As break comes closer, both students and staff from the high school get excited for the upcoming holidays. Along with break comes different ways to celebrate certain special occasions, many of them based in faith. Our different faiths are what binds us together as one by creating acceptance among the others around us while creating diversity.
Eden Lewerke, Molly Lorence , and Katie Lorence are all Juniors at MCHS who were sent emails with questions regarding their holiday traditions over break. During the holidays, Eden celebrates Hanukkah, where the Lorence sisters celebrate Christmas.
When Eden was asked what she does over the holidays, she wrote, “for the holidays we set a table near a window to display our menorahs. We decorate the house and cook traditional foods like latkes and sufganiyot. Every evening for the next 8 days we read the Jewish prayer and light the candles. Afterwards, we open presents.” The Lorence sisters replied to the same question writing,” We do a lot of things as a family, such as going to Christmas Eve Mass together, having a Christmas Eve meal together, and spending all of Christmas day together. We just spend time together and have fun”.
When Eden was asked why she and her family celebrated Hanukkah, Eden wrote, “We celebrate Hanukkah because it honors the miracle of the reclaimed temple of Jerusalem and the Maccabees victory over the Greek-Syrians. As the Jewish people restored the temple, they needed to rekindle the sacred lights, but only enough oil was recovered to keep them lighted for one night, instead, God allowed the oil to burn for 8 nights. Just enough time allowed more oil to be made.” The Lorence sisters also commented, writing,” We celebrate it because our family always has and because it is part of our religion to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ”. They also added, ”Christmas to my family is spending time together and just enjoying the presence and joy of Christmas.
Eden was then asked what Hanukkah meant to her, in which she responded with, “Celebrating Hanukkah is important to me because it represents not only difference and diversity in religion, but also coming together as a family and observing God’s miracle.”The sisters answered the response, writing,”Christmas to us is about joy and spending time together with the ones you love. It’s a time of celebration and helping others.
The holidays are not only a time for families to spend time with each other and give and receive gifts, but it is something more. It is safe to note that we have a wide range of different faiths and religions across the United States, which not only provides us the opportunity to learn more about the varying types of faiths out there but an opportunity to accept the differences in the others around us. Let us, therefore, feel blessed to be able to express our own faiths while we accept the variety of other ones out there as well.