Author | Victoria Hammill | Dec 6th, 2019 |
Christian
December 6- St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas Day is also called the Feast of St. Nicholas. The celebration recognizes St. Nicholas as a bringer of gifts. It is most prominent in European countries. This holiday is not celebrated by all families, and only those who choose to honour St. Nicholas will often get together and share a feast.
This is the original day that children would receive gifts. Over the years, the gift giving has moved to December 25th, or Christmas Day.
December 25- Christmas
In Christianity, Christmas always falls on December 25th which is Jesus’ birthday. Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary and Joseph and his father is God. Jesus is known as the Lord and
Saviour because he sacrificed himself for the sins of his people.
Christmas traditions vary in levels of religious focus and simply family traditions. Christmas trees are very common for people to have decorated in their home and are used as a place to keep gifts under which are opened on December 25th. The true origin of the Christmas tree is debatable, but a common origin is that the tree represents the ‘tree of life’ and the decorations on the tree vary amongst different countries and branches of Christianity. The trees are also commonly topped with either a star to represent the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity or an angel to represent the Angel Gabriel who visited Mary and Joseph on the night of Jesus’ birth.
Hindu
December 8- Gita Jayanti
Gita Jayanti symbolizes the day when Lord Krishna gave the immortal message to Arjuna in Kurukshetra during Mahabharata. The messages of Lord Krishna have been compiled into the sacred book of Hindus, The Bhagavad Gita. During the celebration, followers recite the entire 18 chapters including 700 verses of the Holy Scripture. Scholars have said that the Gita helps individuals make better decisions by examining a situation from a new or different perspective.
December 16- Dhanu Sankranti
This celebration occurs when the sun crosses over to the zodiac sign Sagittarius. There are
twelve “Sankranti”,which is when the zodiac sign changes. The Dhanu specifically refers to the start of the ninth month in the traditional Hindu year. The ninth month is considered the month of plenty, making this a particularly large celebration. Devotees begin the day by offering the Sun God prayers and water accompanied by flowers. Devotees will bathe in sacred rivers as part of the celebration. Devotees will also prepare the special prasad which is sweetened rice flakes made into conical shapes and are offered to God during the puja ceremony. Some people, most commonly women, also choose to fast for the day as a wish for happiness and fortune in their life.
Jain
December 8- Maun Agiyaras
Complete fasting and silence is observed. Meditation is practiced. The day marks the five chief events that are believed to occur in the life of a tirthankara (a saviour and spiritual teacher) in Jainism. They are commemorated as part of many Jain rituals and festivals.
Jewish
December 23-30- Hanukkah or Chanukah
Hanukkah, also known as the “festival of lights” is to commemorate defeating the Greeks
and reclaiming what is now Israel. After the Greek’s were defeated, the people of Israel found just a single bottle of oil to light the Menorah, a seven-branched candelabra. The oil should have been a one-day supply, but was able to keep the Menorah lit for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under the ritual of purity. This is why today the celebration lasts for eight days.
Work is prohibited for one hour after lighting the candle. This time is supposed to be dedicated for “family learning” and teaching about Hanukkah. In Europe, children have also traditionally been given raisins, nuts, and small amounts of money, but in North America this often is changed to symbolic chocolate coins.
Sikh
December 21 & 26- Martyrdom of the Sahibzade
Celebrates the martyrdom of three members of the Guru family. Two young children and their grandmother were killed in 1705 defending their principles and the right to practice their religion and their faith without coercion or the threat of terror.
Sources
Chabad.org. “What Is Hanukkah? - Info You Need about Chanukah.” Judaism, 11 Dec. 2003, https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/102911/jewish/What-Is-Hanukkah.htm.
“Christmas Tree.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Dec. 2019, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree.
Desk, India Today Web. “Gita Jayanti: Facts about Bhagavad Gita, the Sacred Book of Hindus.” India Today, 30 Nov. 2017, https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/gita-jayanti-1097295-2017-11-30.
“DHANU SANKRANTI.” The Indian Panorama, 12 Sept. 2016, https://www.theindianpanorama.news/other-stories/dhanu-sankranti/.
“Jain Festivals.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jain_festivals#Maun_agiyaras.
Meyer, Elisa. “The Hindu Celebration of Dhanu Sankranti.” World Religion News, World Religion News, 16 Dec. 2017, https://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/hindu-celebration-dhanu-sankranti.
Mjl. “How to Celebrate Hanukkah At Home.” My Jewish Learning, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hanukkah-at-home/.
“Saint Nicholas Day.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_Day.
“Supreme Sacrifice.” Supreme Sacrifice - SikhiWiki, Free Sikh Encyclopedia., https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Supreme_sacrifice.
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