12/7/16

By: Jasmine Lees

Over the last decade, people are finding that more things offending than before. One of these things are the holidays. People have to watch what they say to customers when they are working, do they say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Happy holidays has become the more general saying now. Why has it come to this? Maybe if society knew more about the different cultures that are celebrated, people wouldn’t be as offended by holiday celebrations. There are many different holiday traditions that people don’t know about but because Christmas and the New Year are right around the corner, people are more focused on preparing for those.

Christmas is celebrated by religions that celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th. This was the main reason for Christmas but over the centuries, the idea of the holiday has taken a turn. Children see Christmas as a time to give and receive presents. They go to sleep on Christmas eve waiting for anxiously to see what Santa Claus brought them. It is celebrated with a decorated tree and other festive decorations. There are also many stories that have formed about Santa Claus, the reindeer, and the north pole with all the elves. Another holiday tradition that takes place around this time is Hanukkah which is celebrated by the Jewish religion. This year, Hanukkah will take place on December 24th through January 1st. In this tradition, there is a menorah that has nine candles. One of those candles is supposed to help light a new candle each night of the holiday so that on the last night, eight candles are lit. For this holiday there are specific games, rituals, food, and music that revolve around it that families play for all eight days. Kwanzaa is another tradition that is usually celebrated by African Americans. This year it will take place on December 26th through January 1st. During Kwanzaa they have what is called the seven principles. Each principle is a key to building a strong, healthy African community. They also have the seven symbols that could either be colors or different textiles. These symbols represent the unity cup, the candleholder, fruits and vegetables, seven candles, mat, ear of corn, and gifts. Kwanzaa is in no way a religion that is meant to replace Christmas. They created this tradition at a time where african Americans felt they needed something to honor themselves and to celebrate everything that they had overcome.

Another important celebration that takes place every year is the celebration of the new year. In America, we celebrate on December 31st. There is a ceremony that takes place in times square New York that has tons of music artists and is covered by numerous news shows and radio stations. People usually celebrate with their friends and families by having big parties and staying up until midnight to wait and see the big ball drop that marks the beginning of a new year. There are all sorts of accessories that will be sold like 2017 glasses, shirts, big party hats, etc. This is an exciting time for America. Other countries celebrate their new but in different ways. The Japanese New Year is celebrated in three days starting on January first. During this time, many businesses shut down for the celebrations. They decorate their homes with ornaments signaling the new year and make sure all their clothes and houses are clean for the fresh start. They have different traditions like eating certain meals on certain days as well as watching different television shows and listening to specific music. On January first, all of Japan goes out to watch the sunrise because it is the first sunrise of the new year. This is believed to set the tone for the upcoming year so people try to fill it with joy and happiness. Over the next two days the Japanese celebrate by having traditional meals, parties, and other celebratory fun that are accustomed to their traditions in welcoming the new year.

When we celebrate our holidays, we should be able to celebrate them as we please and not worry about offending people. Everyone has a right to their own belief so is someone walks by and say Merry Christmas even though you don’t celebrate it, think of it as a kind gesture not an insult. Smile and accept the kindness instead of making a scene by how rude a person is for not considering what kind of religious holiday that you celebrate.