This time of year brings joy, happiness and a focus on friends, family and sharing special times.
Our diverse community celebrates in various ways with long-standing traditions.
Our Hindu community celebrated Diwali on Oct. 4. Known as the festival of lights,
it commemorates the return of Lord Rama from his 14 year-long exile and the
vanquishing of the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the
people of Ajodhya, the Capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with oil lamps and burst
firecrackers. Diwali also marks the victory of good over evil.
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights and starts on Sunday, Dec. 14. The word
Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew. On each night of the holiday, the menorah is lit to
commemorate a miracle that occurred after the Jews proclaimed victory over the Syrian
Armies in 165 B.C.E. Other traditions associated with Hanukkah are dreidels (a popular game), latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyots (jelly doughnuts without the hole).
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. But as we know it today, Christmas is a Victorian invention of the 1860s and celebrated every Dec. 25. Probably the most celebrated holiday in the world, our modern Christmas is a product of hundreds of years of both secular and religious traditions.
In our culture, Christmas has also become a time to exchange gifts. The popular image of Santa Claus was created by a German American cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who drew a different image annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast’s Santa had evolved into the form we now recognize. The image was
standardized by advertisers in the 1920s.
There is no greater symbol of the Filipino Christmas than the parol. Throughout the
Christmas season, this star-shaped lantern hangs outside Filipino homes and is an expression
of shared faith and hope. The parol was originally used in the Philippines to light the way
to church to attend the Misa de Gallo, or the Mass of the Rooster. Held annually at dawn on Dec. 16, the mass marks the official start of the Filipino Christmas season.
Kwanzaa is a unique African American celebration that focuses on community
responsibility, commerce and self-improvement. It is neither political nor religious,
and is not meant to be a substitute for Christmas. Kwanzaa is simply a time of reaffirming African
American people, their ancestors and culture.
Kwanzaa means “first fruits of the harvest” in the African language Kiswahili. It is celebrated from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1 and began in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Kareenga.
On behalf of the township committee, happy holidays, Feliz Navidad (Spanish), Joyeux
Noel (French), Kala Christouyenna (Greek), Frohliche Weihnachten (German) Nollaig Shone Dhuit (Irish), Buone Feste Natalizie (Italian), Maligayan Paskol (Filipino), Bozego Narodzenie (Polish), Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian), S Novim Godom (Russian), God Jul (Swedish) and Natale hiare et Annum Faustum (Latin).
Holidays mean happiness in any language. Happy holidays to all!
- Voorhees will present its winter village and tree-lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5,
at Town Center. For more information, visit voorheesnj.com and other township social media platforms.
- The Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club’s 17th annual community service awards will be held on Thursday, Jan. 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lucien’s Distinguished Catering in Berlin. For sponsorship opportunities and more information, visit the Rotary website, www.voorheesbreakfastrotary.org, or call Nick Colanzi at (856) 435-6200.
