HANNUKAH
Is it Hanukah? Or Hanukkah? Or Chanukkah? Regardless of its spelling, its history is unambiguous. If you take a gander into Books 1 and 2 of Maccabees, you’ll find the story of the Maccabees (Jewish for “hammer”), a small band of Jewish fighters who were subjugated by the Syrian Greeks.
Under Antiochus IV, the Syrian Greeks ruled the land of Israel and sought to impose their Hellenistic culture upon the Jewish people. In 168 BCE, Antiochus sent his soldiers to Jerusalem and upon their arrival, the Syrian Greeks desecrated the Holy Temple with pig’s blood and outlawed Judaism.
A resistance movement, led by the Maccabees family, developed against the cruelty of Antiochus. Mattathias headed the family and his son, Judah, became the chief strategist and military leader of the resistance. Although the Maccabees were outnumbered, they were able to successfully reroute the Syrian Greeks out of Israel.
The Jewish people purified and rededicated the Temple once the Syrian Greeks left Israel; after all, Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for “dedication.” But why are there eight nights or candle-lighting and gift-giving?
According to the legend, once the Jewish people cleaned up the Holy Temple, it was their job to rekindle the Eternal Flame. However, there was only enough oil to burn for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight nights.
For this reason, Jewish families all over the world light eight candles on the menorah and indulge on oily, caloric-ridden foods such as latkes and jelly donuts.
As for the gift giving… why not? Everyone loves presents.
CHRISTMAS
Today, it’s very difficult to avoid Christmas. Every store reminds you to get going on Christmas shopping, Starbucks insists on beginning using red Christmas coffee cups in the beginning of November, and all the radio stations play repeats of Mariah Carey’s “All I want For Christmas is You” all day long. Of course Christmas time is great; as Andy Williams put it, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”
But what is Christmas all about?
The Christmas story gives a biblical account of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ, which is detailed in the New Testament books of Matthew and Luke.
Mary (yes, the virgin) was living in Galilee of Nazareth and was engaged to the handsome Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. One night, an angel visited Mary and told her that she would carry and give birth to a son, all thanks to the Holy Spirit. And what would his name be? Jesus, of course!
Mary did in fact become pregnant, and Joseph was not particularly happy for he thought Mary had been unfaithful. However, God sent an angel to visit Joseph and reassure him that it was not what it looked like; the child had been conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Joseph had to return to his hometown to register for a census, so he and Mary traveled back to Bethlehem. While there, Mary gave birth to Jesus in a crude stable, swaddled him in cloth, and placed him in a manger.
The tradition of giving gifts can be traced back to the three wise men, otherwise known as the Magi, who traveled to see Jesus. They had been told to report back to Herod, the king of Judea, who secretly wanted to kill the new king of the Jews. However, upon their arrival, the Magi offered gifts of gold, incense and myrrh, and did not return to Herod.
KWANZAA
The history of Kwanzaa began with the Watts Riots, a six-day urban rebellion in the Los Angeles area. The riots spurred from the arrest of Marquette Frye, a young African-American motorist who was pulled over by a white California Highway Patrolman for suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, was inspired to find a way to bring African-Americans together as a community. As a result, he founded US, a cultural organization and started to research celebrations that focused on harvests.
Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which is Swahili for “first fruits.” Different families celebrate the holiday in different ways, but dancing and singing are always included. Kwanzaa lasts for seven nights, and a child lights one of the candles on the Kinara (candleholder) for each of the seven principles.
The Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles in Swahili) are fundamental values of African culture that Dr. Maulana developed.
The black, middle candle is lit first and represented Umoja, or Unity. The three green candles represent Nia (Purpose), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), and Imani (Faith), while the three red candles represent Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), and Kuumba (Creativity).
The candles are lit for two purposes: to re-create the sun’s power and to provide light. The celebration of fire is not limited to just Kwanzaa; in fact, praising fire is common in many different cultures. The colors originate from the bendara flag created by Marcus Garvey, famous for his “Back to Africa” movement of the 1920s.
The colors also represent the African gods. Red is the color of Shango, the god of fire, thunder and lightening. Black is symbolic for the people and the earth, and green represents the earth that sustains our lives and the fruits of the harvest.
Other important materials that are used during Kwanzaa are the Kinara (Candleholder), the Kikombe Cha Umoja (The Unity Cup), and Zawadi (Gifts).
Be First to Comment