Whether it's the new presents, the excuse to sing off-key, or simply the chance to spend time with family, something about the holidays can put a smile on any student's face. Naomi Nix '10 sat down with students of different religions to see how they're spending the holidays this year.
James Brown '09: Christmas
"[Christmas is] generally a time where I get to relax with my family and enjoy life," said James Brown '09. Brown celebrates Christmas day at his grandmother's house, where his immediate and extended family decorates the tree together. Depending on the year, "it's off and on between a real tree [and] a synthetic tree," said Brown.
Tree trimming may be typical, but Brown's family has some more individual traditions as well. "On Christmas Eve I always watch "A Christmas Story" because it's like the ideal Christmas movie," he said. "I think that watching Christmas movies are an integral part of the Christmas experience."
Brown says the story of the Christian Messiah's birth is secondary in the Christmas celebration: "The religious aspect is important, but I feel it has been marginalized by commercialization," he said. Still, he added that the holiday's emphasis on the family is modeled after the Biblical story. "Even though they were in the stable, they were a family together," he said, referring to the place where Mary gave birth to baby Jesus.
Brown recalled "rushing down to the tree" on Christmas morning when he was growing up. But as he and his siblings, now 30 and 33, have gotten older, the dynamics have changed. Now, "when Christmas comes, I sleep in," Brown said.
The memory of the Christmas of '98 will always spark an appreciative tone in his voice. That year James had just had surgery a few days before the holiday and was unable to get out of his bed. "Christmas was brought to me," recalls Brown, recalling how his family moved their whole celebration. "It is a gift I still remember today."
Waqas Jawaid '10: Eid ul-Adha
"It's just a chance for you to tell your family and siblings that you love them," said Waqas Jawaid '10 about the Muslim holiday Eid ul-Adha. "And you get to connect with God." Jawaid, who is from Pakistan, explained that the holiday is a remembrance of the prophet Abraham and his sacrifice. This year it will be celebrated in early January according to the lunar calendar. The three-day-long holiday commemorates the principles of sacrifice and community.
Abraham, as the story goes, had a dream that he had to sacrifice his son for God. When he went to carry out God's command, Abraham closed his eyes as he prepared to kill his own son. Upon opening his eyes, he saw a sheep on the altar instead and his son stood alive beside it — God had spared his son.
Honoring the sacrifice that Abraham was willing to make for God, Muslims also make a sacrifice of an animal on that day.
"You are not supposed to hurt the animal at all. You are supposed to feed it and take care of it for a while, "said Jawaid. "It's like your pet." He also noted that the sacrifice techniques were more humane than those in American slaughter houses. In those, "a very sharp knife is used," he explained. "It's supposed to be the most painful way of killing it," explained Jawaid. On the holiday, worshipers opt for different techniques, among them giving money to charities who then do the sacrifice. The practice is only required of married Muslims or those who have a certain wealth.
In addition to the sacrifice, "There are presents," Jawaid explained. "There are usually older people giving younger people something."
Jawaid will not get to be home for the celebration this year, when his parents make their sacrifice. As for Pakistani Muslims on campus, Jawaid explained, "There are like five of us." Nevertheless, he thinks they will travel to a mosque located 10 to 15 minutes away to pray.
Marina Olevsky '09: Chanukah
"I love Latkes," said Marina Olevsky, referring to the oil-fried potato patties that are a Chanukah staple. "You have them with apple sauce," she added, but "I can't stand sour cream on them."
Olevsky loves the food, but the rites before dinner are important as well. "An important part of the holiday is the prayers," she said. Known as the festival of lights, Chanukah celebrates the miracle that, as the story goes, happened when Jerusalem was under attack. When an enemy blocked the temple's oil supply, where a special flame was supposed to be burning continuously, the flame continued burning for eight days, even though the oil should have run out after the first day.
"We have a menorah — it's got nine candles — and the Shamash is in the middle," Olevsky explained. "The first day you light the Shamash and one other. The next day you light the Shamash and two others." She added, "I counted once. We use 45 candles."
Latkes aside, eight days of presents are another highlights for young celebrants. "I have gotten like a Hershey kiss, or random things," Olevsky said. But "You just laugh at that cause you know you're going to get something good at the end." Her favorite gifts include jewelry, a Jewish star and a Hai necklace.
Olevsky usually celebrates the rabbinical holiday with her close relatives. "It's a family-oriented holiday," she said. "You don't invite a million people over." Families will often get together and eat or exchange gifts during the eight-day-long holiday. This year things might be a little different. "I am not even going be there for half the holiday," said Olevsky. Still, she's optimistic about making the most of the time she's home. "It's a nice, long holiday," she said. "So you have time."
Elisha Smith GS: Kwanzaa
"[Kwanzaa is] all about unity and collectivity and giving appreciation for what people have done who came before us, " said Elisha Smith, a second-year graduate student. The name of the holiday means "first fruits of the harvest" in the African language Kiswahili. An extra "a" was added to differentiate the African-American Kwanzaa from the African celebration, Kwanza. Not connected to a specific religion, the holiday is celebrated by African-Americans to honor the accomplishments of their predecessors and affirm the creativity of their contemporaries.
Last year, the Black Graduate Caucus (BGC) held a small-scale Kwanzaa ceremony on campus. "It was so nice last year," Smith said. "It was really an experience that we wanted to share with everyone." While the ceremony last year was a smaller event for the BGC, this year they are expanding their target audience. "We wanted to make it much more a community event, so everyone on campus and in Princeton can learn about Kwanzaa," Smith added.
The program, which will take place on Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m., will start off with special recognitions and the history of Kwanzaa. It will continue with spoken word poetry, drumming and singing. "We have a couple of students who are drummers and they are going to participate in the program to get into the spirit of the whole thing," Smith said.
The Kuumba, also known as the remembering, will include a candle lighting ceremony commemorating the seven guiding principles of Kwanzaa. Candle lighters will include faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, who will each have to explain how they have used the principle in their lives.
"There is a libation statement," Smith explained, "in recognition of the ancestors who have gone on before us and the elders in the community."
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