Holidays are special moments throughout the year when families gather, share stories, and take part in traditions. While every family celebrates the holidays differently, each holds meaning. We can gain insight on how different families honor meaningful holidays in various ways, and how those celebrations can help shape who we are. Freshman Heyab Asegidew celebrates various holidays that tie into both her Ethiopian heritage and Orthodox Christian fath.
“My family celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas, Orthodox Christmas, Easter and Ethiopian New Year…these events and traditions that we uphold have a deep background and religious meaning,” Asegidew said.
For her family, each celebration allows them to hold the customs that passed down through generations. By celebrating these holidays, they are able to keep their culture alive, even when far from home.
“A typical holiday gathering here in America is a bit different than how it would be in Ethiopia,” Asigedew said. “Here we have a gathering at my house or another relative’s house…and we dress in traditional Ethiopian clothing…listen to Ethiopian music…and we eat Ethiopian food.”
For Asegidew, these gatherings are moments with family that are both festive and cultural. The music, the food, the clothing and especially the time spent dancing and celebrating together helps lessen the distance between Ethiopia and their life in America.
While Asegidew’s holidays focus on preserving cultural heritage, other families experience the holiday season in a different way. Some households blend multiple traditions, bringing them together from both sides of their family. Sophomore Eliza Burgess is one of those students who celebrates two holidays each winter.
“My family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah…these holidays are meaningful for me because they mean spending time with family,” Burgess said.
Each holiday contributes different memories and meaning. On her mother’s side, Hanukkah is a special time for exchanging gifts and lighting the menorah.
“One of the holiday traditions my family looks forward to the most is probably making latkes or potato pancakes on Hanukkah when we celebrate altogether,” Burgess said.
Latkes are fried pancakes made from grated potato, and are a staple of Hanukkah. For Burgess’s family, making latkes together turns the kitchen into a space where lasting memories will be made. As everyone cooks together, the holiday feels just a little more special. For Burgess, these simple traditions are what makes Hanukkah feel so special, but her holiday season continues with another celebration.
“Typically for Christmas I go down to see my Dad’s family in Massachusetts,” Burgess said.
Time spent with Burgess’s relatives out of state adds more to her holiday. The trip itself becomes a tradition, and being with her family makes Christmas something that she looks forward to every year. Even though Christmas and Hanukkah celebrate different things, both bring her closer to the people she cares about the most.
Another student, sophomore Eva DeNola, celebrates holidays in a way that is simple yet special, as she spends quality time with the people closest to her.
“My family celebrates Christmas and New Years and that’s meaningful to me because we get gifts,” DeNola said. “You get to spend time with your family.”
For DeNola, holiday gatherings are small and cozy. Her family’s traditions are familiar ones, yet they hold meaning besides the activities themself.
“We eat food, and watch TV…we sometimes make cookies, and then we open gifts and we decorate the tree together,” DeNola said.
For her, the most special part of her celebration is the feelings of closeness that comes with it.
“The part of my holiday traditions that feels the most meaningful or irreplaceable is just spending time with my family and to all be together,” DeNola said.
Despite the differences in their celebrations, Asegidew, Burgess and DeNola share the idea that holidays are less about the traditions themselves, but more about the people who come together to celebrate them. Whether the traditions come from a rich cultural history, a kitchen full of potato pancakes, or a small family gathered around a decorated tree, they allow for togetherness that make the holiday season more meaningful.
Burgess shows how traditions, no matter how big or small, can become the moments families cherish the most. Each student shows that every holiday, no matter how it is celebrated, cherishes the lasting memories made with family.
“The most meaningful part of my holiday traditions…is probably spending time with family and making memories together,” Burgess said..
Similarly, Asegidew shows that the best memories come from growing up with the ones you love most.
“The irreplaceable memories that I have from these traditions are growing up with my cousins…these memories cherish my life,” Asegidew said.
