Call Now
December is a magical time of year, filled with festive cheer, twinkling lights, and heartwarming traditions.
At Heart of Florida United Way, we love learning about the diverse holiday traditions that make our community so special. From the celebration of Hanukkah to the ancient rituals of Yule and the cultural richness of Kwanzaa, our community is a tapestry of diverse celebrations.
By learning about and embracing these different traditions, we can foster a more inclusive and understanding community where we LIVE UNITED.
Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights
Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah in Hebrew, is a joyous Jewish holiday celebrating a miracle that occurred over 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. The word “Hanukkah” means “dedication” in Hebrew.
When is Hanukkah celebrated? Hanukkah is celebrated annually in November or December for eight days. This year, it begins at sundown on Wednesday, December 25, 2024, and ends at sundown on January 2, 2025.
How is Hanukkah celebrated? Hanukkah is a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate. Traditional customs during the eight-day festival include:
Lighting the Hanukkah Menorah: Each night of Hanukkah, a candle is lit on a special nine-branched candelabra called a menorah. One candle, called the shamash, is used to light the other eight candles.
Playing Dreidel: A spinning top game with Hebrew letters, dreidel is a popular Hanukkah pastime. The classic dreidel is a four-sided spinning top often made of wood, plastic, or clay.
Each side bears a Hebrew letter: nun (נ) gimmel (ג) hey (ה) and shin (ש).
These letters form an acronym for “Nes Gadol Haya Sham,” meaning “A Great Miracle Happened There,” a reference to the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days during Hanukkah.
The dreidel symbolizes Jewish resilience. It originated during the Maccabean Revolt when Jewish practices, like studying the Torah, were outlawed. To disguise their religious study, Jewish children played dreidel, and as a result, it remains a cherished Hanukkah tradition.
Eating Traditional Foods: Hanukkah is associated with fried foods, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts), and blintzes (thin pancakes).
Gift-Giving: Exchanging gifts, often small and symbolic, is a common practice during Hanukkah.
Yule
Yule, a historic Germanic winter solstice festival, originated in Scandinavia as a celebration of the sun’s return. It lasts for 12 days and honors the sacred period between the old and new year.
It’s a time of gratitude for nature and the triumph of light over darkness, rooted in ancient pagan traditions.
When is Yule celebrated? Yule is traditionally celebrated around the winter solstice, typically occurring on December 21-22 in the Northern Hemisphere.
How is Yule celebrated? As part of the tradition, a large tree trunk is cut the same day as the Winter Solstice, and it is slowly burned in a home’s fireplace over the course of the 12-day festival.
Another Yule tradition will likely seem familiar: bringing various plants like evergreen boughs, holly, ivy, mistletoe, or birch inside the home.
A Sweet Twist on an Old Tradition
The Yule log tradition continues, though in a more modern form. Originally, a large log would burn for the entire festival. Now, a log-shaped cake is a popular alternative.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa comes from a Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which translates to “first fruits.”
The holiday was founded by Maulana Karenga, an American activist, in 1966 as a response to the Watts Rebellion, a significant event in the Civil Rights Movement. It is not a religious holiday, but rather a cultural celebration honoring African heritage.
Kwanzaa emphasizes seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
When is Kwanzaa celebrated? This year, Kwanzaa begins on Thursday, December 26 and ends on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.
How is Kwanzaa celebrated? Kwanza is a week-long celebration of African American culture. It involves seven principles, each represented by a specific symbol: fruits, vegetables, nuts, a straw mat, a candleholder, corn, gifts, a communal cup, and seven candles in red, green, and black. Each day, families light a candle in the kinara (candleholder) and discuss a principle.
Karamu: The celebration ends with a community feast, karamu, where traditional African clothing is often worn.
Sources:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia. ” Yule.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2022.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Watts-Riots-of-1965
Calendarr. “Yule” Calendarr. November 25, 2024.
https://www.calendarr.com/united-states/yule/
Chabad. “How to Play Dreidel: Rules for the Traditional Chanukah Spinning-top Game”, November 4, 2024
How to Play Dreidel – Rules for the traditional Chanukah spinning-top game – Chabad.org
Chabad. “Hanukkah Songs: Chanukah Music & Lyrics”, December 14, 2023.
https://www.chabad.org/multimedia/music_cdo/aid/218974/jewish/Hanukkah-Songs.htm
Reader’s Digest. L. Cahn. “What Is Hanukkah, and Why Do We Celebrate It?”, August 12, 2024.
What Is Hanukkah? History, Traditions, Facts 2024 | Reader’s Digest
Time Magazine. S. Mansoor. “11 Holidays the World Celebrates in December”, December 2022.
https://time.com/6242283/december-global-holidays-christmas-hanukkah-yule/
