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j FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | DECEMBER 2017 7 open their stockings. Then Gary or the eldest granddaughter plays Santa handing out gifts, which are opened one at a time. Joyce Allen starts the holiday celebrations at a large gathering of close friends and relatives on Christmas Eve. They have a potluck and the host provides the main course while guests bring side dishes and desserts. Grace is said before the meal begins. Desserts and coffee are brought out after the main course has been cleared followed by an evening of conversation, board games, and movies. Christmas morning starts with brunch followed by gift opening. A New Year's Eve tradition in African-American culture is a Watch Meeting Service at a church, usually starting at 10 pm. The attendees pray until midnight, the stroke of the New Year. This service is a way of asking for blessing for the New Year and forgiveness of sins in the previous year. Traditional foods for New Year's Day dinner include black-eyed peas for good luck, gumbo, and corn bread. Joyce said that at all gatherings, the elders are acknowledged and asked if the group can move forward with the festivities. They also remember those who have passed on. Betty Ann James celebrates both Kwanzaa and Christmas. Her family is scattered now, but when the family lived close, the entire family, including her children, their spouses and the grandchildren would get together with Betty and her husband for both holidays. Her oldest grandson, Edward, was born Christmas afternoon. From that year on, the family celebrated Christ's birth in the morning and the grandson's birthday in the afternoon. The James family and their friends celebrated Kwanzaa together. The group rotated homes so each night was hosted by a different family member or friend. They gathered as a group to celebrate their heritage by wearing African dress and observing the principles of Kwanzaa. A typical evening consisted of lighting the candles in the kinara, accompanied by recitations, playing board and/or card games, then dinner. Dinner consisted of traditional African and Southern foods such as black-eyed peas, red beans and rice, sweet potatoes, corn bread, chicken and other meats. No matter how you celebrate the holidays this year, I hope you enjoy rituals and traditions that bring you closer together, bridge the generation gap and create a lifetime of memories. CHANUKAH OR HANUKKAH (JEWISH) DEC. 13 THROUGH 20 The Hebrew word Chanukah means dedication and the holiday celebrates the Maccabean revolt in Egypt and the re-dedication of the Holy Temple. The eight day Jewish Festival of Lights is celebrated with a nightly lighting of the menorah, a nine-branched lamp stand, to remember an ancient miracle in which one day's worth of oil burned for eight days in their temple. The lighting of the menorah is accompanied by the reciting of special prayers and singing songs. Traditional foods include latkes (fried potato pancakes) topped with applesauce or sour cream. Children play with a top called a dreidel to win chocolate coins (gelt), nuts, or raisins. LAS POSADAS (CHRISTIAN) DEC. 16 THROUGH 24 This is a predominately Hispanic holiday that celebrates Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. It is held over nine days. During the celebration, two people dress as Mary and Joseph. They are followed by a procession representing angels, shepherds, and pilgrims. Members of the procession carry candles and/or pictures of the holy family, children carry poinsettias. The procession is followed by musicians while everyone sings. Each night they approach a designated house which represents an inn or posada. The entry is lined with luminarias. Carols are sung every night at the end of the journey. At the end of the night aguinaldos (small bags filled with treats and candies) are distributed as parting gifts to the guests of the inn. Traditional foods include sweet and savory tamales, cinnamon champurrado (hot chocolate), and bunuelos. Children will break open star shaped pinatas to obtain candy and fruit hidden inside. Traditionally, children receive gifts on the last day of Las Posadas. CHRISTMAS (CHRISTIAN) DEC. 25 Christmas is a religious and cultural holiday honoring the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the most widely observed holiday in the world, celebrated by the majority of Christians and culturally by non-Christians. Christmas has become an integral part of the holiday season. The customs associated with this holiday are many and varied. People celebrate by going to church, giving gifts, caroling, putting up decorations including lights, a tree, wreaths, holly, mistletoe, and other nonsecular ornamentation. Sharing the day with family and friends is at the heart of this holiday. Traditional foods depend on the cultural and ethnic background of the celebrant. A special meal with family and/or friends is a big part of this holiday. KWANZAA (AFRICAN-AMERICAN) DEC. 26 THROUGH JAN. 1 Kwanzaa which means "First Fruits of the Harvest," is the only original African- American holiday. It was established in 1966 by Ron Karenga as a non-religious celebration for African-Americans to remember their roots, motherland, and to honor their ancestors. Kwanzaa celebrates seven principles of African heritage: Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. A different principle is celebrated each day of this festival by lighting the kinara, a seven-branched candle holder. The kinara holds seven candles, one black, three red, and three green. These represent the African flag. The lighting is accompanied by music and recitations. Symbols include a mat (firm foundation) on which other symbols are placed, fresh fruits and vegetables (the harvest), corn (each ear represents a child in the family), and a unity cup (honoring the ancestors). Homemade gifts are exchanged on the last day. Traditional foods may include chicken and other meats, black-eyed peas, red beans and rice, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and corn bread. ; s d continued from previous page

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