The Celebrations Before Christmas

The arrival of autumn sparks excitement across America. People of all ages feel joyous about the holidays to come. The first major holiday in the autumn season is Halloween. The month of October is spent pondering Halloween costumes, but the holiday disappears within a day. Halloween is on the 31st of October, and then it is November! When November arrives, the majority of the American population automatically thinks about Christmas. People get consumed by the idea of hot chocolate, candy canes, the smell of pine, gift wrapping, and more. Americans need to get off the Christmas craze in November because there are other holidays that should not be overlooked. Three significant festivities in November that are celebrated by many Americans are Diwali, Thanksgiving, and Hanukkah.

Diwali is known as the festival of lights. The nickname was coined because people decorate their homes with Diya lamps and candles in order to appreciate light over darkness, or evil. Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Muslims, and Buddhists observe this holiday. In 2021, it was celebrated on Thursday, November 4th. Even though Diwali is officially observed for one day, it is celebrated over the course of five days. Those five days are spent honoring different gods and goddesses because Hinduism is polytheistic. All of the gods and goddesses have defeated a villian and awarded their devotees prosperity. The first day of Diwali is known as Dhanteras. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune, is worshipped on that day. A common observance for Dhanteras is buying valuable jewelry. The second day is spent honoring the triumphs of Lord Krishna, who is known for defeating many demons. The other days are celebrated by spending time with friends and family. Gifts and sweets are exchanged, and the festivities end with fireworks to emphasize the importance of good over evil.

Thanksgiving is another holiday in November. This year, Thanksgiving is observed on Thursday, November 25th. Thanksgiving is based on the feast the Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe shared in the year of 1621. Americans continued to celebrate Thanksgiving, so in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday. Although the original Thanksgiving feast lasted approximately three days, the national holiday lasts one day. No matter how long the holiday is celebrated, Thanksgiving continues to show a connection between cultures. This holiday is observed in order to appreciate all that has happened in people's lives. It is a day to be grateful for everything and everyone. Thanksgiving allows everyone to acknowledge every aspect of life while feasting on a turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and more.

Hanukkah is another festivity celebrated before Christmas. In 2021, the starting date of Hanukkah is Sunday, November 28th. Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday celebrated to remember a significant religious victory. In 168 BCE, Antiochus Epiphanes IV, the ruler of the Syrian kingdom, ordered the Syrian army to end Judaism in order to have one shared culture throughout the lands. During this religious war, Antiochus damaged the Temple Mount, or the Temple of Jerusalem. The Maccabees, a group of Jewish rebels, did not agree with Antiochus’s ideas, so they opposed the army. Within three years, the Maccabees defeated the Syrian army and reclaimed the Temple Mount in order to practice Judaism. To commemorate their experience, the Maccabees lit the menorah and prayed to God. The story claims that a menorah was lit with very little oil in the Temple, and the candles lasted eight days. The Maccabees helped create an eight-day holiday where millions of Jewish people honor Judaism by lighting menorahs, singing hymns, playing dreidel, exchanging gifts, etc.

People across America celebrate numerous different holidays such as Diwali, Thanksgiving, and Hanukkah. They are festivities that have complex backgrounds and are unique in their own way. They have various origin stories, reasons for celebration, and traditions, and that is what makes America a “melting pot.” Every culture should be appreciated equally, so the enthusiasm for Christmas should not take away from these three major celebrations that occur in November.