WHHS is home to a diverse array of cultures and ethnicities. Due to this, traditions and holidays can be drastically different between students. The winter season, especially, is known for having a multitude of holidays.
Hanukkah is one of the holidays celebrated by students during the holiday season. Primarily celebrated by Jewish people, Hanukkah praises the miracle of the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in the second century B.C.E. The celebration lasts eight days and includes various traditions, such as the lighting of the menorah— an eight-piece candelabra. Each night for eight days, the head of the household lights a flame, representing God’s eternal presence.
“Each year we have a Hanukkah party, so we spin the dreidels and we eat latkes,” Lily Hope Hoffman Suder, ‘27, said.
Throughout the year, people celebrate numerous holidays based on specific beliefs, with many centered around the winter solstice. Despite the abundance of holidays, some prefer not to partake in any established celebration and choose rather to spend their time vacationing or finding other things to honor.
“I celebrate no school during winter break,” Gnaht Cheick, ‘26, said.
Another holiday recognized during the winter season is Christmas. Originally celebrated by Christians worldwide, Christmas honors the birth of Jesus Christ. Centuries later, Christmas has become a favorite holiday for millions of people, Christians and non-Christians alike. Christmas has many recognizable traditions associated with it, such as displaying and decorating a pine or fir tree.
“Christmas is part of my religion… each year I do a secret Santa with my family,” Emma Reblando, ‘26, said.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are celebrated worldwide as a pair and bring 48 hours of parties, parades, brunches and more. Each year on Dec. 31, a ball drops in Times Square, commemorating the start of a new year.
Although quite different from New Year’s Eve, which marks the beginning of the calendar year, the Chinese New Year is a celebration that commemorates the beginning of a new moon. Also referred to as Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year includes 15 days of festivities, often including fireworks, dances and lantern festivals. This year the holiday will begin Jan. 29 and conclude in early February.
“My parents started celebrating Christmas when they came to the United States to fit in, but they’ve been celebrating New Year’s since they were young,” Hannah Kosaric, ‘28, said. “In Bosnia, New Year’s is a really big deal, so it’s pretty important to me.”
Holidays bring millions of people together each year and can introduce people to new cultures, traditions and religions. They are constantly reminding people of the excitement that the future brings while honoring people and events, and many are likely to last for centuries to come.
“[Holidays] remind people that we only have this one life and we need to hang out with each other,” Kosaric said.