Frost ices car windows, golden leaves replace green lawns, and earlier and earlier the sun sinks behind the Northern Nevada Mountains. Can you feel it? Deep it your gut. Winter is on her way and holding her hand, the holiday season.
Whether or not you know this; our school hallways are teaming with many diverse beliefs. While Christian, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints- or otherwise known as Mormon, Baptist, Catholic, and Lutheran families honor the birth of Jesus Christ through Christmas, many more celebrations take place during this holiday season.
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate any holidays, including a winter time holiday like other religions do. Although they consider themselves to be Christians they do not participate in the Christmas holiday. In America today 78.4% of adult Americans are Christians; of that 0.7% is Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Judaism celebrates Hanukkah or the Festival of lights. As a result of the Hebrew calendar being so much different from the American calendar the dates of Hanukkah vary from late November to early December. The story begins as Judah orders the recovered temple to be cleansed; olive oil was needed for the menorah, which is required to burn through the night, every night but there was only enough for one night. Despite the obvious outcome, the oil burned for eight nights, hence the eight days of celebration. Only 4.7% of adult Americans are Jewish.
Muslim religion has no holiday that corresponds to the idea of Christmas but during Mid-December they partake in Ashuna. This day honors the Martyrdom of the Prophets grandson, Hussein. The Sunni Muslims celebrate this day by fasting to mark the day Noah left the ark and God saved Moses from the Egyptian’s. 0.6% of adult Americans are Muslim.
Four elements make up the original African meaning of Kwanzaa, unity, awareness of ancestry and heritage, recommitment to traditional values, and reverence for creator and the creation. Kwanzaa begins on December 26 and continues for seven days. It is an African- American holiday about the festival of the first harvest.
Paganism is one of the fastest growing religions in modern America. Starting between December 20th to the 23rd, the Winter Solstice Is the shortest day and longest night of the year. Pagans noticed the days were getting shorter, soon fear set in that the sun would eventually disappear, freezing the Earth over. Even though all the trees, bushes, and crops would die, the evergreen trees stayed green throughout the winter months. With the belief that these trees held magical powers to protect them from the harsh weather, they cut them down, placed them in their homes and decorated them.
Although a great majority of North Valley’s High School has a religion to back up their holiday beliefs, many partake in Christmas because of the sentimental value. One freshmen teacher begins her traditions on the first week of December. As a family, they pick out a Christmas tree and drink hot chocolate. On Christmas Eve she holds a dinner at her house for family. Later on she reads The Night Before Christmas. On Christmas day her and her family stay in their pajamas all day.
“It’s not the receiving of presents that makes the holidays fun,” comments freshmen, Erica Short, “It’s the Christmas caroling, cutting Christmas cookies, hanging up Christmas lights, building snowmen in the snow, feasting wonderful food, building forts, making snow angles, spending time with loved ones, all those amazing things make up the holiday season.” Her holiday season consist of baking cookies with her brother, sharing family stories around a home cooked Christmas dinner, and constructing snowmen in her front yard. “I love the holiday seasons. Everyone seams so much merrier.”
Regardless of which religion you partake in or even if you don’t belong to any, the holiday season is a time to take a break from the pressures of school and life. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Ashura, and Kwanza, Have fun celebrating the Winter Solstice, and enjoy the Winter Holidays!
