The Holiday Season

Winter Memories from the 1940s

Did you know that there are at least 17 holidays during this season?  In fact, historians have found winter celebrations as far back as 3000 BCE.  Some of the early celebrations have disappeared while new ones have appeared since ancient times.  Some are related to religious beliefs, while others honor various  traditions.  Faiths and traditions vary from country to country, and while some may be celebrated primarily in a particular location, others are celebrated around the world.

Since ancient time the Winter Solstice has been recognized by many cultures, and traditions from those ancient times have influenced later cultures.  The astronomical occurrence was celebrated as a return of the sun.  The Romans wintertime celebration was called the Saturnalia, a 7-day celebration at the midpoint of the winter season.  In early Europe there was a holiday known as the Yule festival.  Iranians celebrate Yalda, one of the most ancient Persian festivals. 

Today, there are many celebrations in December and early January.  On December 5, Muslims celebrate Ashura.  On that same day in Germany and Eastern Europe, Krampus Nacht is celebrated, with a devil-like character that scares bad children and rewards good children the next day.  St. Nicholas Day on December 6 recognizes a Christian bishop who sold all of his possessions to give to the needy, and people in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg remember him by giving gifts on that day.  On December 8 Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day by performing kind acts.

 In the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand there was Boxing day, when gifts were placed in boxes and given to the poor the day after Christmas, although today it is more of a holiday for sports and shopping.  To honor African American culture, Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 through January first, a relatively new holiday celebration that originated at California State University and has spread.  Three Kings Day is celebrated on January 6, believed to be the day when the three kings first saw baby Jesus.  It is also the end of the 12 Days of Christmas.

Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7, which is Christmas Day on the Julian calendar, and on January 11, Hindus in Northern India celebrate the passing of the winter solstice.

American Jews use the Soli-lunar calendar, which means that the months begin on the new moon, to calculate their traditional days of celebration.  This year Hanukkah falls on December 7 through December 15.

There are other holiday seasons celebrated around the world that I have not included in this summary of winter holidays.  As I am sure you have noticed, many of our Christmas traditions are adapted from other nations, and in America today, there are many winter holidays, both religious and secular.  It is increasingly common to hear Happy Holidays ringing out to respect the multicultural nation that America is today.

Around the world surely most people wish for peace.  Can we not find ways to suppress cruelty and greed without war.  And, in the greatest nation in the world, can we not remember the words of Abraham Lincoln, who said, "The people - the people are the rightful masters of both congress and courts - not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it."