As a former Catholic and currently practicing Buddhist, my understanding of the winter holidays has been shaped over time. I'm a firm believer in interfaith dialogue and the overlapping ideals across religions. Christmas is the most talked about, most advertised holiday in the United States.
However, we all know Christmas isn't the only holiday this time of year. But what exactly do all these holidays share and hold in common? How can we celebrate the diversity as well as honor the commonalities of winter festivities? In my experience of celebrating these holidays with friends and learning about them, I believe that the idea of "transitioning" is the key to what links them.
Hanukkah (Chanukkah) was celebrated earlier this month. So what are some core principles in the celebration of Hanukkah? Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after it was taken back from the Greeks. The legend goes like this:
Jewish troops were determined to purify the Temple [after they took it back from the Greeks] by burning ritual oil in the Temple's menorah for eight days. But to their dismay, they discovered that there was only one day's worth of oil left in the Temple.
They lit the menorah anyway and to their surprise the small amount of oil lasted the full eight days.
This is the miracle of the Hanukkah oil that is celebrated every year when Jews light a special menorah known as a hanukkiyah for eight days. One candle is lit on the first night of Hanukkah, two on the second, and so on, until eight candles are lit. (Source)
Taking this story, one can view Hanukkah as a transition from the "dirtied" Temple that was marked by a time of war to a "purified" Temple that could bring hope to those that wished to continue to practice Judaism freely.
Yule -- practiced by pagans and wiccans -- provides us with a similar idea, except this time, instead of a basis in historical events, the holiday grounds itself in the transitional period of "dark" to "light" (this symbol of light comes up in many religious celebrations this time of year).
The date of varies from December 20 to December 23 depending on the year in the Gregorian calendar. Yule is also known as the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere due to the seasonal differences.
Yule, (pronounced EWE-elle) is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, the sun's "rebirth" was celebrated with much joy. On this night, our ancestors celebrated the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth. From this day forward, the days would become longer. (Source)
While it might get colder throughout winter, the days also get longer giving us more light and hope to celebrate that spring is coming.
Finally, what about Kwanzaa? Every December, inquiries about Kwanzaa increase dramatically (Source). Despite popular belief, Kwanzaa is not an "African" holiday. It is a uniquely African-American holiday that celebrates life.
This celebration is not a festival originating in any of the 55 African countries nor is it an "African" Christmas celebration. Kwanzaa is an African-Americans celebration of life from 26 December to 1 January.
Dr. Maulana Karenga introduced the festival in 1966 to the United States as a ritual to welcome the first harvests to the home. Dr. Karenga created this festival for Afro-Americans as a response to the commercialism of Christmas. In fact one might say that Kwanzaa has similarities with Thanksgiving in the United States or the Yam Festival in Ghana and Nigeria. The word "kwanza" is a KiSwahili (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) word meaning "first." (Source).
Some of the symbols of Kwanzaa includes the candle holder (which represents the celebrants' ancestral origins) and the seven candles (which represent the colors of the flags of African liberation movements). Another important symbol is the presence of corn/maize as a representation of the hope that the younger generation holds. Therefore, Kwanzaa can be viewed as a transition from recognition of the old to the hope of the new.
Now let us come back to Christmas. The coming of Christ, as I was taught in Catholic school, represented a "light" for the world. Hope for a new, more just and peaceful world. A transition from an old regime to a new one that will enlighten people of the time.
It is important to respect this tradition of the transitional experience we see across cultures and faiths. Transitioning, in any form, is a difficult process. It is a struggle that ends in acceptance. It is an acceptance that causes action.
This holiday season, let us acknowledge our similarities, celebrate our diversity, and encourage each other to look forward to the longer days and the hope of spring to come as well as the hope for a better world.