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Bodhi, Yule, Hanukkah and Christmas: Four religious winter celebrations
Dr Peter Rookes, u3a National Subject Advisor for Exploring World Faiths, shares how four different religions will be celebrating in December.
Bodhi Day
Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day on 8 December in a spiritual way, studying the Dharma (the teachings of Buddha) and chanting sutras to commemorate Buddha’s achievement of enlightenment on this day. Families eat a special meal of rice and milk; children may bake biscuits in the shape of the Bodhi Tree; decorate a Bodhi tree in their homes with colourful lights; and perform kind acts to others.
Yule
The Pagan celebration of Yule, the Winter Solstice, celebrates the rebirth of the sun following the longest night of the year on 21 December. Modern day Pagans cleanse their bodies of negative energies and celebrate the rebirth and renewal associated with the return of light. Pagans often decorate a Yule tree with lights and light candles on an altar. It’s thought that Stonehenge was built to align with the sun on the solstice, so many Pagans visit to experience the sun rise at the solstice.
Christmas
Christmas is probably the most recognised celebration in the year because of both its religious and secular significance. It is celebrated by Christians to mark the birth of Jesus, who Christians believe is the son of God, although we don’t know precisely when Jesus was born. It is marked by the singing of carols in churches and public places during the few weeks before Christmas, and the performance of nativity plays in schools and churches.
Christmas Day and Easter Sunday are the two days of the year when Christians are most likely to attend Church. 20-30 years ago, churches in England would have been full to standing room, for the midnight service on Christmas Eve. At these services carols are sung, appropriate passages from the Bible read and the Mass received, which Catholics believe to be the body and blood of Christ (Jesus). Other denominations call it the Eucharist or Communion and see it as a representation of the Last Supper.
Secular Christmas has grown in popularity over recent decades, and gives great importance to the giving of gifts, the decoration of Christmas trees, spending time with family and friends, eating a Christmas meal of roast turkey and Christmas pudding, attending parties and the sending of Christmas cards. Many of these customs were introduced during the Victorian era, particularly by Prince Albert, who introduced the Christmas Tree from his native Germany.
For many people Christmas is a mixture of the religious and the secular, including Santa Claus, who has Christian roots as St Nicholas, but largely seen as a secular figure. The introduction of reindeers pulling a sleigh didn’t come until 1821 in a children’s poem. Christmas Day and Boxing Day are public holidays, and the Christmas season lasts 12 days until 6 January, when decorations are taken down to avoid bad luck. Some people express concern over the decline in the spiritual aspects of Christmas and its increasing commercialisation and expense, which has been accelerated with the introduction of ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’. However there is an increase in generosity at this time, not just for presents to family and friends, but also to Charities, who rely on this seasonal increase in donations.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem following the victory of the Maccabees in the 2nd Century BCE. Afterwards, a small quantity of oil used to light the Temple’s menorah miraculously burnt for the next eight days. Jewish families celebrate the ‘miracle of the oil’ with the lighting of the candles of the menorah in their homes over eight days. Accompanying festivities often include singing Hanukkah songs, giving gifts and eating latkes (potato pancakes) fried in oil, symbolising the oil miracle. This is a movable event and does sometimes occur in November but, this year, begins on 25 December.
All four of these ceremonies occur in December. It’s not surprising, therefore, that there’s a degree of syncretism in the way in which they are each celebrated. Many Christian families have a Yule log at Christmas. In many cities with strong multifaith and multicultural communities, there are interfaith celebrations of Hanukkah candle lighting, carol services and nativity style drama. Many families invite friends of different faiths to celebrate in their homes. From mid-December until the beginning of January, there is a general air of celebration and goodwill.
Find out more about Peter and his upcoming events about World Faiths on his Subject Advice page.
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