It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year – Christmas! While many are preoccupied with shopping and decorating trees, there are several other (and perhaps lesser-known) holidays celebrated within our own community.
Here, we’ll highlight just a few in an effort to showcase what makes our community so special: the diverse ways in which we celebrate and serve.
-
Bodhi Day is a Buddhist holiday commemorating the day that Buddha attained enlightenment. In much of the Western world, it is celebrated on December 8 with visits to shrines, reflective meditation services, and decorating Ficus religiosa trees.
-
Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January 1 and focuses on seven main ethical principles, Nguzo Saba. Food and feasting are central, as is honoring ancestors and different aspects of African American culture (such as reciting poetry and writing from Black authors).
-
Hanukkah is celebrated from December 26 to January 2 and is a Jewish celebration commemorating the victory of Jews over the Syrian Greeks in 164 BC. It is marked by the nightly lighting of the menorah (a nine-branched candelabrum), symbolizing the miraculous story of how a small amount of oil lasted 8 days to light the menorah in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Playing games like dreidel or making foods such as latkes are often family endeavors, bringing together members of all ages.
-
The Winter Solstice on December 21 is celebrated by many, regardless of religious affiliation. Lighting candles and setting intentions for the new season are common ways to honor this holiday.
The cool thing about celebrations is that they aren’t confined to just a season. Many communities follow the lunar calendar for their holidays:
-
The Chinese New Year festival begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar, approximately January 29, 2025.
-
The Buddhist lunar Bodhi Day is on January 7, 2025.
-
Nowruz is an ancient Persian festival marking spring's arrival on the Equinox, March 20, 2025.
-
Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, occurs in the ninth month of the lunar calendar, approximately March 1, 2025, and culminates with the Eid celebration on April 1, 2025.
-
Holi, known to Sikhs and Hindus as the Festival of Colors, falls on the first full moon between February and March 2025.
-
During the Festival of Lights, known as Diwali, on October 9, 2025, you may see rows of traditional clay oil lamps outside homes to symbolize the victory of light over darkness. Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists.
-
On November 5, 2025, the Sikh community celebrates the birth anniversary of the first guru and founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev.
-
Hispanic Christmas celebrations often occur during December and January, blending Spanish traditions and Indigenous rituals.
“My family is from Mexico, and we celebrate Christmas on December 24 with lots of family get-togethers, tamales, and gifts. Some will put up elaborate nativity scenes; others may celebrate Las Posadas, which involves a singing procession that visits homes for nine days leading up to Christmas on the 25th,” says Deniz Limon, an Allen resident of 19 years.
What is common among all these holidays, in December or at any other time of the year?
Mouthwatering food!
Ever wanted to try latkes (Jewish) or salty yogurt lassi and sweet ladoo desserts (common in Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim festivals)? Or maybe your thing is aromatic saffron rice (during Eid) or “lucky” dumplings (Chinese New Year)? How about devouring spicy black-eyed peas (Kwanzaa) or golden baklava pastries (Nowruz)?
Beyond the glorious food, religious and cultural diversity reveals our common humanity. All of these holidays emphasize acts of righteousness, such as donating time and money to worthy causes or feeding the needy. You won’t have to look far to experience the spirit of giving. Delivering gifts to children, breaking bread together, reciting scripture and song, or cleaning out the old to make way for the new are often family or communal events.
So, it doesn’t matter whether you decorate your house with colorful lights and warm clay candles in the spring, or with poinsettias and Christmas trees in December—there are plenty of traditions to enjoy this season!
The cool thing about celebrations is that they aren’t confined to just a season. Many communities follow the lunar calendar for their holidays.
Beyond the glorious food, religious and cultural diversity reveals our common humanity. All of these holidays emphasize acts of righteousness, such as donating time and money to worthy causes or feeding the needy. You won’t have to look far to experience the spirit of giving