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KIDS UNITED
It is so much fun to belong to a circle of friends. It lets us share ideas and find out how we all live. Sometimes we live differently, but that's part of the fun. Sometimes we talk differently, but that's how we communicate exciting ideas. Sometimes we look different, but underneath our hair and clothes and skin, we're really all the same. We're a circle, and whether we're boys or girls, we're friends. And that's the most important thing in the world.
December can be a very special month for all of us, especially within our circle of friends. Maybe that's why friends like David, Natasha, Hans and more are gathering around a great big circle with other special friends to share some favorite cultural customs. Do you want to know what we had to say?
"My name is Rachel. You pronounce it Ray-chul, but in my country of Israel, it's pronounced Rah-hul. Did you know that all Jewish holidays are dated by the Hebrew calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon? Each December, which is known as the Hebrew month of Kislev, we celebrate Chanukah, which is also called the festival of lights. It is a reminder of a great battle that happened more than 2,000 years ago when Jews won back their Holy Temple. But when the happy people tried to re-light their temple oil lamp, or Menorah, there was only enough oil to burn for one day. But a miracle happened, and the lamp burned for eight days. So now we celebrate Chanukah for eight days, and each day we light another candle. Right, David?"
"Right, Rachel! Our Chanukah menorah is also called a Chanukiah, and it has places for nine candles, one for each night plus one, the Shamash, for lighting the others. It's very beautiful and it's very special, lighting the menorah candle each night, and our families make sure to all gather around together."
"I'm Hans. In Germany, we celebrate the holidays with the advent, which starts early in December, on the first Sunday and goes for every Sunday up until Christmas. Then, around December 6, the Santa Claus we call Nikolaus comes to see us. Every night we put our shoes in front of the door and in the morning the shoes are filled with candy and nuts! Then, we celebrate Christmas on December 24 and we all wait for the Weihnachtsmann to come and look at his golden book. He reads from his book and he always looks at me and says, 'Hans, you've been a very good boy this year.' Really, he says that. But he doesn't give presents right away. Instead he makes us sing, so we all sit around the Tannenbaum, or Christmas tree, which our parents have lit with candles tucked into the branches. It's very beautiful. Then we eat goose, and then we have presents."
"Denmark has a very special tradition because through the whole month of December, we are all haunted by small supernatural beings called Nisser. In English, people call them pixies, or elves. These Nisser aren't any taller than two feet, and they dress in red and gray clothes and they all wear a pointed red hat. They love rice pudding, so we make sure that each night we set out a bowl of pudding because if we forget, the Nisser tease us terribly. But they're not mean; they're actually quite funny. My dad has a really long nose because the Nisser didn't get enough rice pudding when he was a little boy! I make sure to leave pudding every night and in the morning, I usually have a small present waiting for me. The Nisser also help people in need by helping to cure sick animals, helping with a good harvest and making hard work easier."
"My name is Andrew and it's really hot in December down under in Australia. The surf's up because it's summer so our holiday season is a little different. That's because we're on the bottom side of the world, but we still have Christmas and we usually eat roast turkey and traditional Christmas pudding. I don't know what's in it, but it's really good."
"My name is Sidei and I live in Kuwait where I have many friends and family whom I love very much. Even though we don't celebrate the Christian holidays of Christmas, or Easter, we still get time off from school. Because we're Muslim we go to the mosque and pray and the censor's holy smoke is very steep and thick, and it looks like fog in the mosque. After praying, we have a party and everyone is very happy."
"My name is Colette and this is my brother, Luc. In France we celebrate Christmas with a great big Christmas tree, the biggest you've ever seen, with decorations that are really bright and festive. We also always have a log-shaped cake called the Buche de Nöel. At night , we have a live Nativity scene at our church. The Nativity is called a crèche. Then, on St. Nicholas Eve, Luc and I receive gifts from Père Nöel."
"In Russia, we celebrate Christmas on January 7. It is the Orthodoxal Russian custom, and we serve Christmas cakes and sing songs. Sometimes it's very similar to Halloween because people often visit their neighbors in disguises or costumes. They dance and sing and then ask for presents. In fact, sometimes there is fortune telling that goes on and my older sister, Katya, tries to see who her future husband might be. She says "Natasha, you should see who you'll marry," but I don't want to know yet! We all laugh a lot and we love each other even more during Christmas than at any other time during the year."
This month, we invite you to share your own special cultures with those around you, because that's the way it is when you're a circle of friends. And so, from our circle to yours, we wish everyone much happiness and love.
Be sure to come back soon for a new adventure with Kids United.
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