Wednesday, November 25, 2015 • Holiday Gift Guide
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Trees, menorahs and wreaths Holiday traditions around the island By BEN WATANABE
Winter means a full-swing holiday season, largely dominated by Christmas and Hanukkah around Whidbey Island. That means trees are brought inside, wreaths hung outside, candles lit, and family time. Here’s a look at what some of the traditions are, and why they are celebrated by a few of the island’s faithful.
CHRISTMAS
The most widely celebrated winter holiday in America is Christmas, the Christian observance of Jesus Christ’s birth. With it come trees, songs, gifts and, like Hanukkah, candles. In many of the Protestant faiths — Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian — much of the the traditions are similar.
Mary Boyd, pastor of the Langley United Methodist Church, said many people return to church around Christmas because of the familiarity of the rituals. Evergreen trees and wreaths symbolize eternal life, with their lush, verdant needles and the continuing circle — without beginning or end. “We want those things that tie us to our memories and hopefully lead us to the future,” she said. Her church and congregation hold a candlelight vigil on Christmas Eve in preparation of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Without fail, the evening service ends with a communal singing of “Silent Night,” with only candles lighting the sanctuary. “It’s a sense of capturing the mystery of the night,” she said. “It is one of the sweetest moments of the whole service,” she added. In the Catholic Church, such as at St. Hubert in Langley, Christmas is more than a 24-hour period of gift exchanges and carols.
Provided photo
The dreidel, a spinning top enjoyed by children, is a common Hanukkah symbol. Its origins are as a form of gambling and as a game of chance. Traditional dreidels include four letters which are an acronym for “A Great Miracle Happened.”
“For us, Christmas isn’t a day,” said Father Rick Spicer of St. Hubert. “It’s a season.” Combined with Advent, the celebration of the four Sundays prior to Christmas, Dec. 25, the Catholic season of preparing and celebrating Christ’s birth lasts from Nov. 29
through Jan. 11 this year. The days from Christmas Eve on are known as Christmastide. Included are the Feast of the Holy Family and the Epiphany, or the celebration of when God was revealed to non-Jews — the three kings or three wisemen. SEE TRADITIONS, PAGE 4