The holidays are coming up, and everyone has a different way of celebrating them. Whether it’s building gingerbread houses during Christmas time, playing dreidel for Hanukkah, or simply spending time with family, no one celebrates the holidays in the exact same way.
Sophomore Jade Newhall describes how she celebrates Christmas.
“I go to my uncle Matt’s house and we do presents and stockings there, and then we go sledding down the huge hill at the front of his house,” Newhall said.
Newhall is also fond of the delicacies she gets to enjoy with her family during the holidays.
“My grandma and grandaddy come over and we have a breakfast casserole with sausage and eggs,” Newhall said. “Grandma brings pear salad and we all have coffee and hot chocolate.”
While many students celebrate Christmas, a Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, there are some students who have unique celebrations or special traditions, such as Hanukkah.
Sophomore Daniel Friend celebrates Hanukkah.
“Hanukkah is an 8-day long celebration that involves a few things. Mostly it involves a lot of prayers, such as a prayer each night said after a new candle is lit, and a prayer the first day that celebrates the first night,” Friend said. “After the prayers are said, usually there is dinner and then presents.”
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday with the purpose of celebrating Jerusalem. The event is known as the “The Festival of Lights” as a candle is lit every night on the menorah, which is a candelabrum.
Hanukkah itself is a tradition that dates back to 164 BCE, when Judah Maccabee and his followers retook the Second Temple of Jerusalem. After cleaning the temple, they found that the Greeks had only left them enough oil for 1 night. By some miracle, it lasted for the full 8 days, which is part of why this tradition is celebrated. The eight candles on the menorah represent these eight days.
“Usually we eat latkes with apple butter and open presents,” Friend said. “In all honesty, Hanukkah is my favorite holiday because of the happiness that we share through celebration, and, of course, presents. The gifts we receive are not always the fanciest, but are pragmatic and always appreciated. [It is] my favorite holiday of the year and I suspect it always will be.”
Although common holiday traditions include spending time with loved ones, watching Christmas movies, baking cookies, and looking at holiday lights, some have other ways of celebrating the holidays. The contrasting celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah can be fascinating to learn about, and the various traditions we celebrate are the factors that make us stand out as human beings.
