It’s that time of year again. The menorahs and dreidels have been dusted off. Christmas
trees are popping up in living rooms. And, the harmonious sound of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want
for Christmas is You” can be heard in every shopping mall in America. While Christmas and
Hanukkah sits at the forefront of America's mind during December, there are many other
important holidays celebrated around the world during the most festive month of the year.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is to Hannukah and Christmas as Michelle was to Beyonce and Kelly in
Destiny’s Child; an important holiday, however often overshadowed by its more prominent
counterparts. This holiday, which celebrates African heritage in black culture, spans a week from
December 26 to January 1. Created by black activist Maulana Karenga in 1966 to as apart of the
Pan-Africanism movement, Kwanzaa focuses on seven principles, all of which reflect ideas from
the civil rights movement. The principles are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination),
Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujaama (collective economics), Nia (purpose),
Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). Each night, a candle on the kinara is lit, symbolizing the
African people, their difficult past, and their prosperous future.
Bodhi Day
This Buddhist holiday commemorates the day that Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha,
experienced enlightenment. Celebrated on the 8th day of the 12th month of the Chinese Lunar
calendar, or December 8th in Japan, the festivities surrounding Bodhi Day vary among different
Buddhist sects. Services and traditions vary from meditation, the study of Dharma, or chanting
Buddhists texts. Some also celebrate Bodhi Day by performing kind acts towards others. In terms
of food, people usually eat a meal of tea, cake, and cookies in the shape of a Bodhi tree, a sacred
fig tree that often represents the Buddha’s enlightenment. This year, Bodhi Day will be on
December 8 in Japan, and January 13, 2019, for Buddhists in other countries.
Boxing Day
Boxing Day has been an enigma to Americans since it was first mentioned in Harry
Potter. This secular, British holiday is always celebrated on December 26. While the modern-day
celebration simply serves as a day off from work, historically, the holiday served as a tribute to
servants and tradesmen. Since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the
servants of the wealthy were allowed to visit their families the next day. The employers would
give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.
Today, Boxing Day is celebrated in the UK and some former British colonies, including
Australia, Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Dongzhi Festival
The Dongzhi Festival, or The Winter Solstice Festival, is celebrated on the winter solstice
every year in Chinese and ethnic Chinese communities. The celebration of the solstices in
Chinese culture originates from the philosophy of yin and yang, or balance and harmony in the
cosmos. The festival serves as a time for families to come together and eat food. A popular food
to eat is tang yuan, a ball of colored glutinous rice, similar to dango from Japan, that symbolizes
reunion. In Taiwan, tang yuan is shaped like a chicken, duck, tortoise, pig, cow, or sheep, and are
sacrificed to worship ancestors. This year, the Dongzhi Festival will be celebrated on Saturday,
December 22.
