Jingle bells, Christmas trees, and the distinct aroma of pine and gingerbread reappear every year from late November until early January. These are clear indications of the holiday season in Western culture. The familiar nostalgic feeling brought by these sentiments leads many to forget that not everyone has the same traditions. A CHS junior, Yasmine Labesh eagerly expresses her thoughts on cultural diversity and normalization. She leaves the school with some advice on her concerns. “Learn about different celebrations and always have…in mind that there is always have them in mind that there is always people difffernet religions in different ethnic cities,” said Labesh. Although American holiday practices are rich in history, diverse in borrowed customs, and commonly defaulted and correlated with the season, it should never be assumed that these are the only customs that are relevant in the winter.
In the early traditions of the Obijewe, an ancient indigenous tribe native to northern Canada, the storytelling mouths open at the first fall of snow. The tribal group believes that there is something healing about telling stories during the winter, as it reminds them of their gratitude for the season. Oftentimes, the most sacred of stories are told at this time. The Obijwe people put a big emphasis on respect and gratitude for what nature provides, and so do their stories. The storytelling process “waits until all of the animals are hibernating”, as the tribal group does not want to appear as though their stories are “gossiping while nature is still awake and listening”.
Those who travel to the east will find the Japanese winter traditions of Nengajo cards, or friendship cards. These cards are inspired by the customs of the Heian period, when nobility would write letters or notes for social relational purposes. As time went by, the postal system made these practices effortless. These notes are always handwritten and usually recurrent around the colder months, followed by the new year. They carry messages of gratitude and healing conversation to welcome the year ahead with their loved ones.
The Orthodox Christian Church celebrates Christmas too, minus the lights, cookies, and presents. The ancient belief venerates the true purpose of the holiday, a time of gratitude and piety, spent remembering the birth of Jesus Christ. For the believers, Christmas is the breaking of a nearly two-month fast on January 7th. On Christmas day, or Gena, believers go to church to praise the ancient hymns of the old church from between the hours of 8AM to 3AM. Each country of the religion has its own cultural aspects to the holiday celebration. The emphasis of this holiday brings more emphasis on the religious aspects of the day as opposed to its cultural ones. The ancient church has preserved these traditions since the early first century until now and still counting!
Holidays are subjective and not every tradition works for every person, but acknowledging and respecting other customs is expected of all people from all sorts of backgrounds, no matter how they celebrate the holidays.
“It just helps us. Keep in touch with those around us and have an open mind,” said Labesh.
