by Ahmad Alshareef, Ahmad Hawsawi, and Osaid Ali
Tag Archives: Holidays
My First Eid Celebration Outside of Saudi Arabia
by Reem Ibraheem
Sunday morning, after my breakfast, I went to the center of BU. I was one of the organizers for Eid Al-Adha celebration with the Saudi Club at BU. Before I go on, I would like to explain to you the meaning of Eid al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice. It is the second religious occasion celebrated by Muslims every year, and it represents the story of the prophet Abraham in which he saw a dream in which he sacrificed his son to submit to God's will. Before he took action, God sent his angel Jibra'il to inform him that his sacrifice was accepted and ordered him to sacrifice a sheep instead of his son.
Eid Al-Adha marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. It starts after the descent of the hujjaj from Mount Arafat with the Eid prayer, which according to sources, begins from the time when the sun is 3 meters from the horizon until the sun reaches its meridian before the sacrifice.
On this day families gather with their immediate relatives to eat a meal that they have prepared and have fun. So, the Saudi club at BU organized this event for Eid Al-Adha and the Saudi national day celebration on Oct 4th in GSU from 4:00 to 10:00 pm. Many Saudi students and non-Saudis attended the ceremony as well. It started with exhibitions, which included a number of folk corners, such as a guest corner at the beginning, which served Arabic coffee with dates, a photo booth, clowns, calligraphy, and children’s activities. Then, the ceremony began with a beautiful presentation about Saudi Arabia, followed by other shows, such as folk dance, a stand-up comedy show and some songs. The evening ended with a lovely dinner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_prayers
Ramadan
www.greenprophet.com/2013/06/science-replaces-moon-spotting-as-ramadan-predictor
In the Islamic lunar calendar, the ninth month is a very special month for all Muslims around the world. This month is called Ramadan. It is often 30 days and sometimes 29 days. How do we know when Ramadan begins? By the end of the eight month, on the 29th day, we look for the new crescent moon. If we could see the new moon, then Ramadan starts by the sunset of the same day, and we start fasting before the sunrise of the next day. On the other hand, if we couldn’t see the new moon, then we complete the previous month, 30 days, and Ramadan begins the following day.
What do Muslims do in Ramadan? Ramadan is a holy month, and Muslims do good things as best as they can to worship god (Allah), increasingly in this month. It could be contributing, donating, volunteering or distributing food for the needy, and much more. Ramadan is the month that our Holy Quran was completed in, so we are reading the Quran most of the time and trying to finish reading it all (604 pages) during Ramadan. In the very beginning of the day, we eat (Sahoor) before sunrise. And it’s a regular meal, not so heavy and not so light, to keep our stomach full. After sunset we break our fast by eating dates* and drinking water. Then we eat; the reason for this is to give our stomach prior alert to not break down after a long fasting, and also to follow what the prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) was doing. We have special prayers (Taraweeh) after the last prayer in the day (Isha). Taraweeh is prayers in the short-term, but multiple and the most common is 5 prayers. In the last 10 days we pray late in the night (after midnight), we call it (Tahajjoud).
As a reward from Allah, when Ramadan finishes and everyone is so proud of what they did during Ramadan, we celebrate in the first day after Ramadan. This celebration is called Eid AL-Fitr, and we don’t fast any more. In the morning of this day, and before the sunrise, we gather in a mosque or place and pray (alfajr)-the first prayer in the day- and when the sun rises we pray (AL-Eid’s prayer). After we finish praying, we congratulate each other. That’s what makes it happier, that you’re welcoming people you don’t know and congratulating them for their efforts in Ramadan. Mostly we celebrate 3 consecutive days after Ramadan, and in these days we visit each other and hang out together, and we still donate and distribute food and clothes for the needy to have them celebrate with us.
*here is a great website selling dates if you are interested (http://tomoorona.com/)
Weekend Adventure on Nantucket
My daughters and I went to Nantucket for the 4th of July weekend this year. We left early on Friday the 3rd because I knew the traffic was going to be horrendous on this beautiful 3-day weekend.
We caught the first ferry out of Hyannis. You can take the slow boat or the fast one for twice the price. We took the slow one, it was about $40 one-way for the 3 of us. It was quite enjoyable on the ferry. We played cards and watched the day become brighter. The view when you arrive on Nantucket is really amazing! You can see a light house and picturesque historic mansions and their sailboats floating in the harbor.
We stayed with my friend who grew up on Nantucket. She showed us the island with it's cute cobblestone streets from the early 1700s and it's quaint bookstores, fashion boutiques, cafes and restaurants. We enjoyed the 4th of July festivities downtown with kids' activities such as face painting and bean bag tossing. We spent the day at the beach and my daughters played in the waves and collected seashells. We watched the fireworks from the Harbor and felt proud to be on this old historic island that is a unique piece of the American experience.
