Cash Golden ‘27
The month of December is home to different holidays celebrated by many people across the world and in our community.
For every person, the holidays mean different things and are celebrated through many different traditions. The Mane News interviewed celebrants of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, to learn more about just a few of the many important traditions celebrated at St. Andrew’s.
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated for eight days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev, the ninth month on the Jewish calendar which is based on the cycles of the moon. This year, it will be celebrated between December 7th and 14th.
The origins of Hanukkah began with the Maccabean (a Jewish rebel group) revolt against the Seleucid empire at the beginning of the 2nd century AD. Oil in a Maccabean lamp that was only supposed to light a menorah for one day lasted eight, which is why Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days.
Sam Wenk and Grant Gilman, co-vice presidents of the Jewish Student Alliance, agreed to share what the holiday means to them. Sam said that in his family Hanukkah is “a time of family bonding more than anything.”
“It’s really a time for family to come together and give some presents and some food, just to have a good time,” said Wenk. Gilman agreed with Sam, repeating the same idea that “It’s just a time for people to come together and be like: guys, we’re lucky we have all this. Here’s some presents.”
Next is Christmas, America’s most popular holiday, celebrated every year on the 25th day of December. It is primarily a Christian holiday, but it is celebrated by a large number of households in the U.S. and in St. Andrew’s.
One person who celebrates Christmas is the middle and upper school chaplain, Chaplain Isaacs.
Chaplain said “It is the celebration of the son of God coming and becoming human, which is called the incarnation in Christianity. That is the mystery that I meditate and focus on as I’m celebrating Christmas. But I also have a family with young children, and so Christmas is also a season that I am able to celebrate joy and compassion and love with them as well.”
Last but not least is Kwanzaa, which is celebrated by Black Americans across the nation between December 26 and January 1st this year. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, it is celebrated by lighting a candle each day on a candle holder called a Kinera, and each candle represents a principle that is highlighted on that day. One person at St. Andrew’s who celebrates Kwanzaa is Ms. Van Tol. She said that she “started celebrating Kwanzaa mainly for my son to connect him with his culture. My husband is not African American, but I am and my son is kind of both. And so I wanted to make sure that he understood the different aspects of his community and people who he came from on his mother’s side, so that is why I started celebrating.”What Kwanzaa means to Ms. Van Tol is, “Community and celebrating yourself as an African American in America. I think it’s really nice to have fellowship and come together to celebrate the different values of family, friendship, and community. But just kind of having dinners together and having another opportunity during the Christmas season to not just get gifts but to celebrate each other.”
Photo via Cash Golden