Traditions from Around the World
As the nights grow longer and colder, many cultural and religious groups worldwide emphasize finding hope by seeking light and warmth, through celebrating their holiday traditions. In Maine as elsewhere, people of many beliefs have much in common at this time of year: the search for light, warmth, and a reminder that green growth will return in the spring.
Christians observe the pre-Christmas season by lighting Advent candles, anticipating the birth of the Christ child. Many people, both Christian and non-Christian, enjoy seeing the outdoor light displays in public parks and along city and suburban streets.
In the Christian tradition, the Christmas season begins on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Along with all the iconic trees and decorations, carols are sung and verses are read, many of which refer to a “star in the east” that the three wise men followed to Bethlehem, a city in the ancient kingdom of Israel. Other Christmas carols mention brightly glowing angels that shepherds saw and heard above them that night, as they guarded their sheep in the fields outside Bethlehem, then went into the town to seek out the infant Jesus and his parents.
In many locations throughout the American Southwest, especially the State of New Mexico, December is the month when plazas, churches, homes, and businesses across the region are lit up with luminarias (or farolitos as they are known in Northern New Mexico). In Spanish, luminaria means “illumination.” The holiday tradition was introduced to New Mexico’s indigenous people by Spanish missionaries from Mexico in the 1600s, and originally featured torches made from local sources such as pinyon boughs. Luminarias can be seen throughout the holiday season, but are especially popular on Christmas Eve.
As part of the tradition of Las Posadas (The Inns), luminarias are supposed to light the way of Mary and Joseph as they go door to door seeking shelter, before eventually arriving at a stable. In New Mexico, these decorative holiday lanterns have generally been made by using brown paper bags since these bags first went on sale in 1872.
Luminaria traditions originating in Spain and Mexico are observed in many of the former Spanish territories across Latin America.
The history of the bûche de Noël in France is similar to the Yule log tradition which originated in Scandinavia and became popular in Great Britain. It dates back to medieval times and even prior to that, to an era when many pre-Christian rites were competing with Christian traditions. In the 1600s French colonists introduced it to Quebec. A log of wood—often from a fruit tree to ensure a successful harvest in the year to come—would be brought home and placed in the hearth, which at the time functioned as the epicenter of every family’s activities. Once lit on Christmas Eve, the log had to burn for at least three days for good luck—ideally until the New Year.
By the late 1800s, as traditional hearths disappeared from French homes, replaced by wood-burning, gas, and coal stoves, it was only a matter of time before someone realized that it would be a lot more enjoyable to eat the log rather than simply watch it. The bûche de Noël was re-invented as the popular holiday dessert of today, a log-shaped cake with a rich buttery filling of various flavors.
In addition to these Christmas traditions, there are other ways that people around the world celebrate this season of light. For instance, members of the Jewish community celebrate Chanukah each year, on eight consecutive nights in November or December. Chanukah is a remembrance of the purification and re-dedication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in the year 164 BCE, which took place after the Hebrew leader Judas Maccabaeus and his followers (known as Maccabees) defeated a Greek Seleucid army that had occupied Jerusalem. Believers maintain that what appeared to be only a one-day supply of lamp oil in the temple miraculously lasted for eight days.
While Hanukkah is not the most important holy day in the Jewish religious calendar, the lighting of Menorah candles and oil lamps on each of the eight nights is a popular activity for Jewish families at this dark time of year, as well as visiting with loved ones, enjoying special foods, and exchanging presents. This year Chanukah is celebrated from Dec. 18 to Dec. 26, which means that the last night of Chanukah will be celebrated on the evening of Dec. 25.
Earlier in the autumn, Diwali is celebrated around the world as the Hindu Festival of Light. Diwali takes place at the time of the new moon, sometime between mid-October and mid-November.
Diwali is a family festival and involves opening gifts, sharing sweets and other special foods, and dressing up in special clothing. It always takes place on the night of the new moon and involves placing clay diya lamps along paths and walkways so that Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, can find her way to adherents’ homes. It is a time when Hindu families decorate and place diya lamps, host open houses, read special passages from sacred books, and share carefully assembled boxes of cookies and sweets.
The symbolism of Diwali involves the triumph of light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. This year Diwali was on Oct. 24th. In 2023 it will be on Nov. 12. The rows of clay lamps seen in the towns and cities of India are similar to the rows of streetside luminarias which are popular on Christmas Eve in some neighborhoods here in Gorham.
In Buddhism, Bodhi Day celebrates the idea of advancing light in a different way, in the sense of celebrating the Buddha’s enlightenment.
Bodhi Day is a holiday in Buddhist countries, which commemorates the day that Siddhartha Gautama experienced bodhi (enlightenment). Its date varies from country to country. In Japan, Bodhi Day is also known as Rahatsu, and has been celebrated on the 8th day of December since Japan adopted a western style (Gregorian) calendar in the 1860s.
According to Buddhist tradition, Siddhartha Gautama (the historical Buddha) attained enlightenment at the age of 35 after 49 days of meditation under a sacred banyan or fig tree in India, which is now known as the Bodhi tree.
Buddhists believe Gautama found the cause of suffering and realized the steps necessary to liberate oneself from it. Buddha’s enlightenment is believed to have occurred in the either the fifth or twelfth lunar month.
Whatever the tradition, may all the peoples of the world know the light, warmth and hope expressed by so many generations before us.