A Whackadoodle Season's Greetings to my fellow Whackadoodlians
You've heard of the Twelve Days of Christmas? Well, here are the Twelve Holidays of December. May we all celebrate them together. P.S. Don't forget to notice the card. It inspired this post.
Let’s face it, when the nights get long, and the days get cold, we all could use a good celebration. Here are just a few of the seasonal celebrations occurring this December. May your heart be full enough to honor them all.
We will begin with the 5th of December. That date was always my sister’s birthday growing up, but the 5th of December also happens to be Sinterklaas Day in the Netherlands. As the children of a proudly Dutch mother, we were never allowed to forget it. So Happy Birthday to my sister, and happy Sinterklaas Day to you all.
What is Sinterklaas Day, aka St. Nicholas Day, aka my sister’s birthday?
Here is an explanation, along with a few words about eleven other seasonal celebrations. May you take a moment to enjoy them all.
St. Nicholas Day, aka my sister’s birthday (Dec. 5 or 6)
A day celebrating the life and death of Saint Nicholas, known for his generosity and gift giving. In the European countries of Germany and Poland, boys have traditionally dressed as bishops and begged alms for the poor. In Poland and Ukraine children wait for St. Nicholas to come and to put a present under their pillows provided that the children were good during the year. Children who behaved badly could expect to find a twig or a piece of coal under their pillows. In the Netherlands and Belgium children put out a shoe filled with hay and a carrot for Saint Nicholas' horse. In the morning the hay was gone, and small treats were found inside. Saint Nicholas Day gifts are often tagged with personal humorous rhymes written by the sender. In the United States, one custom associated with Saint Nicholas Day is children leaving their shoes in the foyer on Saint Nicholas Eve in hope that Saint Nicholas will place some coins on the soles.
The American Santa Claus, as well as the British Father Christmas, are said to have derive from Saint Nicholas. The name "Santa Claus" is itself derived in part from the Dutch Sinterklaas, the saint's name in that language. However, the gift giving associated with these figures is associated with Christmas Day rather than Saint Nicholas Day itself.
Immaculate Conception Day (Dec. 8)
Catholics celebrate the day of Immaculate Conception to honor the Virgin Mary, who is believed to have been born without original sin. The day is often celebrated by going to church and feasting.
Bodhi Day (Dec. 8)
Also known as Rohatsu, this Buddhist tradition honors the day in which the Buddha—Siddartha Gautauma—is said to have achieved enlightenment. Many Buddhists celebrate it through meditation.
Feast Day of Our Lady Guadalupe (Dec. 12)
Mexicans and Mexican-Americans often celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico who symbolizes patriotism and devotion. Millions of pilgrims typically visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December to celebrate the festival, which marks one of several apparitions of the Virgin Mary that some Catholic believers say was witnessed by an Indigenous Mexican man in 1531.
Hanukkah (Dec. 7-15, 2023)
The eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins this year on December 7. It is also known as the Jewish Festival of Lights and entails the lighting of a nine-branched menorah each night. (The ninth candle is used to light the others.) The ritual symbolizes how one day’s worth of oil miraculously lasted for eight days during a battle between a small group of Jewish people and the powerful Greek-Syrian army in 165 B.C, from which the Jewish people emerged victorious and reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Customary foods include latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (jam-filled donuts) and brisket. Children often play with a dreidel (a spinning top with Hebrew letters). While giving small gifts each night has become a common modern tradition, it’s not essential. One common gift is gelt, or gold and silver “coins” made of foil-wrapped chocolate. These gifts are shared with everyone.
Solstice Day (Dec. 21)
The longest night of the year in the norther hemisphere. The shortest night of the year in the southern hemisphere. Winter Solstice in the north. Summer Solstice in the south. Various Solstice Day celebration occur throughout the world. I’m listing only a few of them here: the Hopi celebration of Soyal, the Zuni celebration of Shalako, the Chinese celebration of Dong Zhi, Scandinavia’s St. Lucia Day, and the Roman celebration of Saturnalia.
Yule (Dec. 21-Jan.1)
Wiccans, Neo-Pagans, and people who just think it’s fun, celebrate the winter solstice through the festival of Yule. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year; Yule celebrates the re-emergence of the sun and the days beginning to grow longer again. The festival was first celebrated in Scandinavia as a Norse festival.
A common tradition is burning the yule log, which originally was done to celebrate the sun’s return. It has since also been folded into a Christmas tradition. In fact, Yule became associated with Christmas in the 9th century, although some still stick to the original Yule celebrations.
Christmas (Dec. 25)
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, primarily observed on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it follows the season of Advent (which begins four Sundays before) or the Nativity Fast, and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season organized around it.
Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving; completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath; Christmas music and caroling; watching Christmas movies; viewing a Nativity play; an exchange of Christmas cards; church services; a special meal; and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and the Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.
Boxing Day (Dec. 26)
A British tradition that occurs the day after Christmas and dates back to the 1800s when Queen Victoria ruled the throne. At the time, it was a day to ensure that upper class Britons gave servants and workers a day off, in addition to giving them a present. The holiday has since evolve into a more commercial occasion for gift-giving.
Kwanzaa (Dec. 26-Jan. 1)
The week-long holiday of Kwanzaa honors African-American heritage; it’s a cultural holiday as opposed to a religious one.
Black nationalist Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 as a way to unite the African-American community following the Watts Rebellion in a predominantly Black Los Angeles neighborhood. An uprising against systemic racism began after a white California highway patrol officer arrested a young Black man for drunken driving. The rebellion led to 34 deaths—two-thirds of which were individuals shot by police or National Guard troops, per the Associated Press. It also resulted in more than 1,000 injuries.
Karenga laid out seven key principles for Kwanzaa: unity; self-determination; collective responsibility; cooperative economics; purpose; creativity; and faith. Its name comes from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which translates to “first fruits.” Kwanzaa celebrations draw from African musical and storytelling traditions.
Zarathosht Diso, aka Sadeh, aka Yalda (Dec. 26)
Founded by the Prophet Zoroaster more than 3,000 years ago, Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions. The day of Sadeh, celebrates the discovery of fire and its ability to banish the cold and dark, which is why it is held in the frigid depths of winter. Zoroastrians also honor the death of their prophet on this day, typically by visiting a fire temple and offering prayers.
New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31)
This day every new year is met with anticipation around the world, as revelers party, set off fireworks, set resolutions and count down to midnight to welcome in new beginnings. In many post-Soviet countries, the holiday is celebrated with traditions similar to Christmas, such as the arrival of gifts from “Grandfather Frost.”
No matter what you celebrate, it’s important to celebrate; so Happy December to you all.