Happy Hanukkah

Hanukkah begins every year on the 25th of the Hebrew month of "Kislev." The 25th of Kislev In 2007, is December 4th

Hanukkah began at sundown on December 4th. 

The Festival of Lights

Hanukkah is the most widely celebrated American Jewish holiday, possibly because it is a fun, child-centered occasion. It is celebrated with excellent food, exchanging gifts, and lighting beautiful menorahs (special Hanukkah candelabras) filled with brightly colored candles. Unlike some of the other Jewish holidays, which require intense spiritual reflection or elaborate preparation, it is easy to celebrate.

Many Jewish holidays commemorate events invested with historical and religious meaning, and Hanukkah is no exception. Hanukkah means "rededication," and it commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by foreign forces. The celebration also reaffirms the continuing struggle to live by God's commandments and to lead Jewish lives.

When all is said and done, perhaps the most important message of Hanukkah may be found in the name of the holiday itself: Dedication. When Jews have dedicated themselves, through faith and action, to the pursuit of high religious and human ideals, Judaism has been strong. That imperative, to strengthen our religion and our people, remains an important challenge at this season, in every generation.

Happy Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is celebrated traditionally from December 26th through January 1^st

Kwanzaa is an African-American cultural holiday conceived  and developed by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga in 1966.  Each day of Kwanzaa focuses on Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles- "matunda ya kwanza" which means first fruits, Kwanzaa is rooted in the first harvest celebrations practiced in various cultures in Africa, and it seeks to (1) enforce a connectedness to African cultural identity, (2) provide a focal point for the gathering of African peoples, and (3) to reflect upon the Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles, that have sustained Africans. Africans and African - Americans of all religious faiths and backgrounds practice Kwanzaa.

NGUZO SABA - The 7 Principles of Kwanzaa

Umoja (Unity) To strive for and 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 brother's and sister's 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 do always 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.

Two popular Traditional Celebration of Christmas in the Islands

Parang

Trinidad and Tobago Christmas Celebration

Parrang is derived from the Spanish word Parranda which means "the action of merry making, group of serenaders."

Parang is a musical style which fuses together Venezuelan and Calypso influences to create up beat tempos with a Spanish style and is popular in Trinidad & Tobago and various areas of Venezuela.

Parang is celebrated during the Christmas season with Singers and instrumentalists (musicians) traveling from house-to-house in communities, and is often joined by friends and neighbors using whatever instruments at hand performing.   The music is typically played with cuatro (a four-string small guitar), maracas (locally known as shak-shaks), and is often sung in Spanish.   Other instruments are used as well and they are violin, guitar, claves - locally known as toc-toc, box bass, flute, mandolin, bandolin, caja - a percussive box instrument and marimbola).  The entertainment and performances are done in exchange for food and drink rum or ponche de creme (an alcoholic eggnog). 

Musicians called "Parranderos" roam the streets playing this music and serenading people with both sacred and non-sacred repertoire, including songs such as "aguinaldo" which is related to the stories of the Nativity or birth of Christ; "estribillo" which is a sing along song that is very lively and is sung in a call and answer fashion and a few other styles of songs.

Although the repertoire is influenced by nearby Venezuela's traditions, it has largely developed into an indigenous performance genre in Trinidad. While the traditional house-to-house caroling tradition is still practiced by small groups and larger organized groups, the music has also developed into a season of staged performances called "parang fiestas," held from October through January each year, culminating in a final national parang competition.  

Parang has evolved throughout the years and many soca music artists have generated a cross-over music called "soca parang" which is a fusion of calypso and soca whose lyrics are sang in English and are inspired by the "Americanized" Christmas often referring to such symbols as Santa Claus.  Noted parang-soca artists include Scrunter, Crazy and Big B. Chutney (a singing artform of the indigenous people of Trinidad which have influences from Indian rhythms and are sometimes sung in Hindi) melodies have also been fused in with Parang.

The practice of paranging remains an important element of not only the Trinidadian rituals during the Christmas season but also in the rituals of other islands such as Grenada and the Dominican Republic and other countries such as Venezuela. Parang is especially vibrant in Trinidad & Tobago communities such as Paramin, Lopinot and Arima.  

The origins of the presence of parang music in Trinidad and Tobago is controversial, and there are two theories which are (1) Spanish monks who were present in Trinidad to lecture people about Catholicism were the first individuals to introduce the music; and (2) Venezuelans brought the first elements of parang with them when they migrated to Trinidad to escape the Bolivian Revolution.

Nine Mornings is a unique Vincentian festivity associated with the Christmas season.  Nine Mornings before Christmas, Vincentians awake in the early hours of the morning and partake in a range of activities, among them sea baths, dances (or in local parlance, fetes), bicycle riding and street concerts.  In the rural areas, the final morning of the festivity usually ended with a steel band “jump-up”.

The origins of this festivity are clouded in some mystery, although the original tradition relates it to the ‘novena’ of the Catholic Church on the nine days before Christmas.  It is believed that after the early morning church services of the Catholics, worshippers began walking the streets while others went for sea baths.   From this the popular festivity emerged.  Although popular opinion has this practice as starting during the period of slavery, it was more likely to have been a post-emancipation practice.

It is also believed that in the 1920s, a Vincentian member of the Dominican Order of the Catholic Church initiated a tradition of celebrating a Christmas novena in the early hours of the morning.  It was the procession home after the service, as the churchgoers wandered back to their houses, eagerly greeting friends with holiday blessings and peering in the still-shut shop windows, which developed into today’s celebration.  Soon it became customary for the ‘boom drum’ bands, composed of musicians playing goatskin drums and wooden flutes, to accompany the walkers home.  Street dancing, of course, was soon to follow, and in time, the character of the nine mornings’ celebration changed.  Over the years the number of walkers grew, and with the advent of the steel drum band a carnival-style nine mornings tradition evolved.   Street vendors joined the celebration, selling drinks made from ginger and sorrel as well as holiday cakes and sweets.  A later addition was the tradition of the ‘carolers’ who went house-to-house singing Christmas carols.

Nine mornings was particularly popular with young people for whom the normal restrictions at home were relaxed, giving them an opportunity to socialize with their friends.  At different periods emphasis was placed on different activities.   In the early period, street walking and sea bathing seemed to have predominated.  Over the years other features took root.  In Kingstown , owners of bicycles decorated their bicycles with lights and rode around town.  Persons wanting to get hot bread besieged bakeries around town that were producing bread for the early morning market.  Over time the bakeries catered to this demand.  Dances became popular at other times and recently in Kingstown , concerts involving choirs and individual entertainers have been attracting large crowds.  There are also fun competitions such as speech making, beer drinking and banana eating, crying, laughing, ‘ring play’ games and story telling.  A welcomed addition in recent years is the ‘lighting up’ of towns, villages, commercial buildings, churches and private homes.

California

Visual artists of 2D work: painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, photography; or masks are eligible to enter this exhibition.  www.caribny.org or call 646.839.2501.

Washington DC