Celebrate!
December is a great month for holidays: Christmas,
the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus; Chanukah,
the Jewish festival of lights; Yule, the pagan celebration
of the longest night of the year and Kwanzaa, the African-based
celebration of harvest and community.
The links below will take you to more information about
these holidays, and some fun activities that honor these
different traditions.
One of the great things about being a Unitarian Universalist
is that in honoring the many religious traditions of
the world, we open the door to celebrating lots of different
holidays! |
|
top^
|
We Honor…
Unitarians who brought us much-loved Christmas carols. |
|
Edmund Hamilton Sears was a Unitarian minister in Wayland,
Massachusetts, who wrote “It Came Upon the Midnight
Clear” for his church in 1849. Try singing all the
verses of this song, and noticing the strong message of
peace.
For lyrics to this song, and to hear the tune, click
here |
|
James Pierpont was the brother of a Unitarian minister,
and served as organist at his brother’s church in
Savannah, Georgia. Pierpont wrote many songs, but his
most famous was “Jingle Bells.” Even people
who celebrate Christmas in places with no snow love this
song!
To sing along with “Jingle Bells” click
here |
|
top^
|
Ask CLiF
Ask CLiF any questions you have about religion or living
a good life
Dear CLiF,
Why is Hanukkah spelled so many different ways? —
Jason
Dear Jason,
The word Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew language,
the language the Hebrew Scriptures, or Old Testament,
is written in. Hebrew letters are different from the
ones we use, and have some sounds that are not in
the English language. Hanukkah starts with a sound
that’s kind of like clearing your throat, and
that sound is sometimes represented by an “H”
and sometimes by a “Ch.” All the ways
you see Chanukah spelled are probably right —
or equally not-quite-right, since they are not in
the original language.
|
|
| top^ |
|