American Easter Traditions
Written by Stephanie Ngom
My family celebrates Easter by decorating eggs, doing an egg hunt and eating a big breakfast or brunch. Decorating eggs when I was young was much more difficult. My mom used to make us poke holes in the top and bottom of the eggs and blow the raw egg out so she could use it for cooking later. Nowadays, we just hard boil the eggs. We put them in different colored dye to make fun patterns and mixtures of colors like blue, purple, yellow, red and green. My daughters also enjoy putting stickers and fancy decorations on their eggs, which we didn't have when I was growing up. These eggs are used later for an egg hunt.
When my kids were young, I would make a special Easter basket filled with chocolate bunnies, jelly beans and a stuffed animal and put it at the end of their beds. They thought it was the Easter Bunny who left it for them. Then, they would go out into the yard and search for Easter eggs, both the ones we decorated and others that are plastic that you can fill with something. Sometimes I put coins or little candies in the plastic eggs. If the weather is bad, like it is this year, we hide the eggs in the house.
After the egg hunt, we usually make a big breakfast filled with eggs, potatoes and sausage. Sometimes we go out for a special brunch where they have a buffet with all kinds of fun Easter food. If we have family in town, we usually do something special if the weather is nice, like go for a long walk or go for a long drive with a beautiful view. If only the weather would cooperate!
Holi Festival at Boston University
On Saturday, April 10th I attended a "Holi" celebration with my son at the Cummington mall at Boston University. It was a real treat and our first time at this celebration. My son was delighted that he was actually allowed to make a mess by throwing powder colors. When we arrived, there were many students covered in bright colors. They waited excitedly at various tables for the next color to be filled in their paper cups. Music played from speakers and some students were dancing. At another corner of the mall was a small stand with volunteers making cotton candy. I ran into a few of my present and former students, resplendent in color. The people at the event participated in good cheer!
My simple understanding of this celebration is that it is a celebration of colors, love, and new beginnings. It is a Hindu holiday that allows for all people, regardless of affinity or place in society to participate. I hope to attend this celebration again.
The link below explains the celebration in more detail.
http://hinduism.about.com/od/holifestivalofcolors/a/celebrateholi.htm
by Katja Davidoff
Photos by Katja Davidoff
A Firsthand View of St. Patrick’s Day
www.techfeast.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/St-Patricks-Day-2015-Image.jpg
Kiss Me, I’m Irish! Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th
I never heard (sadly?) that slogan while growing up Irish just north of Boston some years ago, though years later I remember seeing it on buttons people wore around St. Patrick’s day. We celebrated rather quietly in my family, my brothers and sisters and I wearing some green to school and my mother preparing a “boiled dinner.” This meant corned beef boiled with potatoes, cabbage, carrots and turnips. I loved the saltiness of the beef, but the greasy cabbage not so much.
Also, around this holiday, my mother would bake Irish bread made with buttermilk which made it moist and baking soda which made it rise and left a faint metallic taste. It also had raisins to sweeten it and thin seeds, caraway seeds, that had a strong piquant taste. I sometimes picked these out.
So that’s how we celebrated in my family, nothing exceptional, mostly commemorating the day by eating Irish food. As I grew older, I heard about a big parade in a very Irish neighborhood of Boston, and that many Irish Americans and their friends used the day as an excuse to drink a lot. Either way, quiet or noisy, though the day was meant to honor St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, I believe that now and then Irish-Americans celebrate this day to remember where their parents and grandparents came from—the Old Sod, the Emerald Isle, Ireland! As the saying goes, we’re all Irish on March 17th.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back . . .
And, until we meet again, may God hold you
in the palm of his hand.
An Irish blessing
By Genevieve Ferrick
Valentine’s Day
As Americans, we celebrate diversity and multiculturalism. However we have such an abundance of holidays that we have sometimes become accustomed to celebrating them without fully understanding their origins or purpose. Our basic knowledge of holidays outside of our home culture often started in elementary school. Each holiday came with a theme and all the ensuing projects, complete with construction paper and glue. Often our feeble understanding of many holidays was based upon TV versions of history, advertising, and stores, displaying clever marketing to increase sales. Sometimes we were blissfully unaware that the true origins and purpose of certain holidays may have been to represent a harsh reality or occurrence in history. In any case, our modern version of holidays gives us an excuse to celebrate and do something special with loved ones and companions.
Valentine's day is a day for celebrating love and eating sweets. This is the simplified version of the holiday that many of us were taught In elementary school. We also had a vague idea of an angel named cupid, who shot people with an invisible arrow, thereby causing those who were struck by his arrow to fall in love. During most of our formative years we made colorful cards and paper hearts to give to classmates on this holiday. Sometimes those cards were also accompanied with some candy or chocolate. During adolescence, if we were brave enough, we would give a card or a small gift to someone we liked romantically. Adults usually went out for a romantic evening complete with flowers and a gift or chocolates.
