In this episode of Cubs Out Loud, the guys get more festive as the holidays approach. Getting together, they go through some of the celebrations that happen during this time of the year. While there is a focus on one particular holiday (Christmas), there are at least seven spiritual holidays of note going on right now. How many do the cubs know about? Listen and learn as the guys spread the holiday cheer of many holidays to come.

Show Topic

It’s the Holiday Season 

The so-called culture wars here in the U.S. of recent years have brought to light the inward focus of some faith communities amongst many that celebrate at this time of year. While there is a focus on one particular celebration/date, in roughly one month and a half there are seven spiritual holidays of note. How many do our hosts know about? Do you celebrate some or any of them? 

Hanukkah: November 28/December 6 – also known as Chanukah or the Festival of Lights, it is a Jewish festival that lasts for eight days and nights. Hebrew for “dedication” – based on the story of the menorah in the Second Temple of Jerusalem In the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev, which corresponds to the time frame between late November and December in the Gregorian Calendar. 

Las Posadas: December 16-24 – celebrated throughout Mexico and Central America, is Spanish for “The Inns.” This nine-day festival lasts for a nine-day interval (called the novena) during the Christmas season, which represents the nine-month pregnancy while honoring the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of lodging.

Winter Solstice/Yule/Christmastide: December 21 – Pagan celebration of the darkest day of the year, originally called Yule, is one of the oldest recorded winter holidays in history. Historically, celebrated by feeding a large oak tree into the fireplace. The tree would be cut down on the Winter Solstice and the yule log would be slowly pushed into the flames over the 12 days of Christmas.

Soyal: December 22 – Zuni and Hopi Native American tribes in the southern U.S. honor the Winter Solstice on Tuesday, December 22 with a ceremony to lure back the sun god, who is believed to have traveled away from the tribes during the winter. It also marks a new cycle of the Wheel of the Year.

Christmas: December 25 – These days it’s easy to mistake Christmas as the two months of the year where everyone airs their hot takes on Hallmark movies, consumerism, ugly sweaters, Black Friday, how early is too early to put a tree, and holiday ads that dare to evolve with the times. Christmas in America is also a trillion-dollar industry, with $10.8 billion spent on Cyber Monday alone in 2020. Between the baking, the decorating, the holiday movies, and gifts, Americans will shell out about $1,500 per household. It’s the most wonderful – and expensive – time of the year.

Kwanzaa: December 26-January 1 – Created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at CSU, Long Beach, Kwanzaa – which stems from a Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits” – honors African-American culture. Each of Kwanzaa’s seven nights involves a candle-lighting ceremony during which attendees light a candle representing one of Kwanzaa’s seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Epiphany: January 6 – Feast of Epiphany, most commonly known as Three Kings’ Day, happens twelve days after Christmas, on January 6th. It is a Catholic observance and a day for commemorating the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Baby Jesus.

Orthodox Christmas: January 7 – Orthodox Christians in the United States celebrate Christmas a little bit later than everyone else, on January 7. This date falls on December 25 in the Julian Calendar, which existed before the Gregorian Calendar. Orthodox Christmas also celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. This holiday differs from Christmas Day because it does not observe Pagan traditions, like waiting for gifts from Santa Claus and decorating a tree, instead it focuses on religious customs.

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