Minority Christmas

Students and staff at OHS talk about their traditions during the month of December and January.

During the month of December, people from around the world celebrate Christmas or alternatives in different ways that include both religion and race.

In Mexico and other Latin American countries, people begin Navidad (Christmas) on the 16th through the 24th,celebrating the journey of Mary and Joseph in search of a place to birth Jesus. According to Britannica.com, Las Posadas includes people marching around their neighborhood singing Christmas-like-carols.

Other activities like playing games and breaking piñatas are also traditions.Oxnard High School  junior, Marissa Garcia said, “My dad always buys two or three piñatas and there are always different games everyone can play.”

Some individuals from Israel and other countries celebrate Hanukkah, or The Festival of Lights.The lighting of a candle each day for eight days on the nine-branched menorah, playing games, and eating traditional food are all parts of this holiday.OHS teacher, Ms. Rachel Neumann said, “We light candles every night, and then after the sun goes down, we open one gift.” At the end of the Jewish holiday, a total of eight gifts are opened.

In the Philippines, celebrations begin in December and end in January. According to WhyChristmas.com,one tradition is the Parol, a star-shaped lantern, which is what lead the Three Wise Men to Jesus. Filipinos also make varieties of sweets and food. OHS junior Nicole Cabucay said, “We cook meals and eat it with rice,and we also eat desserts, especially leche flan and mango float.”

Many people from the middle east, like Syria, attend an early mass close to or on Christmas day.OHS junior Lola Jobeh,said, “The morning of or Sunday before we always go to church and celebrate there.” They also make traditional food. Jobeh said,”We always make these two Arabic dishes; Magloba which is rice and chicken, and Yerba which is grape leaves stuffed with rice.”

The food, games, family traditions, and beliefs are all aspects of what makes December an interesting month for everyone.