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Christmas in the United States
In the United States, the holiday season starts the day after Thanksgiving, or sometimes even before then. The most commonly acknowledged holidays of the season are Christmas and New Years, though many people also celebrate other holidays like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Navidad.
According to Britannica, December 25th was commonly accepted as the day Jesus was born, after Sextus Julius Africanus announced it would be so. Those who consider themselves Christian may decide to attend mass and complete other religious rituals to celebrate.
Since Christmas is now a secular holiday, non-Christians can celebrate through decorations and traditions. Many people decorate a pine tree with ornaments, hang up lights and stockings, decorate cookies for Santa, sing carols, and more. Some people even celebrate and open gifts on Christmas rather than Christmas day.
New Years in the United States
New Years is not considered religious and is therefore celebrated by people of all faiths and backgrounds to welcome the new year. In prior years, crowds have gathered to watch the ball drop in New York’s Time Square. People at home could watch as well, and it is thought that “…a worldwide audience estimated at over one billion people watch the ceremony each year.” Many people celebrate with elaborate parties and a ceremonial kiss when the clock strikes twelve, but beneath all of that lies the real reason why people enjoy this holiday so much. Anyone can reinvent themselves with the help of New Year’s resolutions. At the start of each year, everyone gets a chance to change. A chance to become the person they’ve always dreamed of being.
Nochbuena
The Philippines celebrate Christmas with their own unique traditions, but it shares Noche Buena with Latin America and Spain. Nochebuena is on December 24th and is celebrated by attending late masses and feasts. The food that is served varies by country, but. some common dishes would include roasted pork, tamales, seafood, etc. After the meal, which usually follows midnight mass, families play games, listen to music, exchange gifts, and sit and chat amongst each other late into the night.
The 12 Days of Navidad
Each of the 12 Days of Navidad, December 25th to January 5th, are dedicated to a person, group of people, or significant event. Lights and the nativity scene would be considered common decorations. Since the holidays are in the summertime, many families stay inside during the day. Navidad is celebrated similarly throughout Latin America and Spain, though most countries have a few unique traditions of their own. Below is a brief description of how each country celebrates the 12 Days of Navidad:
At 12am on Christmas Day, paper lanterns are launched into the sky. They represent the star of Bethlehem, as well as the birth of Jesus.
After returning from midnight mass, which is called the Mass of the Rooster, families begin to consume the Christmas feast.
After mass, a magnificent display of fireworks signals the start of Navidad. Many families go to the beach, have picnics, or attend the play, The Shepherds, on Christmas day.
Rather than Santa Claus, Old Man Christmas, who is occasionally referred to as Father Christmas, is celebrated for bringing gifts for children through windows.
December 7th is Little Candles Day, and people use candles to guide and get blessed by Mary. Ninth takes place from December 16th to the 24th, and families gather to eat, sing, and pray. On the Feast of Holy Innocents, December 28th, people play pranks on each other.
Since 1996, the Festival of Lights has been celebrated in San José. The Top celebration, where horses and people dressed as cowboys march in the streets, also takes place in San José. Families watch the event after receiving their gifts from baby Jesus.
The Parties is an event in Remedios. People party and compete to see who has the best costumes and music. Fireworks are lit at midnight, and the festivities continue soon after.
Decorating the nativity scene and singing Christmas carols are both common family traditions. Many also attend a parade, called The Child’s Pass, that celebrates the birth of Jesus through music and dancing. They are held anytime from mid-December to the 25th.
Fireworks are used to celebrate Jesus’s birth right before midnight, though they are sent off intermittently throughout the entire month of December. Families eat leftovers for days after the 25th, and often spend time relaxing at the beach.
The Burning of the Devil happens on December 7th because it is believed that burning the devil removes all bad luck. That means that The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the following day, is then a holy day. Even before opening presents, families say a prayer anyway.
People use fireworks to celebrate Christmas, a holiday that is meant to be shared with family. To ensure that the whole family will have good omens, everyone has to have new clothes on either Christmas or New Years.
Piñatas, which hold candy for children, represent the seven deadly sins with their points. From December 16th to the 24th, the story about the search for Jesus’s birthplace, conducted by Mary and Joseph, is celebrated. Christmas Day is spent with family, and fireworks are lit.
Weeks before Christmas, people celebrate the Virgin Mary’s conception by singing carols. People also scramble to buy candles and nativity figurines. The Catholic Church organizes a Christmas Day parade where priests and performers reenact the birth of Jesus.
December 8th is celebrated as the day where all the sins of the Virgin Mary’s life were erased, rather than being considered the day Jesus was conceived.
The holidays are very religious, even to the point that Santa Clause, of Father Christmas, is banned from the country. That also means the nativity scene many people have at home, which is decorated with a Peruvian looking Jesus and llamas, is very important.
Starting December 15th until the 24th, masses with music from traditional instruments and singing, are held at dawn. Families usually attend mass on the 25th as well. A unique New Year’s tradition is to eat a grape every time the clock chimes, and then people light fireworks.
Throughout Spain, there are characters like the Christmas Log or a magical farmer named Olentrenzo that are celebrated. Families, after the midnight mass, play instruments and carry torches through their cities because the night is not meant for sleeping.
Christmas is referred to as Family’s Day, though it is celebrated traditionally. There is a mass and feast in the late night of the 24th, or early morning of the 25th. There are fireworks and families celebrate together.
The celebrations start on the 21st, and people are so dedicated to them that they paint their houses to decorate. The common traditions like midnight mass and fireworks happen, though the music is played with uniquely Venezuelan instruments.
Día de los Reyes Magos
The Day of the Three Wise Men, also known as Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day, is celebrated on January 6th in honor of the three wise men that gave gifts to baby Jesus. Their names were “…Melchior hailed from Persia, Gaspar (also called “Caspar” or “Jaspar”) from India, and Balthazar from Arabia.”
There are quite a few traditions to celebrate the day, but they are mostly geared towards children. For example, children are supposed to leave their Christmas List in their shoes, which are left outside, for the wise men. In some countries, most gifts are actually exchanged on the 6th, rather than the 25th.
There are many desserts eaten specifically on the holiday as well. In Mexico, people eat a cake called King’s Cake. It has a baby figurine located within it, and the person who finds it becomes Jesus’s ‘Godparent.’ In Spain, some choose to eat a ring-shaped pastry, which can contain a figurine of a king, a dried bean, and cream or chocolate filling inside. The pastry is often decorated with a crown that can only be worn if the figurine is found. When the bean is found, the pastry has to be paid for.
The Holiday Season
Though it is fun to partake in holiday festivities, the most important part of the holidays is to relax and spend quality time with other people, or even just yourself. It is important to remind the people in your life that you love them.
Receiving gifts is, in fact, one of the five love languages, so giving gifts holds some merit. It is often the most misunderstood love language, but in reality, people who use this love language feel understood when given the right gift. Everyone likes feeling understood, and that is one of the many reasons why the holidays bring joy.
As people begin to return to their normal routines, it is most imperative that they remember these lessons. They will help to get people through the year as many await the holiday season’s joyous return.
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