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MONTH archive
Holidays and Holy Days
Submitted by Tolu Oyelowo, D.C. Diversity Commission
November 1-30, 2005
National American Indian Heritage Month has for over a hundred years been a month to recognize the influence that American Indians have had on the culture, history and development of the United States. The term American Indian incorporates hundreds of different tribes and about 250 different languages.
November 1
Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican celebration that combines Christian and Aztec traditions and beliefs. The celebrations may include family reunions, visits to burial sites of loved ones, special foods prepared and fireworks . An altar and offerings are dedicated to the deceased, the elements of which include earth, wind, water, and fire.
The earth is represented by crop which feed the souls with the aroma of food, the wind is represented by a moving object such as tissue paper, water is placed in a container so the soul can quench its thirst and fire is represented by a wax candle. Each lit candle represents a soul, and an extra one is placed for the forgotten soul.
November 4, 2005
Eid Al-Fitr is the holiday that falls at the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan (during which time Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. The Islamic calendar date is Shawwal 1, 1424. The date of Eid Al-Fitr varies from year to year because it is determined by the sighting of the new moon according to the Islamic lunar calendar. Eid Al-Fitr usually lasts for several days (three in most Islamic countries). It is celebrated by wearing new clothes and visiting relatives. Children usually receive gifts from parents and relatives. Family outings can include visits to parks, funfairs, puppet shows and plays. This holiday is known as Seker Bayram in Turkey and Hari Raya Puasa in Southeast Asia.
November 11, 2005
Veterans Day was originally commemorated to honor the signing of the armistice that ended WW1 in 1918. It was meant to honor the millions who had died in that war. Currently this day now honors ALL who have served in all the nations’ wars.
November 12, 2005
Birthday of the Baha’u’llah marks the birthday of the prophet founder of the Baha’i faith.
November 25, 2005
Thanksgiving Day is the day set aside to give thanks for the harvest, and the blessings of the year. Congress made thanksgiving a federal holiday in 1941. The first nationwide observance occurred in 1843 when President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation designating the fourth Thursday of November as a day of national thanksgiving.
December 8, 2005
Bodhi Day commemorates the day of the Buddha’s enlightenment. This holiday celebrates Buddha’s attaining understanding of the truth of existence after sitting for seven days under a Bodhi tree vowing to understand the meaning of life.
December 12, 2005
The Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe commemorates the legend of the sighting of the Virgin Mother on a hill near Mexico City. Our Lady of Guadalupe became the patroness of Mexico City. By 1746 she was the patron saint of all New Spain and by 1910 of all Latin America. The Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated with music, parties, pilgrimages, and special ceremonies at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
December 21, 2005
Winter Solstice is the day that ‘marks the return of the Sun’. Solstice means standing still sun. In ancient times, winter was a very difficult time for people in the northern latitudes. The growing season had ended and people would be troubled as the life-giving sun sank lower in the sky each noon. They feared that it would eventually disappear and leave them in permanent darkness and extreme cold. Solstice ceremonies have at their root, an ancient fear that the failing light would never return unless humans intervened with anxious vigil or antic celebration. Winter solstice is when daylight is the shortest and the sun has its lowest arc in the sky.
December 25, 2005
Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. One of the most popular Christian observances, Christmas has been celebrated since the 4th century. Although Jesus' birth date is not known, the Western church selected December 25 for the feast, possibly to counteract the non-Christian festivals of the approximate date. Many customs from non-Christian festivals (Roman, Saturnalia, Mithraic sun's birthday, Teutonic yule, Druidic and other winter solstice rites) have been adopted as part of the Christmas celebration (lights, mistletoe, holly, ivy, holiday trees, wassailing and gift-giving, for example). The Christian significance of gift giving symbolizes that God gave mankind the gift of his son the Christ.
December 25 2005- sunset – January 2, 2006
Chanukah (Hanukkah), also called the Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication is a Jewish festival lasting eight days which commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians (in 165 B.C.) and the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem. It also celebrates the miracle of the eternal light, known as the N'er Tamid. It is told that, when rededicating the Temple, only a tiny jug of oil was found with only enough for a single day. The oil lamp was filled and lit. The miracle occurred as the tiny amount of oil stayed lit not for one day, but for eight days. The Hebrew calendar date is Kislev 25, 5764. Modern-day Jews celebrate Chanukah by lighting one candle for each of the eight days of the festival, giving and receiving gifts, decorating the house, entertaining friends and family and eating special foods.
December 26, 2005
Boxing Day is observed on the first day after Christmas and is a legal holiday in Canada, the United Kingdom, and many other countries. It is a day when, formerly (according to popular belief), Christmas gift boxes were presented to the postman, the lamplighter, the dustman, and to other servants and functionaries who rendered services and who worked on Christmas Day. Today, the custom of giving gifts or money to those who provide service continues. It is also popular to visit grandparents and shop (when the after- Christmas discounts begin).
December 26, 2005 - January 1, 2006
Kwanzaa meaning "first fruit" in Swahili is the seven day African American celebration which stresses unity of the Black family. The Primary Symbols of Kwanzaa include:
Mkeka a straw mat on which all the other items are placed; Kinara the candle-holder which holds seven candles and represents the original stalk from which we all sprang; Mshumaa seven candles representing the seven social principles, the ear of corn representing the children and the Unity Cup symbolizing the first principle of Kwanzaa which is Unity. The other principles are Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith. The high festival celebration is held on the night of December 31. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga to recognize the traditional African harvest festivals.
January 1, 2005
New Year's Day is the first day of the first month of the Gregorian calendar year. Traditionally it is a time for personal stocktaking, making resolutions for the coming year, and sometimes for recovering from the festivities of New Year's Eve. It is the world's most widely celebrated holiday.
January 6, 2005
Epiphany (called The Twelfth Day or Three Kings Day) is also known as Old Christmas Day or Twelfthtide. A major festival of the Christian Church, observed in many parts of the world, the celebration commemorates the visit of the Magi or Three Wise Men to Bethlehem, (Caspar - the young King of Tarsus, Melchior – a bearded old man and leader of Arabia, and Balthazar - the king from Ethiopia). This was the first Gentile recognition of Christ. One of the oldest Christian feasts, Epiphany is observed in Roman Catholic churches as well as Eastern Orthodox Churches and includes gift-giving, feasting, and the burning of Christmas greens.
Resources:
Multicultural Development Center, Bloomington, MN
Chase's Calendar of Events 2003. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 2003.
Chase's Calendar of Events 2004. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 2004.
http://www.islamicity.com/ramadan/
http://www.holidays.net/chanukah/story.html
http://www.holidays.net/christmas
http://www.web-holidays.com/boxing/
http://www.melanet.com/kwanzaa/symbols.html#primary
http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/
http://www.religioustolerance.org/winter_solstice.htm
http://www.dayofthedead.com
