Multicultural Celebrations in December with Activities for Children

St Nicholas was a Bishop who lived around 300AD. He had a reputation as a generous gift-giver who would leave coins or small gifts in shoes. He later became canonized within the Christian faith as a saint. His legacy later became the basis for the more modern day Santa Claus figure whose English name comes from the Dutch 'Sinterklaas.'

St Nicholas Day is held on the anniversary of his death, December 6th. While the festivity is internationally known, it is mainly a European celebration with a variety of activities across the continent; from gift giving to church services. In Italy many children are given gifts on this day and in some families this event is even more important than Christmas. In Germany it is traditional for the children to put a boot outside the door on the night of Dec 5th for it to be 'magically' filled with candy or small gifts overnight.

St Nicholas Day can become an exciting prelude to the main event of Christmas with small gifts or experiences being offered. Alternatively, children can clear out some of their older toys and give to the less fortunate through charity organisations which, whilst noble in sentiment also has the practical advantage of clearing some space for their new Christmas gifts. Children can also be encouraged to show their generosity to others by helping in small ways such as clearing the yard of a neighbour or visiting the elderly.

Bodhi Day is the celebration of the enlightenment of Siddharta Guatama who in 596BC became known as the Buddha. Bodhi day is so called because the Buddha, having tried many different paths to enlightenment, finally vowed that he would sit under a Bodhi tree until he reached an enlightened state of being. After 8 days of fasting and meditation he came to several realizations which became the principles of modern Buddhism.

Bodhi Day is observed in many mainstream Buddhist schools although the type of service and tradition do vary. The main intention of the day is to commemorate the Buddha's achievement of Nirvana, and reflect on what this means for Buddhism in the modern day. Individuals may choose to honor the event through practicing additional meditation, studying the Dharma, chanting Buddhist texts, or performing kind acts towards other beings.

Children can be encouraged to celebrate Bodhi Day by hanging colored lights in the house for a period of 30 days. The different colors represent the many paths there are to enlightenment and a small candle can also be lit each night to symbolise the enlightened state.

Eating a meal of rice and milk is significant on this day as, according to Buddhist legend, Buddha was offered these foods upon his awakening to help him regain strength. Rather than consuming this as a main meal, children could be encouraged to make a delicious rice pudding for dessert. Another fun treat is baking of cookies in the shape of a tree to symbolize the Bodhi Tree or heart shaped which represents the leaves of the Bodhi tree.

St Lucia was an Italian girl who devoted her life to helping the poor and needy. The name Lucia means 'light' and legend has it that she wore a wreath of candles on her head when she carried supplies to her charitable causes. She was a devout Christian at a time when the Roman Empire was trying to eradicate Christianity and, after several miraculous escapes, she was finally put to death on 13th December 304AD.

Whilst Santa Lucia Day is a popular celebration throughout Scandinavia, it is especially prominent in Sweden where the entire country votes for one girl as the Santa Lucia of the year and each town also picks their own representative who must then perform civic duties such as visits to hospitals, community centers and nursing homes in the following weeks.

To celebrate St Lucia day, special songs are sung, church services held and school children perform plays re-enacting the life of the saint. Most families and work places start the day with a meal of sweet saffron buns and gingerbread.

Children can get involved in this event by making these special sweet treats for their family. Additionally St Lucia day can be a fun day of dressing-up for children. The girls dress in the traditional white robes with a red sash and wear a head dress of candles (battery operated versions for safety), while boys, who are known as 'star-boys', dress in white with cone-shaped hats decorated with gold stars.

Las Posadas, which means in Spanish 'the inns' or 'the shelters', is a popular celebration in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

Each night during Las Posadas, the traditional nativity scene, of Joseph riding with Mary on a donkey to Bethlehem looking for a place to stay, is re-enacted by the community. People either dress up as these characters or carry figures to represent the couple as they sing and march as a procession from house to house. After many staged refusals, the group will arrive at the designated house for the night and the celebration will begin with prayer followed by music, fireworks, food, candy, and treats for all.

A key part of the evening festivities is the breaking of 'piñatas' which are brightly-colored papier-mâché, cardboard, or clay containers filled with candy, small fruit, food items, and toys. The piñata is broken open by children who hit it with sticks. They often wear blindfolds to increase the excitement of the activity!

A neighbourhood celebration of Las Posadas may be a fun way to bring together your community. Otherwise a smaller celebration can be held in your own family with a nativity scene being made by the children, piñata making and breaking, and general fun and games organized each night for the Las Posadas season.