Although we have consistently celebrated Valentine's day every year with good cheer and enthusiasm, there are few people who could tell you where the holiday originated. Apparently the holiday is quite a conglomeration of different periods in history and varying purposes. According to the video below, the history of the holiday started with a Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia and was later renamed and given an official date by the Church in honor of a crucified Saint. Towards the end of the middle ages the holiday represented people in love, and birds in mating season. In the 1700's the focus of the holiday was on giving greeting cards. Around 100 years later, the focus changed to exchanging cards with a romantic focus. After that the manufacture and consumer demand of cards and chocolate blossomed. People today generally view this as a romantic day and an opportunity to show a loved one that he/she is special. I don't know where the chocolate came into it, but that is my favorite part.
History video: Bet You Didn't Know: Valentine's Day. 14 February 2015.
Valentines Day in Japan
In America, men give flowers or a present to women on Valentines Day. In Japan, women give chocolate or a present to men, family, or friends. Then on March 14th, men give a present as a return gift to women: we call this White day! This is quite an interesting cultural difference, right?
I would like to introduce you to Japanese Valentines day.
As you know, February 14th is Valentines Day. In Japan, February is the most important month for snack companies, especially in the chocolate section. They sell one third of their chocolate during the Valentines Day season!
http://navistation01.com/4207.html
Why does everyone give chocolate on Valentines Day?
There are several theories on why you give chocolate on Valentines Day. Most people think that it was because many companies started advertising women giving chocolates to men for Valentines Day. According to the website ..., this happened in 1975, and the practice of women giving chocolate to men was established.
February is an important month for girls to brag about their cooking skills. When I was in high school, I received more than 100 Tomo-choco (see below) in three years from my friends. They all are really skillful in cooking. Every year, I learned recipes from my mother and made them until midnight. They were unforgettable memories for me!
Glossary for Valentines Day
Honmei-choco
本命チョコ
Girls give this Honmei-choco to their boyfriend, or to a boy they want to tell that she likes him.
Giri-choco
義理チョコ
Girls give a Giri-choco to a boy they are friends with.
Tomo-choco
友チョコ
Girls give chocolates or cookies to friends.
It does not matter if the friend is a boy or a girl. You can give this to whomever you want.
"Choco" Photos from the following sites, in order of appearance
- plaza.rakuten.co.jp/annnemarie/diary/201302140000/
- whitedayokaeshi.web.fc2.com/
- matome.naver.jp/odai/2142277600187319901/2142283316043839903
New Years 2015: “First Night” Boston
www.firstnightboston.org/
First Night is a day-long celebration that features local artists and performers showcased across many venues across Boston. Don't let the name fool you, however. It takes place on the last night of the year, from noon until midnight. There are many First Night celebrations held across the country; but it all started here, in Boston, on December 31st, 1975, when local artists and performers wanted to create a celebration that was family friendly (in other words, alcohol-free), and that provided them a chance to perform their music or dance, and showcase their art.
The 2015 button was designed by Fei Ping Zhao, a junior at Boston Latin Academy and the winner of our First Night 2015 Button Art Contest
All it takes is to buy the First Night button (which is also designed by local artists), then you have access to all the First Night festivities! The First Night 2015 button was only $10, which is a great deal considering everything it gives you access to. The first thing we did was go to the Mary Baker Eddy Library to check out the Mapparium. Admission was free to button-holders. Then we went to the Family Festival at the Hynes Convention Center, where performances are held for the entire day. We watched several dance groups perform, such as the Chu Ling Dance Academy, 4 Star Dance Studio, and Jo-Mé Dance. Other things happening at the Family Festival included a performance by the professional stunt team Maximum Velocity, Storytelling by MassMouth, and puppet shows.
After the Family Festival, we went to see the ice sculptures, which were at Copley Square, as well as the Boston Common.
www.universalhub.com/2014/waving-new-year
We missed the Boylston street parade because we wanted to stay warm inside of a local restaurant and eat dinner. This parade is especially characterized by people on stilts, and larger than life puppets. After refueling with hamburgers, we went to see the Skating Club of Boston figure skaters at the Frog Pond. There were performances by soloists as well as groups, some distinguished enough to have competed in regional as well as national competitions. Just as the performers were taking their bows, the first fireworks of the night were shot into the sky with a BOOM! The music from the speakers continued playing, and the skaters free-styled on the ice while the fireworks continued.
Music performances continued into the night at venues like Copley square and in any number of those beautiful churches in the Back Bay neighborhood. At midnight there is a televised countdown in front of the Boston Public Library, and fireworks go off over Boston Harbor.
This was my fourth time partaking in First Night Boston, and given how enjoyable it is, certainly will not be my last. If you are in Boston for New Years 2016, be sure to join in on the fun. First Night 2016 promises to be a great one, as it will be the 40th year anniversary for this iconic Boston holiday tradition.
All photos are credited to the author unless otherwise stated