Holidays 

There are so many holidays that people have never heard of around the world.  These holidays are celebrated all around the world by people of all different religions and cultures.  This is not a complete list of all of the holidays in this time period, nor does this go into full detail on the holidays.  The goal of this article is to get you curious about holidays that you have never heard of so that you can learn more about them.  I hope you enjoy it!

Bodhi Day:  Bodhi Day is a Buddhist holiday that recognizes the Day of Buddha, who is also referred to as Siddhartha Gautama.  Gautama was a prince who left his wealthy home to learn about the meaning of life and to identify the cause of suffering.  He wanted people to be at peace with themselves.  He spent 49 days meditating under a Bodhi tree, and there he first experienced Enlightenment.  Gautama used meditation to learn about the causes of suffering, and ways to lift that burden.  

Hanukkah:  Hanukkah is a minor Jewish religion referred to as the Festival of Lights.  This holiday recognizes a time when Jews fought for the freedom to have their own religion.  In the year 168 B.C.E, a Syrian king tried to force Jews to give up Judaism, and he destroyed The Temple, which was the holiest place for Jews at that time.  However a family called the Maccabees led Jews to fight against the Syrian King.  Even though they were outnumbered, the Jews miraculously won, and went back to The Temple to celebrate an eight-day long festival.  They wanted to light candles for eight days in order to celebrate properly, but they only had enough oil for one day.  The Jews lit the candles with the oil, and somehow the candles burned for all eight days!  Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of winning against the Syrians, and the miracle of the oil.   

Christmas:  Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  Christ is considered the Messiah, and the son of God.  It is said that he took on the sins of the world, and sacrificed himself for others.  The exact date of his birthday is unknown as it is not stated in the bible (a group of holy texts for Christains).  The idea of gift giving on Christmas is derived from the gift giving on Christ’s birthday.  

Kwanzaa:  Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday.  The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are stated in Swahili.  Kwanzaa discusses seven principles that form the foundation of the holiday.  Those principles are:  Umoja (meaning unity), Kujichagulia (meaning self-determination), Ujima (meaning collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (meaning cooperative economics) Nia (meaning purpose), Kuumba (meaning creativity), and Imani (meaning faith).  

Diwali:  There are multiple stories of Diwali across the globe.  Diwali is a Hindu holiday.   In Northern India, there is an idea that it commemorates Prince Rama’s return to the city of Ayodhya.  Before then, he had been in exile for fourteen years.  He also rescued his wife, Sita.  Another story is that Divalli celebrates the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon king Narakasura, who was a harsh and cruel ruler.  Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists have stories about Diwali that differ from some ideas in Hinduism.