Festivals in December
December is a time of joy, happiness, presents and cheesy songs. It is also a time of your bank account balance decreasing alarmingly.
Christmas is a time when Christians celebrate God sending his son, Jesus, to earth. (That’s when the Nativity scene complete with shepherds, wise men, angels and donkey appears.) They exchange presents as a reminder that Jesus was the greatest gift that God could give to mankind.
During the winter, the Jews celebrate Hanukkah (the Hebrew word for dedication), which is an eight day and night festival to celebrate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev, which can be any time from late November until late December.
The 8th of December is Bodhi Day, when Buddhists recall that Siddhartha Gautama vowed to sit under a tree in India and not rise until he was enlightened.
On the 26th of December, Kwanzaa, which is a weeklong modern African-American and pan-African celebration of family, community and culture, starts.
