Religious holidays over December

For many people, Christmas is also a time to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ and its significance to the Christian faith.

While most South Africans observe this tradition, the festive season also sees the celebration of other important religious events for the Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu communities.

•  The first event, and probably the most popular universally, is Christmas Day which is celebrated on 25 December across the world. It is a holiday honouring the birth of Jesus Christ and is usually celebrated by Christians, but over the years, it has evolved into a worldwide religious and secular celebration, incorporating many pre-Christian, pagan traditions. The day is usually commemorated by attending church, exchanging gifts with others and enjoying the day with friends and family.
• Another popular festival taking place in the Jewish faith is Hanukkah or Chanukah. It is an eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev. The festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, purity over adulteration and spirituality over materiality.The celebration of Hanukkah involves the lighting of the nightly menorah (candelabrum), a single flame on the first night, two flames on the second evening, and continuing with the lighting of more flames till the eighth night when all eight lights are kindled.Hanukkah will be celebrated between 16-24 December this year.
•  A festival celebrated by Hindus across the world is Pancha Ganapati, a modern five-day Hindu festival celebrated from December 21-25. The holiday is a modern-day one and it is celebrated in honour of Lord Ganesha, patron of the arts and the guardian of culture.The festival is generally celebrated by erecting a shrine to highlight new beginnings and the mending of past mistakes; and a special sadhana, spiritual discipline, is focused on by the entire family. Additionally, each morning, Ganesha is dressed or decorated in a different color: golden yellow, royal blue, ruby red, emerald green and finally, brilliant orange.
•  Last, but certainly not least, Buddhists will celebrate Bodhi Day, a day honouring the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama. The day is celebrated on 8 December by some Buddhist traditions and sees multi-coloured lights strung around the house, representing enlightenment.

So whether you’ll be lighting candles for Hanukkah, honouring the enlightenment of Gautama on Bodhi Day, celebrating Ganesha or commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, enjoy the festivities coming up in December.