A Multicultural Holiday Season

Kalyani Spieckerman (11th grade)

The holiday season for my family has never really looked exactly like that of my peers. I am mixed, and therefore my holiday traditions are mixed too. The months of October through December are filled with many celebrations that reflect the multicultural nature of my family, and I think that the way we come together to honor different pastimes is a tradition in and of itself. We celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, whenever it comes in mid-October to November. This year, it happens to be on Halloween. We tend to dress up in our nice clothes and celebrate with other Indian families in the community, enjoying delicious food together and making diyas. On December 21st, we celebrate the winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year. My grandmother holds a party every year for the winter solstice and all of her closest friends and family come to honor the importance of the sun. We celebrate Hanukkah as well, usually being all together on the first and last days but lighting the menorah on the days between. We play dreidel and light candles, and we celebrate together. Although we are not Christian, we celebrate Christmas and always spend time decorating the living room and setting up the tree. My family uses the many holidays that come with the end of the year as a chance to celebrate togetherness and the unity of family and cultures, and I am very grateful that I get to experience so many amazing holidays every year. Although my holiday season doesn’t fit one traditional culture, it represents the cultures of my family, and I am so happy I get to celebrate it.