Carson Bonner, Campus Carrier news editor
The Krannert Center Activities Board (KCAB) is one of several organizations on campus that plans and promotes events for Berry students. From Semi-Formal to the Mountain Day Talent Show, they work to ensure there are events interspersed throughout the year to keep students entertained. Toward the end of the fall semester each year, they have a holiday or winter themed event to celebrate the upcoming break and holidays.
This year, an event will be held on this Friday at 6:30 p.m., celebrating the various cultural holidays that occur at this time such as Hanukkah, Christmas, Yule and Kwanzaa. There are several goals for this event. KCAB wants to raise awareness for holidays that may not be as acknowledged and to give students an opportunity to branch out from their traditional holidays.
“The holidays we chose take place closely together and kind of bounce off of each other,” KCAB Events Coordinator Emily Adame said. “Overall it is just catered to a diverse group so that will be something that we hope people will enjoy. We’re hoping to start conversations and make sure that we’re representing each holiday properly.”
Hanukkah is a holiday that takes place this year from December 7th to 15th. It is a Jewish holiday that honors several historical religious events. The most commonly known event occured in 164 BCE, when a Jewish group led by Mattathias and his son Judas Maccabeus fought against forces of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes to defend their religious rights. After celebrating their victory, Maccabeus ordered the restoration of the Jewish temple. According to Jewish texts, upon entering the temple, Maccabeus found only one jar of oil to light the Menorah in the temple. This jar should have only lasted one night but instead lasted eight, until more consecrated oil was found to light it. Maccabeus decided that the holiday of Hanukkah should then be celebrated for eight nights every year.
“Usually people celebrate by lighting candles on the menorah, exchanging gifts, all for eight nights in a row,” Associate Professor of Anthropology Anne Lewinson said. “We also eat foods made in oil, like fried potato pancakes – latkes – and filled donuts. I began practicing Judaism seriously as an adult and Hanukkah is something that means a lot to me. It really brings families and people together, and it’s a reminder of independence in faith and having your own beliefs.”
Christmas has fairly obvious and well-known origins, being a celebration by Christians as the birth of Jesus Christ, or a more commercialized version of celebrating a season of joy, love and good cheer. But there is a less commonly known relation to paganism with the celebration and history of Christmas. December 25th was originally a pagan Roman holiday known as Saturnalia, celebrating the god Saturn who was known as the god of agriculture and harvest. In an effort to combat the paganistic presence, early Christians designated December 25th as the day that would be celebrated as the birth of Jesus, even though he was actually not born December 25th. Traditional celebrations of Christmas include wreaths, decorating trees, and gift exchanges, all of which were influenced by Saturnalia celebrations. Christmas now has moved away from the acknowledgement of its roots to be more centered around family and giving to others throughout the season.
“I celebrate Christmas with my family,” sophomore Krysten Simpkins said. “For me, it means that you get to have time with those you love or are close to without thinking about the stress you deal with every day. You just get to enjoy your time together.”
The two holidays that are less acknowledged and celebrated during the holiday season are Yule and Kwanzaa. Yule is a Germanic pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice that celebrates the rebirth of the sun through gift exchanges, merriment, and deep spiritual reflection. It is still celebrated primarily in Europe but pagan groups in the United States celebrate as well.
“We’re doing a different drink or snack for each of the holidays,” Adame said. “For Yule, we’ll be celebrating with apple cider with cinnamon and toppings and things like that. We’ll also be doing an activity with making suncatchers since they celebrate the return of the sun.”
Kwanzaa is a six day celebration with African-American and Pan-African roots that culminates in a communal feast on the sixth day. It celebrates African history, family, community and culture. Kwanzaa is celebrated with candle lighting ceremonies, feasts, reflections on the past and making wishes for the future. Overall it is an acknowledgment of things past and a welcoming of things to come. Although it is a primarily African-American celebrated holiday, it is now celebrated outside of the United States, particularly in the Caribbean, France, Canada and Brazil.
“Kwanzaa really surrounds unity and is based heavily on food,” Adame said. “We’ll have references to their traditional setup and tables so that we can make sure that the holiday feel is there and people can really get a sense of what a Kwanzaa celebration is like.”
According to Chief Diversity and Belonging Officer Haley Smith, there are several ways that students can learn more about cultural holidays and religious events. The first of those being by visiting the Intercultural Center and starting a conversation or by following the Diversity and Inclusion Instagram page @berrydiversity to see posts about various cultural and multi faith events throughout the winter. The second way is by getting involved with the Interfaith Council (IFC) and the Chaplain’s Office. These offices have representatives and members who ascribe to different faiths and practices who welcome students of any faith.
“Often, we see the holiday season as the only time we notice many other observances and celebrations outside of our own,” Smith said. “Pivot that to using the holiday season as a primer for learning more about and honoring different faiths throughout the year. The IFC is a great place to do that. It’s also important to note that learning and listening don’t necessarily mean subscribing. They do mean broadening one’s scope of understanding of others. We grow and learn more about ourselves when we are open to understanding others.”
For more information about upcoming campus events, visit the KCAB Instagram @kcabatberry, the KCAB office, or the large wall calendar in the Krannert lobby.