Several religious and cultural observances occur during the month of December. We’ve included a summary of each holiday with a link to more details on the DEIA website, including some upcoming local event spotlights.
Bodhi Day
December 8, 2024
Bodhi Day (pronounced Bow-dee) is celebrated on December 8 each year to commemorate the day that the historical Buddha achieved enlightenment. According to early Buddhist scripture, the historical Buddha was a prince named Siddhartha Gautama who lived a privileged life until he was confronted with the Four Passing Sights, (a sick person, an aged person, a corpse, and a holy man). Greatly troubled by these, he left home to seek peace of mind. Six years into his search, Siddhartha Gautama sat under a sacred fig tree and meditated until he realized enlightenment. With this, he became the Buddha, or "the one who is awake."
Services and traditions in honor of Bodhi Day vary amongst Buddhist sects and may include meditation, study of the Dharma, chanting, performing kind acts, or partaking in a traditional meal of tea and cake.
Winter Solstice
December 21, 2024
The winter solstice is the astronomical first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere when the North Pole is tilted as far from the sun as it possibly can be. This results in the fewest hours of sunlight in a day for the entire year, but also marks the beginning of increasing daylight hours. Throughout history, cultures held festivals and ceremonies marking the winter solstice as the day of the sun’s rebirth and honoring its symbolism of fire and light.
Christmas
December 25, 2024
Christmas is celebrated each year on December 25. For Christians around the world, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. In addition, Christmas has become a cultural holiday for many, including non-Christians, and includes many celebratory traditions including decorations, Christmas trees and wreaths, sharing meals with family and friends, holiday music, movies, and pageants, attending religious services, awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus, and exchanging gifts.
Hanukkah
Evening of December 25, 2024 – January 2, 2025
Hanukkah is the Jewish, eight-day “festival of lights” celebrated with a nightly Menorah lighting, prayers, and special foods. The holiday is named Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, in honor of the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after a small band of Jewish people reclaimed it from the Syrian-Greeks in second century BCE. The group had a small amount of oil to light the Temple, which they expected to last only briefly; however, the oil continued to burn for eight nights. The lighting of the menorah symbolizes this miracle.
Kwanzaa
December 26, 2024 – January 1, 2025
Kwanzaa is a seven-day cultural festival celebrated annually from December 26 – January 1. Kwanzaa was first created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as an African American holiday to celebrate African heritage and African American culture. Kwanzaa, which stems from a Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits” or “harvest,” is based on fruit harvest festival traditions from various parts of Africa. The celebration includes recognition of the seven principles of Kwanzaa: Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith.