‘Tis the season! December is certainly a month full of special holidays. It seems as though every day in December is a different event. Everyone seems to know the most popular December holidays, but the history behind them is fairly unknown.

 Christmas is one of the most commercially popular holidays because of all of the activities that go along with it. There are Christmas trees to buy, there are ornaments to decorate with, there are special Christmas cookies, there is Christmas music that only comes on during this time of year, and there are the presents that Santa Claus brings. In fact, senior Katie Krull shares that “Our biggest family tradition is how we decorate. We always do it together, and it’s really fun!” However, the religious aspect of Christmas is not discussed as frequently anymore. Christmas Day, December 25, actually began as a pagan holiday known as Saturnalia. Moreover, several aspects of Christmas, like the Christmas tree and gift giving, were originally pagan traditions. It later evolved to be a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God and savior to the Christians. Santa Claus began when St. Nicholas started to secretly leave gifts for the misfortunate.

 Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday spanning from sundown on December 12 through the evening of December 20 this year. Hanukkah is on the 25th day of Kislev, the ninth month in the Jewish calendar. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, meaning it is based on the cycles of the moon, so it differs from the Gregorian calendar that we normally use. It celebrates an event in 168 B.C.E. when Antiochus Epiphanes conquered Jerusalem, outlawing Judaism and taking over their sacred temple. However, the Maccabees family led a resistance against Epiphanes, defeating the Syrian army in two major battles and winning back their Temple. The Maccabees’ first action upon entering the Temple was to light the ner tamid, or eternal light, representing God’s unwavering presence with Jews. Miraculously, the oil, which was only supposed to last one night, remained for eight days, long enough for the messenger to return with more oil. Therefore, on each night of Hanukkah, one candle is lit on a special menorah called the hanukkiyah. Popular December holidays do not just include the religious ones, there are also ones that rejoice in cultural unity, like Kwanzaa.

 Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that is celebrated from December 26 to January 1. It began in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga. It observes several values called the “Nguzo Saba” which are creativity, purpose, cooperative economics, collective work and responsibility, self-determination, unity, and faith in others. These values aim at creating a better community and celebrating the African culture, uniting and strengthening those of African heritage around the world.

 Only uncovering the history of these few holidays does not, by any means, indicate that the other holidays in December are not important. There are several other holidays, like the Prophet’s Birthday and Saturnalia, that are celebrated globally. However, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are the most popular, at least in the United States. Yet, no matter which holidays you celebrate, there is no denying that the month of December remains a festive month, due to the religious and cultural holidays.