Traditions with a Twist

Traditionswith a twist

By Josie Brackett, Guest Reporter

Senior Audrey Eskonen will wake up early in the morning on Dec 21. It is no ordinary day for Eskonen, it is the day of the Winter Solstice. She will rush downstairs to open presents with her family. December and January are months that have many holidays, which means many different and unique traditions. Eskonen celebrates the Winter Solstice with her family every Dec. 21. “I used to hate celebrating it and I felt really ostracized for it,” Eskonen said. “I’m sure a lot of people do love their family traditions, but I hated it. I didn’t like that I was different from everyone. But now it’s really special for me and I love it a lot.” Last year, Eskonen invited a friend to the family traditions and celebration. “We had a celebration because it was not only the solstice, but it was the start of the Age of Aquarius. It was when the lunar cycle changed,” Eskonen said. “It was special for us because there were some planets that came into view on that night.” For Eskonen, both the food and the fun are important. “Usually, we just do a dinner that is like the traditional Christmas dinner,” Eskonen said. “I usually have a vegan turkey.” Eskonen’s Solstice tradition with her family is similar to typical traditions of Christmas. They celebrate by opening gifts in the morning and then they have a Solstice dinner. “We make little cinnamon logs with a candle in it and when you burn the candle it smells like cinnamon and orange.” Eskonen said. “We also make kolaches. That is fun and we use a family recipe.” Sophomore Macey Franciskovich is both Polish and Italian and she celebrates Christmas with her family. “We have this really yummy Polish bread, called Koshka, which you eat during Christmas,” Franciskovich said. “It’s rolled bread with strawberry stuff. You have to get it from a specific vendor.” Franciskovich mentioned many different kinds of Polish and Italian pastries and sweets, including Koshka (kosh-ka), roshky (roo-ski), potica (poch-ka), and cuccidati (cochi-dadi). Family recipes are very loved and cherished by Franciskovich but not as important as the family who the recipes came from. “I’m a very small percent Italian, and very small percent Polish,” Franciskovich said. “These are traditions from my greatgreat grandma and the people who immigrated here from Italy. It just reminds me of my humble beginnings.” Franciskovich said that she loves to feel connected to her heritage and those around her during this time, much like freshman Scout Duffy-Broderick. Duffy-Broderick celebrates Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day. Epiphany is a day of feast for Christians that celebrates the revelation in which God had come down to the Earth as Jesus Christ. “My stepmom is Spanish,” Duffy-Broderick said. “We celebrate [Three Kings Day] because we want to honor my stepmom and celebrate her beliefs.” Duffy-Broderick has become a huge fan of the tradition of Three Kings Day and another tradition, setting out shoes the night before Three Kings Day. When they wake up in the morning, there are gifts waiting for them in the shoes. “For breakfast we eat churros, it’s my favorite,” Duffy-Broderick said. “Then for dinner, [my stepmom] makes a whole bunch of Spanish foods and we even have churros for dessert, too.” But to Duffy-Broderick, the joy of Three Kings Day is not all about the gifts or the food. “I feel so honored to be celebrating Three Kings Day and feeling more connected to my stepmom,”

Duffy-Broderick said. “It’s so nice to be able to understand her and be a part of her heritage and to know about her traditions and heritage and how she spent her childhood.” Sophomore Fin Essley celebrates Hanukkah with his family every year. This year the holiday is from Nov. 28 to Dec. 6. “I like celebrating with my family,” Essley said. “Not many of my friends are Jewish, but every few years, we have a Hanukkah party. Sometimes I’ll invite friends and other family members to let them experience it as well.” For Essley, celebrating with loved ones is the biggest part of Hanukkah. “I like getting gifts for my parents and my brother because I feel like I don’t do that very often, so it shows that I appreciate them,” Essley said. To Essley, the most fascinating thing about Hanukkah is knowing where the holiday originated from. “The most unique thing about Hanukkah is that it’s eight nights long,” Essley said. “It comes from when the Jewish temple was being destroyed, and they lit a candle for light when they were trying to rebuild it. It was supposed to last for one day but ended up lasting for eight. That’s why it’s eight nights long.” Having the holidays to relax and reflect is a significant part of the joy for Essley. “Usually, my family will have dinner together then we’ll light the candles for Hanukkah and then we’ll go down to open presents,” Essley said. “It’s a special time to be together with my family.”

graphic by

Brooklyn Brown