Hanukkah is a Jewish festival which is also known as Chanukkah or 'The Festival of Lights'. *The actual date of Hanukkah varies each year as it is based on the Hebrew calendar rather than the Gregorian one. In 2011, the eight-day celebration runs December 20th -28th and in 2012 it occurs December 8th -16th

Hanukkah is the commemoration of the Jewish reclaiming of Jerusalem after victory over Syrian tyrants in 165BC. The story is told that when the heroes went to re-dedicate their temple, they found a small amount of oil which was only enough to supply light for one night. Miraculously however, the oil lasted for a total of eight nights until more oil was obtained.

To celebrate Hanukkah a special nine branch candelabra called a 'Menorah' or 'Hanukkiya' is used. One candle is lit each night accompanied by blessings and songs. The extra, ninth candle is known as the 'Shamash', or 'the servant light' and is used to light the others.

Children often enjoy playing the special Hanukkah activity known as the Dreidel game. The game is started with a central kitty being made of money or candy. The Dreidel is a four-sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side which is spun to decide how much each player wins or loses. There are also many books about Hanukkah that are suitable for children and an interactive story-time session or drama can be created with a small group.

The Winter solstice usually occurs on *21 or 22 December and marks the shortest day of the year in Northern latitudes. It is the start of deep winter and yet simultaneously the marks the increasing length of days and return of spring. Solstice, which comes from a latin words 'Sol' meaning sun and 'Stice' meaning to be still, occurs twice a year with the Summer Solstice on June 21or 22. The celebrations for winter solstice are extremely varied throughout the world and can be a subject of research in itself. In modern times the solstice celebrations are often overshadowed by Christmas but the day can still be celebrated with a large meal, gathering of friends, laughter and merrymaking to bring more light into the world. Alternatively it can also be time for a reverent pause to reflect on the end of the year and what the changing season means for personal and planetary wellbeing. Solstice is a great time for children to learn more about the alignment of the planet, the Earth's rotation and relationship with the sun. Charts can be printed out and astronomical games played.

Kwanzaa is an African-American celebration created by Ron Karunga. It was first observed in 1966 and continues to grow in popularity. The name Kwanzaa comes from a phrase which means "first fruits" in the East African language of Swahili. Other phrases used in Kwanzaa celebrations are also taken from this language. Kwanzaa is designed to be a family and community event where participants gather together each day to celebrate 'The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa,' which are also known as the 'Nguzo Saba'. These principles are as follows:

Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity): To always do as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Kwanzaa celebrations involve the setting of a special table with a selection of symbolic items. A special seven branch candle holder known as a 'kimara' is placed in the center of the table and each day a new candle is lit for the principle of the day. The 'kimara' is placed on a 'mkeka', a traditional straw mat, and one ear of corn is also placed on the mat for each child in the family. There is also a fruit basket, called a 'mazao' and a special unity cup called 'Kikombe cha Umoja', from which everyone drinks. Gifts, known as 'zawadi', are given on the last day of Kwanzaa. These gifts often have cultural significance or meaning. Homes are decorated with African cloth and many attendees wear African garments.

Kwanzaa is a rich celebration that many children enjoy replicating and participating in. Activities can include labeling an African Map, learning Swahili phrases, weaving a Kwanzaa mat, drawing some flags of Africa, creating a Kwanzaa word search, dressing in Africa clothing and singing Kwanzaa or African songs.

Omisoka is the Japanese celebration of New Years Eve. This day is spent finalizing the month-long cleaning of the home and in busy preparation for the evening ahead. The Omisake evening meal, usually served at 11:30pm, consists of long buckwheat noodles which symbolize the thread that weaves one year to the next and also the long life that many hope for.

A big family clean-up may be a fun and practical way to spend the day on 31st December, putting all the Christmas gifts in order and preparing for an orderly new year ahead! Children may already be staying up late for New Years Eve and integrating an evening meal of noodles can be an enjoyable way of associating with those in Japan who will be doing the same.

If materials are available, children can set up the 'Kado-matsu', the New Year's decoration that is placed at the front entrance of a building on both sides. 'Kado-matsu' is made from pine boughs and bamboo which respectively symbolise longevity and prosperity.

By observing these special events from around the world, the whole of December can be an opportunity to celebrate and learn many new things from our global community. Happy Holidays!