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December Holidays December 20 - Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice and is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar. It concludes the Pilgrimmage to Mecca. Eid al-Adha lasts for three days and commemorates Ibraham's (Abraham) willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son. The feast re-enacts Ibrahim's obedience by sacrificing a cow or ram. The family eats about a third of the meal and donates the rest to the poor. December 4 - 12 - Chanukah Chanukah or Hanukkah is the Hebrew term for rededication. Chanukah begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Jewish calendar (November/December). It is celebrated for eight days in honor of the Jewish victory and the miracle of the oil lasting for 8 days to rededicate the temple. A Menorah is a very special arrangement of nine candles. Eight of the candles are for each night of Chanukah, and the highest candle, known as the Shamash or "servant", is used to light the other candles. A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. In America the letters stand for "A Great Miracle Happened There". In Israel the letters mean "A Miracle Happened Here". December 25 - Christmas Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Decorating houses and yards with lights, putting up Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending greeting cards have become traditions even for many non-Christian Americans. Santa Claus started with a real person, Saint Nicholas, a minor saint from the fourth century. Nicholas' reputation for generosity and kindness gave rise to legends of miracles he performed for the poor and unhappy. December 26 - Boxing Day This holiday, which is observed on December 26, the feast of St. Stephen, is a unique part of the Christmas season in Great Britain, as well as other Commonwealth nations. Boxing Day stems from a tradition that began in the Middle Ages more than 800 years ago. On this day, English churches would open their "alms box," in which people had placed gifts of money throughout the year, and distribute its contents to needy members of the community. December 26 - January 1 - Kwanzaa Kwanzaa is a non-religious African American holiday which celebrates family, community, and culture. It is celebrated for seven days: December 26 - January The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" in Swahili. The kinara is the center of the Kwanzaa setting and represents the original stalk from which we came: our ancestry.
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