December Holidays

There are only six days until Christmas and seven until Kwanzaa. Hannukah started December 9 and lasts for 8 nights while Kwanzaa goes until January 1. Before long winter break will start. Besides our well known December holidays, there are Children’s Day, Dongji, Eid-ul-Fitr & Eid-ul-Adha, and St. Lucia Day.

Kwanzaa is a holiday celebrated by Africans of all religions. It originated from Africa from the first harvest celebrations. Kwanzaa is part of the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili. Swahili is the one of the main languages spoken in the whole of Africa. The celebrations have been traced back to ancient Egypt and Nubia. Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, but a cultural one. During Kwanzaa traditional foods are served. The fact that this holiday is not religious means that an African of any sort could celebrate it no matter what their religion is.

Children’s Day is a day just for children. This holiday is from Shambhala.Shambhala has three different meanings. Externally, it is the place where the Buddha taught Kalachankra Tantra, the Tantra of theWheel of Time. Internally, it is the symbol for mind completing the trio of mind, body, and speech. The little known meaning of it is the essence of all things. When Shambhala is acknowledged and Buddha-nature is realized, the real meaning of Kalachankra Tantra is realized. There are different ways of celebrating Children’s Day but they all share the basics. Children’s day occurs on the winter solstice and is the day that a three-tiered shrine is built with a king, queen and horses. The shrine can be built at home or in parks. Sometimes two people dress up as a king and queen and the queen gives out “belts of confidence.” Candy and other things are placed on the shrine where they can be shared freely. The adults may dine on other sweets such as little cakes and some wine. After a while everyone sings the Shambala songs and anthem.

Dongji is a Korean festival. It is also called “A-Se” which means “little New Year’s Day” Because the days get longer after the solstice, Dongji is sort of the beginning of another year. If the day does not fall on the winter solstice, then the day is called “Eh-Dongji” which means “child-Dongji” On “Eh-Dongji, children do not drink Red Bean Cereal Soup like they do on a regular Dongji day. If they do, an evil spirit may hurt the child.

St. Lucia Day is celebrated on the winter solstice as well. The people in Sweden celebrate this holiday. This holiday is also called the Festival of Light because St. Lucia’s name means light. St. Lucia was a girl who brought light where she went and brought the Christians provisions when they were hiding in the Roman catacombs. Now, every year the eldest daughter of a family puts on the white robe, red sash and candle-laden wreath of evergreen leaves.

Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha are both holidays celebrated by Muslim people everywhere. Eid-ul-Fitr occurs after Ramadan, the holy month in which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. As do other holidays, this holiday begins on the new moon of the 10^th month in the Hijra calendar. On this day there is no fasting at all. After dressing in one’s best clothes a special Eid prayer at the Mosque is attended. Zakatul Fitr are alms given before prayer during Ramadan. Muslims also have different alms that serve the purpose of purifying one’s wealth. These are given to the local Muslim needy. During Eid-ul-Fitr children are usually given presents and women are also given special gifts by loved ones.

Eid-ul-Adha occurs during Thul Hijjah the 12^th month in the Hijra calendar. Thul Hijjah happens to be one of the four sacred months in which the Hajj or Pilgrimage occur. The point of the Pilgrimage is to visit the Ka’ba, the first house built for worshipping a single god. The Ka’ba is located in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The tenth day of the month is Eid-ul-Adha. People slaughter a lamb or some other appropriate animal because Allah had told Ibrahim to kill his son and when he did, his son, Ishma’el did not die. Allah took this as proof of proof of their faith and he gave them a ram to sacrifice. Muslims usually keep one-third of the meat for themselves, one-third for the needy and with the other one-third they share with neighbors. Eid-ul-Adha is a day to visit family and friends and to thank Allah for blessings.

All of these holidays are celebrated in the world and when celebrating your holiday think about all of the other holidays that are occurring in the same time period.

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