January 1st
During Kwanzaa, families light one candle each night. Each candle represents one of the seven main principles of Kwanzaa.
photo by mindandi from freepix.com
Kwanzaa is celebrated primarily in America by people of African descent to “affirm African family and social values,” according to britannica.com. The holiday was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga and spans a week, starting December 26th.
Each day of Kwanzaa, a candle, called a Mishumaa Saba, is lit to celebrate one of the basic principles: Umoja for Unity, Kujichagulia for self-determination, Ujima for collective work and responsibility, Ujamaa for cooperative economics, Nia for purpose, Kuumba for creativity, and Imani for faith.
The most celebrated day of Kwanzaa is December 31st, Kuumba, the day of creativity. According to howstuffworks.com, the Karamu feast on this day can feature a poetry reading, dance, or music performance in addition to delicious food.