When looking back on the holiday season, it is important to take the time to reflect on everything that has been celebrated. What was it that you celebrated this year? In addition to acknowledging one’s own festivities, in alignment with the embracing community of Laurier, it is essential to acknowledge the many different holidays and traditions around the globe. Although this article will not cover every holiday in existence, but rather focus on two lesser-known traditions, hopefully it widens your eyes and inspires your spirit still in the name of holiday cheer. From Christmas to Hanukkah, to Kwanzaa, to Diwali, to Las Posadas, there is joy all around us.
Many don’t even know the history of their own cultures and traditions, which is often the best place to start if you are thirsty for knowledge. The word “holiday” originally was used for special religious days or events but overtime it has been used to also encompass national days of honour, and days given off from work and school for rest. Overall, most people have come to love when they hear the word “holiday” because it usually means the latter.
For some Indigenous peoples, The Midwinter Ceremony is a prominent Holiday Tradition. It is celebrated by the Haudenosaunee and it is when a knowledge keeper recounts over several days the story of the founding of their Confederacy and the elements of the Great Law. It is a beautiful tradition rich with culture and community. This tradition starts off the Haudenosaunee year with the Midwinter Festival, held in late January or early February. It begins five days after the first new moon in January and it lasts for about eight days. It sees naming ceremonies for newborns, new leaders are chosen, and the “stirring of ashes” takes place (this is a symbolic turning over of Mother Earth for a fresh start in the new year).
Bodhi Day is a celebratory holiday for the Buddhist that acknowledges the day that Gautama Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment (also known as Bodhi). Bodhi day has numerous traditions, but it is still typically celebrated in a calm and quiet manner. Buddhists usually spend time on Bodhi Day meditating, praying, and reflecting about the Noble Eightfold Path as well as the Four Noble Truths. Some household traditions include, decorating a fig or Bodhi tree, eating rice and milk (the first meal Buddha ate after he reached enlightenment), lighting candles to represent Buddha’s enlightenment, and decorating the house with statues of Buddha. Bodhi Day this year will be celebrated on January 18th, 2024.
In learning about other people’s holiday traditions, one is learning about humanity, love, and the way of the world.
“It is important to me that I know other cultures, traditions, and holidays exist, I don’t want to live trapped in a bubble full of only what I come from. I want to know what else is out there; hear different perspectives-even expand on my own.”
First Year laurier student
The holiday season is about learning, growing, sharing, and spreading love. The best way we can honour ourselves and each other is by respecting everyone’s traditions and everyone’s beliefs. It is important as a school community, and as individuals, to move forward every day with acceptance and the desire to celebrate our differences, as they are what makes our world as well as our Laurier community so special.