A holiday is an opportunity to journey within.
PRABHAS
Since it’s the week before Christmas I choose a challenge that is fitting for the holiday.
I started to wonder as my children ask why we do certain things in the preparation for the holiday, what other cultures do. We are Lutherans and celebrate the birth of Jesus and also gift giving and Santa Claus. I found a great article that talks about a lot of the other holidays around Christmas time, and a few stuck out to me. I put the article link at the bottom of the post so please check it out.
Las Posadas– is a Mexican Holiday where from Dec 16-24 they celebrate and honor the journey that Mary and Joseph took from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They go through town looking for lodging and along the way do some caroling and scripture reading.
I love this tradition. How great to celebrate this magical time in the Christmas journey. We do this by putting on a Christmas play with the youth in our church, and they tell of the journey of Mary and Joseph and of the birth of Jesus.
Dec 6th is St Nicholas Day in many European communities. They celebrate the patron St. Nicholas who was a 4th century Christian bishop. Found on the website apnews.com. They celebrate his kindness and generosity. “…ready to give of his wealth in a self- effacing way so that others may come to know a deep love in their life” -Ayo. They wake to shoes filled with candies and small gifts.
This has very much influenced the American Santa Claus tradition. I love that they celebrate generosity and kindness with the deep love of life.
So now it’s your turn. I bet your children ask questions too. Instead of saying that’s just how we do things, let’s dive in and explain the reason for the season. How can you learn more about your holiday? Let’s see if we can educate them more. Whether it be about the secular part of Christmas or the spiritual part.
-Kristy
References- https://apnews.com/article/saint-nicholas-day-santa-claus-fe4aa5607763558f48171b44036b806d , https://stacker.com/art-culture/20-celebrations-holiday-season-besides-christmas