Happy Holidays

Mel Makaw.

All my life I've celebrated Christmas in one way or another, even though a lifetime of changing circumstances has also periodically necessitated changes in beloved holiday traditions. This year will be no exception – a welcome low-key day awaits me – although over the years I've also expanded my own personal celebrations to include more than one holiday.

You see, through the years, thanks to a curiosity instilled in me long ago by my mother, I've learned about a number of other holidays during the winter season, and that has in some ways changed how and what I celebrate. As I've grown and opened my heart to other beliefs and festivities, and other ways of marking special days or weeks, I find I am filled with more of what I consider the true spirit of Christmas: a deep and abiding respect and love for others who may be different than me (or even more aptly put: a joy in finding out that I have more in common with others than I once may have thought).

I also find it fascinating that while we all may celebrate differently – whether we are observing Christmas Day differently with a variety of diverse family traditions or celebrating different holidays altogether – we are all sharing the basic premise of some sort of goodwill, camaraderie, acts of giving, enlightenment and peace on earth. We are, after all, all in this together.

Some holidays that are already over in December included St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6), when Christians honor the birth of Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus's inspiration, thanks to the saint's habit of gift giving), and Immaculate Conception Day (Dec. 8), a Catholic celebration honoring the Virgin Mary.

Also on Dec. 8, Buddhists celebrated Bodhi Day (or Rohatsu), the day the Buddha is believed to have achieved enlightenment. Dec. 12 was the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a day when Mexicans and Mexican-Americans celebrated the patron saint of Mexico (an icon of patriotism and devotion).

Coming up: Yule/Yuletide, Dec. 21- Jan. 1. Observed by Wiccans and Neo-Pagans, the holiday celebrates the winter solstice (the shortest and darkest day –and the longest night – of the year on the 21st) through the festival of Yuletide, which celebrates the re-emergence of the sun and the days getting longer again. (Interesting to note, Yule became associated with Christmas Day in the 9th century, combining many of the pagan festivities with Christian ones, and Yuletide refers mostly to the rest of the holiday celebrating the return of the sun.)

Christmas Day, Dec. 25, will be the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, promoting especially love, peace and joy, and good will. Note: over the years the day has also become known as a secular family holiday by people of all faiths, marked by gift exchanges.

This year Hanukah will be celebrated Dec. 25-Jan. 2. Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) is an eight-day Jewish holiday known as the Festival of Lights, in which candles are lit nightly, and gifts are exchanged. The festival celebrates freedom from oppression and religious freedom (and the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem).

Boxing Day is Dec. 26, a British tradition that started in the 1800s when upper class Britons gave servants and workers a day off in addition to giving them a gift.

Zarathosht Diso (spellings differ by sources) is also celebrated on Dec. 26. One of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, founded more than 3,000 years ago, Zoroastrians honor the death of their prophet on this day, typically by visiting a fire temple and offering prayers.

Kwanzaa, based on African harvest festival traditions, is another weeklong celebration (Dec. 26-Jan. 1, first started in Los Angeles in 1966). More of a cultural holiday than a religious one, honoring African-American heritage, it usually ends with a communal feast on the sixth day.

So many holidays this time of year, and so many different ways to come together and celebrate. Hopefully this season finds you at peace and with love and joy in your heart, no matter how or what or why you mark the special occasion(s).

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

© 2024 Mel Makaw. Mel, local writer/photographer and author of On the Bright Side, a collection of columns (available at Tehachapi Arts Center) has been looking on the bright side for various publications since 1996. She welcomes your comments at [email protected].