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Not everybody celebrates the same holidays. But on Whyville you can
celebrate all you want! Halloween just ended and November has just
begun, a month where in the U.S. we celebrate Veterans Day (11/11),
Thanksgiving (11/25) and Advent (11/28). Then we skip off to December,
which most people I know can't wait to get to.
I'm new to Whyville, but I know a lot of people on Whyville are
thinking and talking about December holidays. Hanukkah, which means
"dedication" and is also referred to as The Festival of Lights, is a
Jewish festival. Hanukkah starts at sundown on the 7th of December and
lasts eight days, through the 2nd of Tevet. Among other things, the
celebration commemorates an event in Biblical times when an oil lamp
that only had enough oil in it for one night burned for eight days.
On each one of the eight days, one candle is added to a special
candleholder called a menorah.
The middle candle, called the shamash,
is used to light each of the other candles and it is lit every night.
Therefore, on the first night of Hanukkah, two candles are lit (the
shamash and the candle for the first night) and on the last night,
there are nine lit candles.
It is traditional to eat foods fried in oil during Hanukkah. Some
common foods are potato latkes and "sufganiot" (jelly doughnuts).
Another tradition is to spin a dreidel (a four-sided top) and play the
dreidel game. On each side of the dreidel is a different Hebrew letter.
The dreidel is used for a gambling game in which each letter represents
a different amount of money (basically). Some people just spin it for
fun.
Editor's
Note: Want to play the dreidel game in Whyville? You'll get to
this holiday season!
The next holiday in line is Christmas. You can celebrate Christmas on
Whyville just by making someone smile. Say happy holidays and ask them
what they would like on Whyville for a present. You can get it for them
and put a smile on their face. You'll know you made someone smile. (You
can also get people gifts for Hanukkah, but I don't know exactly how
that works.)
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the
Christian religion. People sing Christmas carols, have a wonderful
feast, and spend time with family.
Kwanzaa is a 7-day festival celebrating the African-American people,
their culture and their history. It is a time of celebration, community
gathering and reflection. A time of endings and beginnings. Kwanzaa
begins on December 26 and continues until New Year's Day, January 1.
Each evening a family member, usually the youngest child, lights
candles in a special candleholder and the family discusses one of the
seven principles of Kwanzaa. On New Year's Eve, which is the 6th day,
family and friends get together to enjoy a large feast and to celebrate
their history, culture and the New year.
Dr. Karenga (the creator of Kwanzaa) wanted to create a holiday that
would bring African-Americans together in celebration of their culture.
Kwanzaa begins the day after Christmas and people love to celebrate
with family and friends.
Editor's Note:
Readers, what do you know about the many
upcoming winter holidays? What do you
want to know?
Share your questions and answers with your fellow citizens in the BBS below!
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