How Do different cultures celebrate the holidays?
By: Maxine DeLeon
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Especially in a country considered as a melting pot, there’s no one way to welcome the holiday season; it varies for each family, for each culture. Knowing this, how do some of Olympian’s own students celebrate?
“We gather with my mom’s side of the family on Christmas Eve and eat food and have fun until midnight, where we then open presents they got,” Evan Reach, a senior who grew up in a white family, mentions. The next morning is spent with just his family of four, followed by a simple lunch together. Meanwhile, Krystal Asamary talks about their holiday routine of traveling to Tijuana, Mexico where her grandmother from her father’s side lives. Once the clock strikes 12, they greet each other with a kiss on the cheek and a hug, another usual part of their celebration. Their evening doesn’t end there however, Krystal and her family later head to her mother’s side and repeat the celebration, only this time, they stay until six in the morning to open presents and continue the commemoration amidst servings of tamales, pozole, and menudo. |
Chaewon Kim, born and raised in South Korea before moving to America, celebrates a little differently. While she also spends Christmas warmly at home, the holiday her family honors more significantly is Chuseok, or Autumn Eve. “This is on the full moon and we use “new” rice and we make songpyeon, which is a type of rice cake. We also visit our ancestors’ graves,” She explains.
People typically celebrate with the company of their family and friends, while some also prefer to bask in relaxation and the comfort of having a private space. Between these differences, one fact everyone can agree on is that the holidays also serve as an opportunity to simply take a break. Especially given how difficult and overwhelming the past year had been, let’s take this season as a chance to slow down and gather ourselves, before preparing to take on what 2021 will bring us. |
