By Valendy Pierre
‘Tis the season and happy holidays, it’s that time of year. As we live in such a diverse country, different holidays and traditions are celebrated during this winter season. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa are most popular in the United States. One thing that each holiday shares is spending time with and spreading love to family and friends. Christmas is celebrated either religiously or as a “capitalist” holiday. Hanukkah is celebrated by Jews and is mainly religious. I interviewed a few members of the staff, asking them about their traditions during the winter season.
Religiously, Christmas is a festive celebration of the birth of Jesus, which started in the late 200s, celebrated by most Christians. Growing up in the Catholic Church, Christmas was a part of a religious tradition for Mr. Houvouras. “I used to go to midnight mass with my friends and then go to church with my family either Christmas morning or the Vigil Mass,” He stated when asked if he went to church on Christmas with his family. Being a preacher’s daughter, going to service on Christmas Eve was a tradition for Mrs. Brown. “We would go to a Christmas Eve service—and I have lots of mangers scenes I like to have out…”
Christmas for most Americans is a time of joy. This is when you come together with your family and friends to open presents, eat dinner, watch Christmas movies, etc. Every individual family has their special traditions whether it’s what they eat or what they do. “My wife buys a new pajama set for the kids every Christmas, so they have to wear that pajama set to wake up in,” stated Mr. Wagner. The typical American Christmas dinner would have turkey, ham, rolls, casseroles, etc. but every family always has that one special dish. “Growing up, every Christmas, my grandfather used to make squirrel stew,” also stated Mr. Wagner when asked what was special for his Christmas growing up. Decorating, lighting up the tree, and eating a big dinner is a fun thing to do with the family and is a tradition that should never change.
Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration dedicated to the Holy Temple that lasts eight days, each day having its own meaning. A candle is lit on the menorah each of the eight days. Some families would give their child a gift for each day, which is a tradition believed to be created in America, but it is not something done in Israel. Officer Lee’s family kept the original traditions of this Jewish holiday. “On the first day of the candle lighting for us we usually have like a big meal, and a lot of people would come over—or we would go to somebody’s house, eat, and then everyone one would gather around, we’d say a lot of Jewish prayers and we’d light the candle,” explained Officer Lee when asked how he celebrated Hanukkah. The holiday is usually spent with close friends due to his wife’s family being in Israel. Fried foods were common for the holiday, but meals were nothing without the required pastries like latkes. “It’s almost like a hash brown—but it’s kind of like a potato pancake,” stated Lee, explaining the different foods they eat during Hanukkah. Eight days of fried foods? Sign me up.
Traditions are something you do while growing up, and continue to do with your chosen family. Sometimes, traditions change when your kids grow up.. “We pretty much keep the same, you know. There’s a little more variance…as your kids get older and you get older, things change slightly, but we kept a lot of those traditions,” explained Mr. Houvouras. There are certain traditions that you don’t let go of because the holidays wouldn’t be the same without them. “I still fill stockings for my kids, even though they’re all grown up,” stated Mrs. Brown when asked what traditions she kept the same.
No matter who you’re spending the holidays with, whether it’s your immediate family or your chosen family, cherish traditions, make memories, and enjoy this jolly season!