People celebrate Christmas in different ways.
(The Post News)– Christmas, being celebrated on December 25th, holds significance for many people worldwide. It reflects diverse community celebrations, serving as a canvas for personal connections, joy, and traditions. Yet, people mark this holiday in diverse ways.
While for some, Christmas means being around family, spending quality time over special dishes, or playing games and making good memories, some believe that Christmas centres on faith and thankfulness—they attend church to express their gratitude to God. For some families, spending the day together and exchanging gifts as a way of showing love and appreciation has become a tradition.
People celebrate Christmas according to their beliefs, religion, and culture. Bongani stated that on Christmas Day he travels to his ancestral home, alongside his family, where they perform a ritual to give thanks to their ancestors for blessing them all year round. He added that this ritual is similar to Thanksgiving celebration.
Some people break from typical Christmas customs; instead of being around family, they go to their local shisanyamas or local Christmas festivals or picnics to have fun and connect with new people. Meanwhile, some do not celebrate Christmas on December 25; they celebrate Hanukkah, a Jewish festival of lights, which is an eight-day celebration honouring the miracle of the oil that burnt for eight days in the ancient Temple of Jerusalem. They also come together to play dreidel games and share blessings with their loved ones
Soon after Christmas, others celebrate Kwanzaa, a celebration of African-American culture and heritage, from December 26th to January 1st. It gives people a chance to honour family, community, and African roots through feasts, music, and storytelling. Botshelo said, “Kwanzaa celebrations focus on family and the broader community.” Botshelo added that they eat together, share stories, enjoy great music, and light the Kinara, which holds seven candles; red, green, and black representing different principles. According to Botshelo this allows them to think about their history as Black people and talk about the principle of the day.
The holiday season shows off how beautiful diversity is and how we all share a feeling of coming together. People light candles, sing songs, or go to lively parties. This time of year makes us think about how much our families, communities, and cultural customs matter. The celebrations in December bring people closer even though everyone has their own special way of joining in.
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