Holiday season
Families find ways to make holidays memorable despite the pandemicKrystal Wu, Staff Writer, Sameeksha Agarwal, Staff Writer & Manasa Premanand, Features Editor
Sriman Thangaraj, 12, celebrates Diwali with his family, one kind of festivity out of the many here at Northview.
Photo Courtesy of Sriman Thangaraj
Across the globe, people hold festivities that showcase the intricacies of diverse traditions and customs, many of which are during the months of November and December; despite the differing cultural connections and holiday practices, the winter holidays are centered around the gathering of families. The pandemic has changed so much already, and with this year’s holiday season, families are unable to engage in their conventional ways of celebration. However, just as many have adapted to this unfamiliar, pandemic-driven world, families still find ways to preserve their traditions. Whether it is through enjoying a hearty feast with loved ones or setting off firecrackers with family during this festive season, the Johns Creek community remains high-spirited and resolute in their celebrations.
A holiday that recently passed and is celebrated widely amongst the Johns Creek community is Diwali, the festival of light. Diwali holds religious, cultural, and personal value as it is unique to everyone who celebrates it. In Hinduism, it celebrates the victory of light over darkness. In Jainism, it marks the day that one of their spiritual teachers attained enlightenment. In Sikhism, it commemorates the selflessness of their sixth guru.
“To me, Diwali means celebrating the importance of the light in our lives,” Sriman Thangaraj, a senior at Northview, said. “It is the light that guides [us] to our path of success, and it is important to recognize [that] and rejoice [in] it.”
Diwali is commonly celebrated by making a variety of sweets, performing holy rituals, and having firework celebrations. In Thangaraj’s family, they celebrate Diwali in a similar manner.
“First we do a lot of fireworks on our own driveway and then we invite other kids in our neighborhood to come and celebrate with us. After that, we go inside and have dinner so we have a lot of sweets and savories there,” Thangaraj said.
Thangaraj’s family usually invites a few other families over as well to celebrate with them. However, due to the pandemic, they decided against it this year. Also in contrast to their previous ways of celebrating, his family only set off a few fireworks as opposed to the extensive amounts that they usually do. Fortunately, they were still able to continue a tradition from past years, which is to distribute sweets to their family friends. In return, their neighbors and friends also give them sweets and snacks.
As unconventional as this way of celebrating Diwali was, the family was able to grow closer and bond more due to the intimacy of their celebrations. They were able to spend quality time together and even had their own family movie night once festivities were over, ending the holiday on a positive note.
After Diwali, another holiday commonly celebrated in the community is Thanksgiving, which is renowned for the turkeys that people eat as part of the celebration. Thanksgiving originated in 1621 when the English Puritans, also known as the Pilgrims, founded Plymouth Colony. Thanksgiving is a holiday observed in the United States with the purpose being to commemorate the first Thanksgiving of Plymouth Colony and celebrates the harvest and blessings of the past year.
“For me, my family celebrates having the week off to decompress and spend time together, and although we have a big feast, we don’t idolize the holiday,” Kristin Hsu, a senior at Northview, said.
There is no set practice that people observe to take part in this holiday - methods of celebration vary from person to person. Although Christmas may seem like the time to travel, surprisingly, Thanksgiving is the biggest travel day of the year. At their homes, families normally hold a feast, watch football, and bond with each other, and in years before the pandemic, many would go on vacations as well. In the Hsu household, all of their family comes together to Hsu’s house to celebrate.
“Usually, my grandparents, aunts, and cousins come to my house and we cook all day and have a big traditional Thanksgiving meal.”
The Hsu’s also play board games, get bubble tea, or come up with other family bonding activities to spend the night together. The family reunion could not occur this year, so it was just Hsu, her parents, and her sister this time. Instead of having their usual grand Thanksgiving feast, they had a small turkey and baked a pie. Despite the celebration being much simpler than it had been for the past few years, Hsu holds a positive outlook towards it.
Senior Kristin Hsu still manages to find family time amid the pandemic.
Photo Courtesy of Kristin Hsu
“We’re still trying to make the most out of it, and I think this year of COVID-19 is a pretty cool story to share in the future,” Hsu said. “If anything, it’s just making my family grow stronger and bond more.”
Looking forward in the year, after Thanksgiving is celebrated, winter, a time of holiday joy and cheer, begins. As soon as the cold season arrives, many rush to stores to fill their shopping carts with presents and goodies as winter holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa approach. Christmas, a holiday commonly celebrated with presents and family, is traditionally a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus, the son of God.
“Being Catholic, the month before Christmas is known as Advent. It is supposed to be a time of preparation in the Catholic calendar, and we usually all give up something, such as chocolate, sweets, or social media,” Paul Philip, a junior at Northview, said. “We also set up a little manger in our living room, just a small replica. My dad constructed one out of wood a couple of years back, and we have little figures like Jesus and Mother Mary.”
Philip, a Catholic, explains the religious meaning behind Christmas to him and his family. This year, Advent started on Nov. 29, and Philip and his family continued their usual religious traditions. Not only does Christmas hold great religious importance, but it is also a time to celebrate family and friends with gatherings and great food.
Christmas is always an invaluable time for junior Paul Philip and his family.
Photo Courtesy of Paul Philip
“Usually we celebrate Christmas with our family from New Jersey and California here at our house, and we go to Church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. After, we have a big meal together,” Philip said. “Our extended family sees each other maybe once or twice a year, and Christmas is always an invaluable time.”
Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, Philip and his family had to take a rain check on their gatherings. This year, Philip shared he will either have a smaller celebration with just his parents and siblings, or his sister, brother, and Philip will go to New Jersey and join their extended family in celebration. If they do choose to fly to New Jersey, the siblings and their extended family will all be testing for COVID-19 prior to leaving to take proper safety measures. Christmas is truly a special familial time for Philip, and COVID-19 will not stop his holiday cheer.
Another religious holiday filled with cheer and meaning is the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, a celebration of miracles. The story of the oil that burned for eight long days instead of one is the center of this religious celebration. Because the oil lasted eight days, Hanukkah is an eight-day long celebration of this great miracle.
“It is not the biggest holiday, but it is more major among children because of the holidays that occur during the time, like Christmas,” sophomore Sasha Cole said.
“It is big because the story takes place after a war, and after a synagogue was destroyed.”
It starts at sundown each day. Each day a candle is lit, everyone says prayers, children receive gifts and play a game of dreidel, and foods made from oil, such as latkes and jelly doughnuts, are enjoyed. It is a joyous and cheerful family time. A dreidel is a little top that has Hebrew letters all around, and the letters spell “a great miracle happened here”. While playing the game, children earn certain amounts of chocolate gold coins, or guilt, based on what side the dreidel lands on. For children and parents, this holiday helps everyone bond and celebrate.
“My family either goes to a friend’s house to celebrate on the first or second nights, or we go to synagogue where there is usually a Hanukkah festival for the children there,” Cole said.
COVID-19 has changed the holiday season for many, and the Hanukkah festival at Cole’s synagogue is not happening this year. It is also difficult to meet with friends during this time as safety precautions need to be met, but Cole still plans to enjoy Hanukkah to the fullest with her family.
Holidays are an invaluable time to spend with family and friends, whether it is the sharing of delicious meals and presents or the exploring of traditional customs. Despite the devastating pandemic inhibiting families from gathering as usual, the given limitations of the holidays have surprisingly created ways for families to connect on a deeper level. The cherished memories and small moments last forever, even amidst a pandemic, as families across the world find ways to safely preserve their traditions with a new sense of celebration.
