Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Cel-Liberation Day

Last year Juneteenth became the newest federal holiday in the US. Always celebrated on June 19, it is the oldest US celebration commemorating the end of slavery. Although Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which declared “all persons held as slaves” were henceforth free, became official on January 1, 1863,  it took until summer,  June 19, 1865 for the last slaves, living in Texas, to be informed of their freedom. The reactions ranged from shock to jubilation, and the African American celebration, coined Juneteenth, was born.

Juneteenth can be celebrated at culinary soul summits, on rooftops, with food trucks, at plated dinners, in neighborhood centers or local parks. Like the Great Migration, Juneteenth has traveled via trains and autos from its Texas birthplace to every state in our nation.

Today this African American holiday celebrates Emancipation, racial progress, and ancestors, highlighted by family gatherings and good eats (barbecue!). It is a time for spirited joy, reassurance,  reflection, and prayer. Milwaukee hosts one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in our country.

 

Koh – DOH – mo NO HEE

Kodomo no Hi, or Children’s Day, is a Japanese national holiday that always falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the year. It was known as Boy’s Day until 1948 when the government reframed the day as a time to celebrate all children.

On Kodomo no Hi carp images are flown on poles or kites outside public buildings; on homes, these fish flags often represent each family member. Since Koi, or carp, are spirited and determined as they fight to swim upstream, these symbols represent the hopes of strength and bravery. Treats, called kashiwa mochi (kah – SHE – wah MOE – chee), or rice cakes with sweet bean paste wrapped in oak leaves, represent hardiness. And, iris, which bloom in early May, festively decorate houses to ward off evil spirits. 

Raa•muh•daan

noun

In the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims worldwide celebrate Ramadan. This month-long time of fasting between dawn and sunset includes prayer, reflection, and being in community. It is a time when meals are eaten with intention. Muslims believe that it was during these days when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the prophet, Muhammad. 

In our time families and friends gather to pray and share in suhoor or meals before sunrise and evening iftars to break the daylong fast. At the appearance of the new moon, Ramadan ends with joyful feasting called Eid al-Fitr or “festival of breaking the fast,” which includes traditional meals, sharing of gifts, prayers, and acts of charity. In greeting each other during Ramadan most Muslims use the Arabic translation, “Ramadan Mubarak” or “Blessed Ramadan.”

Chun Jie / CHUN gee-EH

The Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is celebrated in many countries, including China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Mongolia. Beginning on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month, people do a thorough winter cleaning of their homes, bidding farewell to the old year by “sweeping away the dust.” The Spring Festival festivities take place over fifteen days from the evening preceding the first day of the year through the concluding Lantern Festival. Fireworks and anything red are used to ward off the mythological monster, Nian, who is afraid of loud sounds and reddish color. The celebration is a time to honor ancestors and gather for feasting. It is also a traditional time to give money in red paper envelopes, called hongbao, for good health and happiness. Processionals and parades fill the streets with giant dragons.

In 2023 Chinese New Year falls on January 22. This is the year of the Rabbit, which represents peace and longevity. How do you wish someone a happy Chinese New Year? In Mandarin, wishing someone happiness and prosperity, you say, “Gong xi fa cai.” 

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper
So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseaching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can here them
Echoing, behind us – listen!
All the long echoes sing the same delight
This shortest day
As promise wakens the sleeping land.
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends, and hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year, and every year.
Welcome Yule!

“All The Long Echoes Sing The Same Delight”

RITUALS THAT CONNECT US

From the very beginning of time, there is the sun. We see it in spring, summer, autumn and winter. We notice some days are long with light and warmth, and others are dark with bleakness and cold. In the darkness we invent rituals to remind us of the light, to bring in the new year, to represent a new beginning, to herald the rebirth of life.

These rituals become traditions that we celebrate, whether or not we remember where they came from. Many rituals are celebrated with food to represent good fortune in the months to come. In Asia long noodles represent longevity. In Spain twelve grapes are eaten at midnight as the clock chimes to symbolize the months ahead. Round foods of all kinds evoke the year’s turning. In Greece a pomegranate is broken open; the more seeds, the more good luck awaits. Fish are prized for three luck-related reasons: their scales resemble coins, they always swim forward, and schools of them symbolize abundance. 

Here are a few of the traditions that are celebrated during this time of year.

• Saint Nicholas Day – December 6
• St. Lucia Day – December 13 
• Las Posadas – December 16 – 24 
• Chanukah – December 18 – 26
• Winter Solstice – December 21
• Yalda – December 21 
• Pancha Ganapati – December 21 – 25 
• Christmas – December 25
• Kwanzaa – December 26 – January 1
• Bodhi Day – December 30 
• Oshogatsu – January 1
• New Year’s Day – January 1
• Eastern Russian Orthodox Christmas – January 7 

Di·va·li /dē’välē/

Noun

“Night shines like day when Diwali dusk falls.” Although there are many versions of this five day celebration, everywhere lamps are lit, since the common thread is the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. It’s a reminder that, even in the darkest of times, we can help one another.

Held during the end of October or early November in the darkest time of the lunar cycle, Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists. It marks the beginning of the New Year and is the biggest and brightest festival, celebrated with feasts, family, friends and fireworks. Homes are decorated, legends are spoken, and prayers are shared. On the first day rows of candles or oil lamps called diyas are set up and rangoli designs are created. Day two is for shopping and cooking. On day three, the darkest day of the lunar calendar, the diyas are lit and fireworks set off. On day four families share meals, and on the final day the bonds between brothers and sisters are celebrated.

Hispanic & Latin Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 to October 15, 2022, highlights the history, contribution, and culture of people with ancestors from across the Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico and Spain. Reaching from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego and spanning much of the Caribbean, countries in this region each have their own rich history, including indigenous cultures and civilizations.

The recognition of Hispanic Heritage month began in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded in 1988 to a month by President Reagan. The date of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua and for Mexico on September 16 and Chile on September 18. 

However, some people felt that the term, “Hispanic,” with its direct reference to Spain and connection to colonialism, was not inclusive enough. But, as with any personal identity, how can one or two words hold all of us? So, this month of honoring, also, includes the African and East Asian diasporas in Latin America as well as indigenous cultures.

The languages of this region include hundreds of indigenous languages in addition to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Creole and English. This year the theme for Hispanic & Latin Heritage Month centers on “Esperanza: A Celebration of HIspanic Heritage and Hope.”    

The Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, among the most religiously significant dates in the Jewish calendar, are a blend of joy and solemnity. Celebrated according to the Soli-lunar calendar, in which the months begin on the new moon and last either 29 or 30 days, this period of the “Days of Awe” falls on different dates each year. The ten days in between these holidays are a time of introspection.

Rosh Hashanah (literally “head of the year” or New Year) begins this time with prayer,  the shofar (ram’s horn) blasts, and a celebration that looks forward to the new year. Challah bread is baked in a round loaf, symbolizing the seasons and cycle of life. A week later Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) focuses on fasting, prayer, and seeking forgiveness. With their blend of feasting and fasting, atonement and forgiveness, and celebration and renewal, these Jewish holidays, observed both at home and in the synagogue, welcome a new year’s season that is both liberating and spiritually uplifting.