Tag: Holidays

Simbang Gabi

Simbang Gabi: December 16-24

Simbang Gabi is a Filipino Christmas celebration that takes place from December 16 to December 24, concluding with Misa de Gallo at the Midnight Mass.  Simbang Gabi is a Novena, or a nine-day festival, similar to the Mexican Las Posadas and other Navidad celebrations in the Spanish speaking world.

Dating back hundreds of years to the  beginning of Spanish rule over the Philippines, Simbang Gabi emerged as a distinctly Filipino celebration of Christmas.  One of the features that developed in response to the agricultural practices of Filipino farmers is that the services are carried out in the very early morning, sometimes as early as 3:00 AM.

source: Simbang Gabi / BC Catholic

Many Canadians trace their roots to the Philippines, including many students here at Lord Tweedsmuir.  Ask some of your fellow students about Simbang Gabi!  You can also find out more here:

source: bccatholic.ca

Check out your School Library’s current display of books: “Holidays and Holy Days.”

Hanukkah

(December 18 to 26)

Hanukkah is almost here. Jews in Canada and around the world celebrate Hanukkah starting at sundown on Sunday, December 18.

Source: CC/Robert Couse Baker

The Festival of Lights is a celebration of God’s deliverance and provision. The event began in remembrance of Maccabean revolt in the 2nd Century BCE, when the Hebrews recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem, the spiritual centre of Judaism. Each candle of the Menorah is lit, one per day for the 8 day Festival.

Like all Jewish Holy Days, which follow the lunar Hebrew Calendar and therefore vary against the Gregorian calendar, Hanukkah can occur anytime from late November to late December. This year Hanukkah will conclude on the evening of December 26.

For more information on Hanukkah, check out some of the following:

Check out our display: “Holidays & Holy Days” books such as:

Bodhi Day

Rohatsu/ Laba/ Bodhi Day: December 8

Rohatsu, Laba and Bodhi Day are all different names for the celebration of the Enlightenment of the the Buddha.

In much of the world is is known as Bodhi Day. In China it is known as the festival of Laba, while in Japan it is known as Rohatsu.

The religion known as Buddhism dates back to the 6th or 5th Century BCE, when the Indian Prince Siddhartha Gautama became the “Buddha,” literally, “the Enlightened One.” The followers of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism observe Rohatsu, Laba, or Bodhi Day, in celebration of the day that the Buddha sat below the Bodhi Tree and meditated on the meaning of life. 

The Great Buddha at  Kōtoku-in, Kamakura, Japan
source: Wikimedia Commons; Bgabel at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 3.0

This day is celebrated mainly by the Buddhists of northern and eastern Asia, and in countries to which those people have immigrated (such as Canada). To many this holiday is known as Bodhi Day and it occurs on the 8th day of the 12th month of the lunar year. With the Japanese adoption of the western calendar (Gregorian) Rohatsu is fixed on December 8th.

For more on Rohutsu and the life of the Buddha:

and these books in your School Library:

Advent

Advent Wreath and Candles.  source: Clemens PFEIFFER, Vienna (CC / wikimedia)

The Holiday Season in the western world has traditionally been synonymous with Advent, literally the period of expectation of an important arrival. For Christians the season of Advent is about the anticipation of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ. In the Christian Church, on each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, candles are lit as symbols of Advent.

In 2022 the four Sundays of Advent are November 27, December 4, December 11 and December 18.

Thanksgiving

From all of us at YOUR School Library, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Prominent Canadians deliver turkey to the White House
for a celebration of Canada’s Thanksgiving.

What are you thankful for? We hope that on this long weekend you can enjoy some time of rest and recreation with family and friends. And be sure to take some time to consider the things in your life for which you are thankful.

Eid al-Fitr

Eid Mubarak! As Ramadan comes to an end, Muslims in Canada and around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Observant Muslims spent the holy month of Ramadan fasting during daylight hours, and with the arrival of Eid, feasting can begin.

Find out more:

BC Place Welcomes Back Muslim Worshippers for Eid Celebrations

Eid al-Fitr (AlJazeera)

Statement from the PM

Pluralism Project (Harvard University)

Simbang Gabi

Simbang Gabi: December 16-24

Simbang Gabi is a Filipino Christmas celebration that takes place from December 16 to December 24, concluding with Misa de Gallo at the Midnight Mass.  Simbang Gabi is a Novena, or a nine-day festival, similar to the Mexican Las Posadas and other Navidad celebrations in the Spanish speaking world.

Dating back hundreds of years to the  beginning of Spanish rule over the Philippines, Simbang Gabi emerged as a distinctly Filipino celebration of Christmas.  One of the features that developed in response to the agricultural practices of Filipino farmers is that the services are carried out in the very early morning, sometimes as early as 3:00 AM.

source: Simbang Gabi / BC Catholic

Many Canadians trace their roots to the Philippines, including many students here at Lord Tweedsmuir.  Ask some of your fellow students about Simbang Gabi!  You can also find out more here:

source: bccatholic.ca

Check out your School Library’s current display of books: “Holidays and Holy Days.”

Holiday Songs

What are your favourite Holiday songs?

There are lots of different categories, genres or subgenres. Christmas carols. Traditional folk songs. Children’s songs. Hymns. Standards. Pop. Rock. Rap. Novelty songs.

Here are a few noteworthy Holiday songs:

Let us know some of your favourites. Use the comments section to list your favourite songs– and your favourite versions by particular artists, if you are that specific!