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Hanukah
The celebration of Hanukah, the oldest of the three holidays, is in the Hebrew month of Kislev. The Hebrews have their own calendar, different from the Roman calendar. The eight-day Hanukah celebration remembers the miracle of light and the Jewish struggle for religious freedom.
King Antiochus had demanded that everyone in his kingdom follow his religion and worship the Greek gods. Judah Maccabee, his four brothers, and their father led a rebellion against the king. For three years, the Jews and the Greeks fought. The little Jewish army was successful, defeating the great Greek army.
The Jewish people had to rededicate their temple. Greek soldiers had cooked pork in the temple and contaminated it. To Jews, pork is an unclean animal that cannot be eaten. To rededicate the temple, an eight-day supply of oil was needed. Unfortunately, only a one-day supply of oil was found. Miraculously, the one-day oil supply lasted for eight days. That was long enough for people to make more oil.
Lighting candles, eating special foods such as latkes, which are potato pancakes, and giving gifts are part of a Hanukah celebration. Latkes are cooked in oil to remember the miracle of the one-day oil supply lasting for eight days. Hanukah may be the best-known Jewish holiday among Americans, but it is not a major holiday for religious Jews.
Christmas
The first Christmas came two hundred years after the oil and the Jewish victory when a small Jewish baby was born. His name was Jesus Christ. Jesus was a gentle person, who spent his life as a man of peace. It was not until several hundred years later that a group of people began to believe that Jesus was the son of God. To Christians, the baby was born and died to save humanity. You probably know the story of Jesus Christ and Christmas, so we would like to write a little about Christmas today in America.
Christmas, once a very religious holiday, has become a holiday for many people, religious and not religious. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim children all want to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. So, in America today, many Americans celebrate Christmas. Small children hang their red and white stockings for Santa to fill with presents and candy. On Christmas Eve, before they go to sleep, they leave a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa to eat. They may also leave some food for the reindeer such as lettuce and celery.
Family members put their presents under the Christmas tree sometime before Christmas and Santa puts his there sometime between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Christmas Day is a family day when family members open presents and have a big family meal of turkey, baked ham, or another large food. Christmas is not a romantic holiday. That is New Year’s Eve!
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a seven-day African American celebration. Dr. Maulana Karenga, a teacher of Black Studies in California, created the holiday in 1966. Karenga had been a civil rights activist in the 1960s. After riots in Los Angeles, he founded a cultural organization to celebrate the values of African American families in the United States. He wanted African Americans to unite, remember, and reaffirm their roots in Africa.
From December 26 to January 1, Kwanzaa celebrates values such as work, creativity, responsibility, family, community, and purpose. What is interesting about Kwanzaa is that, unlike Hanukah and Christmas, it is not a religious holiday.
Kwanzaa is celebrated in a room decorated with streamers, balloons, flowers, and African prints in the three Kwanzaa colors: black, red, and green. Dinner is often ham or chicken with collard greens and candied yams with pecan pie for dessert. Lighting candles, dancing, poetry, storytelling, African drums, and song are often part of the celebration.
The seven red, green, and black candles on the Kwanzaa candleholder are an important part of the celebration. Each day, one candle is lit. On the seventh day of Kwanzaa, gifts are given. The purpose of gifts is to encourage achievement and self-determination. Givers of gifts may spend time creating cards, dolls, or other such homemade gifts. The goal is to avoid unnecessary spending and encourage creativity. Part of Kwanzaa is a return to a more natural way of life, which avoids unnecessary shopping during the holiday season. Acceptance of a Kwanzaa gift is a responsibility because the receiver must complete the promise of the gift. Receiving a book means you must read it.
No matter how you celebrate the holidays, we at Aaron wish you a joyful holiday season and a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!
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