Not all Northwestern students are preparing to light the menorah for Hanukkah or decorate their dorm rooms with red and green for Christmas — many instead will observe a variety of religious and cultural holidays such as Kwanzaa, Ramadan or Diwali.
While Christmas and Hanukkah consume the bulk of the public’s attention this time of year, there are almost as many practicing Muslims in the United States as Jews. An even larger number of African Americans observe Kwanzaa every December.
And in late October or early November, more than 1 billion Hindus around the world celebrate Diwali, a festival of lights.
“It’s more than a gathering of families,” said Weinberg junior Prajwal Ciryam, who celebrates the holiday.
During Diwali people buy new clothes, exchange sweets, set off fireworks and decorate their houses with little oil lamps.
“In India, it’s sheer madness — people shooting fireworks without care,” added Ciryam, who also is Associated Student Government academic vice president.
Others observe their winter holidays in a more quiet, restrained fashion. Kwanzaa, a seven-day African-American holiday celebrating African culture and community that begins Dec. 26, was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966.
“Kwanzaa is a time to embrace our past, come together as a community and look toward the future,” Weinberg sophomore Sharifa Vinson said.
At the height of the Civil Rights movement, Karenga wanted to celebrate the values and history of African cultures. He took the name Kwanzaa from a Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits,” using ancient African harvest festivals as a template for this celebration.
“Our struggles are not always recognized,” Vinson said. “But Kwanzaa is a reminder that we are still here and we will continue to grow.”
The seven days of Kwanzaa represent the seven principles that Karenga derived from these African festivals, including unity, community and faith.
Each night the family lights a candle corresponding to one of the seven principles.
“It’s a great opportunity to come together as a community,” Vinson said. “Sometimes the community gathers at presentations or programs, but often it’s simply a family lighting the candles.”
For Muslims the time to celebrate community and come together is Ramadan, which began this year in mid-October and ended in mid-November.
Although many Americans incorrectly consider Ramadan a winter holiday, its date changes from year to year because the Islamic calendar corresponds to lunar schedule, said McCormick senior Akbar Naqvi, who is from Pakistan.
Ramadan represents the month when God sent down the Koran — the Islamic holy book — from heaven. To commemorate their holy scripture, Muslims fast during the daytime all month.
During this period Muslims are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke or have sexual relations between sunrise and sunset. Ramadan also is a time for intensified prayer.
Despite the month’s intensity and continuous fasting, most Muslims find ways to brighten up the short time they can eat in the dark.
“Sometimes after sunset we went to some guy’s apartment and stayed up the whole night playing ‘Halo,’ talking, and eating a lot before sun rise,” said Aamair Tajuddin, a McCormick sophomore, who is also the executive vice president of the Muslim-Cultural Students Association. “It builds brotherhood.” T
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