There are many different traditions and ways of celebrating the various holidays in December, which most popularly include Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.
Candace Winfrey, an ethnic studies teacher at Warren Central, gave insight into the way other cultures around the world celebrate the holly-jolly season.
“Christmas has become a globalized holiday, which means we don’t just see Christmas in mostly Christian countries,” she said. “Some cultures will spend Christmas Eve at church in countries that are majority Catholic. They also will have parades that celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.”
In Latinx communities, Noche Buena is often celebrated at midnight with a special Christmas punch, pinatas for the kids, and tamales. According to Winfrey, other countries and cultures like Germany also celebrate different figures other than Santa Claus, such as Krampus, the creature who punishes bad children. That is just one different way other countries celebrate.
“Even around the world Christmas still has the same theme of togetherness and giving but they have their slight differences,” Winfrey said.
There is also an interesting way that people celebrate Christmas in Mexico. They start the celebration on Dec. 12 and end on Jan. 6. During this celebration they have candlelight processions, elaborate nativity scenes, Spanish Christmas carols, and dancing fireworks. They have their song for Christmas which is called “Feliz Navidad.”
The United Kingdom celebrates Christmas in a similar way to America. On Christmas Eve they make meat pies and sherry which is left for Santa, and they also leave carrots for his reindeer. On the day of Christmas, they spend that time with family and friends.
Christmas isn’t the only holiday that is celebrated in December, though. There is Hanukkah, which is for people who are Jewish, and Kwanzaa, a celebration of African-American culture.
Hanukkah is a holiday that takes place from the evening of Dec. 7 until Dec.15. According to Chabad.org, a Jewish website, it is an eight-day festival of lights that is celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, adding a flame each night. The celebration also includes special prayers, dreidel playing and fried foods. The purpose of celebrating this holiday is to reaffirm the ideals of Judaism and celebrate the rededication of the second temple of Jerusalem by lighting candles on each day of the festival.
Kwanzaa takes place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. According to the Official Kwanzaa website, it celebrates the following principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. The seven-day celebration culminates with a feast called Karamu, with music, dancing, poetry, and reflections.
Freshman Roman Barnes celebrates the holiday with his family.
“We light candles each day to express different words in Swahili,” he said. “Kwanzaa means a lot to me because it gives me a chance to celebrate my African roots and heritage.”