‘Tis the season

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By David S. Edge

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The Christmas holidays are finally upon us and we are already probably sick of the Christmas commercials we’ve been seeing since Halloween. But keep the cheer and remember the reason for the season!

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Are you Merry Christmas, Mazel Tov, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Boxing Day, or even a Happy St. Nicholas Day? Countries all over the world celebrate different ways of welcoming the holiday spirit.

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Christmas trees, the lighting of the Menorah candles, placing wooden shoes outside your door- all of these traditions are celebrated and you learned to celebrate the traditions of your family.

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Many folks get a misunderstanding from the names of certain holidays. One example is Boxing Day, which is celebrated in the U.K., as well as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Now, before you imagine people putting on boxing gloves and hitting each other – that’s not what Boxing Day is at all. In those countries, there are several theories of how Boxing Day came about. One of the most popular is that local churches opened the “Poor Box” the day after Christmas to distribute money that had been donated for the less fortunate; hence “Box Day”. Another theory was that servants had to work Christmas Day and that employers would then give them the day after Christmas off, so they could shop and enjoy their families.

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St. Nicholas Day is in celebration of a priest who roamed the countryside helping people in despair; many children still place a wooden shoe outside their doors in hope that St. Nick will leave them a small toy or treat.

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Hanukkah, sometimes known as the festival of lights, is the 8-day celebration of the dedication of the Second Temple in 165 BC. The ruler at the time had outlawed Judaism and confiscated the temple. But the Jewish people revolted and got their temple back. The Temple needed cleansing. The lamps lasted 8 days and this is why the Menorah has eight candles with a ninth spot for a candle in case you needed to see or to light the others. Tradition has it was used by Moses to hold religious ceremonies while the Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years after their freedom from the Egyptians.

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The holidays and the many traditions are very interesting and it’s fun to find out all the various and fun ways to celebrate this wonderful holiday!

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Happy Holidays!!!