HOLIDAYS
November 28,2007
7
You Mean There's Something Besides Christmas?
Amber McKinney
Staff Writer
At this time of year,
shopping centers, super
markets, towns, and
almost all other public
places are decorated for
Christmas. Some decora
tions include elaborate
flashing, moving light
displays, massive plastic
snowglobes with Frosty
trapped inside them, and
North Pole Wonderlands
where well-meaning
Santa imposters hand
out candy and promise
kids that they can have
whatever they want for
Christmas. What you
don't see displayed in the
towns are giant meno-
rahs from Hanukkah,
light-up kinaras from
Kwanzaa, or pifiatas
from Las Posadas. The
hype that surrounds
Christmas often over
shadows the other holi
days that take place dur
ing the winter holiday
season.
Eid al-Adha, also
knovm as the Festival
of the Sacrifice, is an
important religious festi
val celebrated by Islamic
people. According to
ReligionFacts.com, Eid
al-Adha "commemo
rates God's gift of the
ram in place of the bibli
cal patriarch Ibrahim's
(Abraham's) son Isma'il
(Ishmael)." It also cel
ebrates the completion of
the hajj (pilgrimage) rites.
The hajj is a very impor
tant religious pilgrimage
to Mecca that all healthy
and financially able
Muslims are supposed
to complete during their
lifetime.
Since the Islamic
religion is based on the
lunar calendar, Eid al-
Adha does not fall on
the same days every year
on the Gregorian calen
dar, the calendar most
of the world adheres to
nowadays. Therefore,
Eid al-Adha doesn't
always fall during the
winter holidays. This
year Eid al-Adha begins
on December 20, and the
festival lasts for three
days.
Adam Yosef Ali, a
writer for the British
Broadcasting Company,
writes that "Muslims
all over the world sac
rifice an animal during
this Eid. This sacrifice is
known as Qurbani." The
Qurbani is shared with
other people; Ali writes,
"One third is for the
poor, one third for fam
ily emd friends and the
last third for [a Muslim's]
own household." Prayer
is also an important part
of Eid al-Adha.
Hanukkah is a reli
gious holiday celebrated
in the Jewish commu
nity. It's also known as
Chanukkah, the Festival
of Lights, the Feast of
Dedication, and the
Feast of ttie Maccabees.
Some of us remember
this holiday because
Tommy Pickles from
Nickelodeon's TV show
Rugrats celebrated
Hanukkah. Hanukkah
starts on December
25*^, Christmas Day, but
unlike Christmas, it lasts
for eight days.
According to History,
com, "Hanukkah com
memorates the rededi
cation of the Temple
of Jerusalem by Judas
Maccabee in 165 BC after
the Temple had been
profaned by Antiochus
IV Epiphanes, king of
Syria and overlord of
Palestine." When the
temple was being rededi
cated, there was enough
oil for the temple's
menorah for only one
day; however, the oil
miraculously lasted for
eight days. Hanukkah
celebrates this miracle.
According to one
internet source, the only
religious observance that
occurs during Hanukkah
is the lighting of can
dles: "The candles are
arranged in a candela
brum called a menorah...
that holds nine candles:
one for each night, plus
a shammus (servant)
at a different height."
Each night of Hanukkah,
another candle is added
to the menorah and lit.
Other traditions observed
during Hanukkah are
eating fried foods and
playing a gambling game
called dreidel.
Kwanzaa is a cultural
holiday celebrated by
African-Americans, and
it is also a pan-African
holiday. According to
the Official Kwanzaa
Website, Kwanzaa was
created in 1966 by Dr.
Maulana Karenga, a pro
fessor in the Department
of Black Studies
at Califorrxia State
University. Kwanzaa
begins on December 26
and lasts until January
ist.
The Official Kwanzaa
Website states that
"Kwanzaa's reason for
existence, its length of
seven days, its core focus
and its foundation are all
rooted in its concern with
values." The seven can
dles that are used during
Kwanzaa are symbolic of
the Nguzo Saba or Seven
Principles: Unity, Self-
Determination, Collective
Work and Responsibility,
Cooperative Economics,
Purpose, Creativity, and
Faith. Everything used
in the Kwanzaa cer
emony is symbolic and
holds a deep meaning
for those participating in
Kwanzaa.
According to the
Official Kwanzaa
Website, "Kwanzaa was
created to reaffirm and
restore our rootedness in
African culture...[and] to
serve as a regular com
munal celebration to
reaffirm and reir\force the
bonds between us as a
people."
Las Posadas is a reli
gious and cultural holi
day celebrated in Mexico.
It starts on December 16
and lasts until December
24. During Las Posadas,
a posada party is held at
someone's home every
evening during the cel
ebration. According to
the Mexico Connect web
site, the parties are held
to "commemorate Mary
and Joseph's cold and
difficult journey from
Nazareth to Bethlehem in
search of shelter."
Each night, the chil
dren dress up, one child
as an angel and the oth
ers in silver and gold
robes, and walk around
the village wifli the
adults following them.
Everyone sings songs
and carries candles; even
tually, they end up back
at the house were the
party was held. Half of
the crowd goes into the
house while the other
half stays outside. The
half of the crowd that is
outside begs to come in,
commemorating what
Mary and Joseph had to
do when they reached
Bethlehem. The outside
half of the crowd is even
tually let inside, and in
the end everyone breaks
open a pifiata filled with
all sorts of goodies.
If anyone is feeling
annoyed that Christmas
lasts only one day while
many of these other holi
days last a week or more,
don't be upset. Since
employees at the malls
and Wal-mart start put
ting up Christmas deco
rations before Halloween,
people who observe
Christmas can technically
celebrate for almost two
months! During the holi
day seasons, Christmas
isn't the only holiday
that's celebrated, but
it's the one that gets the
most attention. Ask your
friends what celebrations
diey observe during the
winter holidays; you
might be surprised at the
answers.
Avoid cont. from pg. 5
pizzazz, stage your desk
with your hardest class.
Make sure to include
your book and some
work in progress. Math
would be more impres
sive.
Have fun in college.
This is by far the most
important tip. College
is mezm to be a time for
exploration and grow
ing friendships. Don't let
your parents make tilings
any more stressful than
they already are. College
is much harder now than
it was when your par
ents were there. Some of
their tips will help you
out, but some things they
really have no control
over. Let them know
when they are overstep
ping their boundaries.
But be careful. Your
boundaries are definitely
different from theirs.
Math cont. from pg. 5
"Kraines Mathematics
Competition," which
can be foimd in the
list of MAT courses
as well as the ZZ
- Committees courses.
Registration forms for
this year's exam are
available by emailing
burkhead@meredith.
edu or pick up from,
SMB 277. Forms can also
be obtained from any
faculty member of the
department. All com
pleted registration forms
should be returned to the
department by Tuesday,
December 4.