Diverse celebrations
Our community is home to a variety of holiday traditions
THE HOLIDAY SEASON is full of celebrations. Bakersfield Life interviewed many groups to see diverse ways in which the community comes together.
Biblical celebrations
The light of God’s love is coming into the world.
Monsignor Perry Kavookjian from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church said he implements this theme into his Christmas Eve service held at 4, 6 and 10 p.m. on Dec. 24.
On that day, congregants of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton will listen to Jesus’ birth story surrounded by candles, incense and choir performances. Catholics also practice their faith on Christmas Day at a 10 a.m. service by singing carols. Both events will be livestreamed because the church seeks to cater to those concerned about leaving their houses amid the pandemic, Perry said.
However, the celebration of the holiday season begins long before Dec. 24 and 25. Catholics mark the four-week Advent, starting from the last Sunday in November. The time allows individuals to ease into the Christmas season, Perry said. Furthermore, the priest said, the holiday event emphasizes the true meaning of Advent: preparation for Jesus’ second coming.
The symbol of Advent is a circular wreath with four candles; each candle represents a week until Christmas. Perry said his church hosts events for families to create their own wreaths, with their own decorations. Then, those people are encouraged to take home their wreath, light the candles and pray at home.
Perry also said the church hosts canned food drives throughout Advent.
“We try to stay focused not just on what we get out of Christmas, but can we give to others,” Perry said.
Canyon Hills Church spokeswoman Nikki Schorr said the church hosts a candlelight service at 6 and 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Before that service, congregants will gather to drink hot cocoa. A kids service is held at the same time as the adult service. They also host drives to donate to the less fortunate, she said.
Pastor Elizabeth Steele of First Congregational Church said her church celebrates the holiday with the 12 days of Christmas, from Dec. 12 to Jan. 6. The church recognizes Advent as a time for preparation, Steele said, and has services on Christmas Eve and Day.
“I will work very hard to design a service ... for everybody,” she said.
Steele hosts a parolee drive, where members can donate shoes and other necessities for families of former inmates. Furthermore, she hosts a Blue Christmas, or a service of “comfort and hope,” she said. Anyone carrying a burden can come when they are not feeling the joyous spirit.
“I’ve had people come and say, ‘Having somebody recognize the hurt, means this year I can move ahead easier,’” Steele said.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is really a celebration of religious freedom, said Rabbi Jonathan Klein of Temple Beth El.
The Ancient Greeks seized a Jerusalem temple and turned it into a shrine for Zeus; the holiday marks the occasion after the Jewish people took back the temple. The menorah has eight candles which are lit one by one. As the candlelight becomes increasingly brighter, the symbol represents the continued strength of the Jewish people to persist despite persecution, Klein said.
The significance of the eight days comes from the Maccabees looking around the reclaimed temple. They saw a candelabra, which once had always been lit, now snuffed out. They used the kosher oil to light the menorah, which then lasted for eight days, he said.
Each day, congregants will light a candle, eat latkes and sufganiyot, also known as a jelly doughnut, and then open presents.
Hanukkah is not the most important holiday within the religion — the weekly Sabbath is even more sacred than Hanukkah, Klein said.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, a Swahili word, is a seven-day celebration of family, community and culture. As a secular holiday, Africans can celebrate both Christmas and Kwanzaa separately, said Bakari Sanyu, the director of The Sankofa Collective, which organizes the annual festivities in Bakersfield.
The holiday was born in Los Angeles in 1966 by Dr. Maulana
Karenga. He sought to create an avenue by which African Americans can express their ethnicity. It is based on a harvest festival, which takes place in Africa, Bakari said.
Seven principles are observed: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (sharing), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith). Candles — one black, three red and three green — are used to represent these ideals. The Black candle represents the people, the red candles represent the ongoing struggle for Black people and the green candles embody an unlimited potential for the youth.
Kwanzaa will be celebrated from 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. Traditional dances, African folk tales and art will be shown during the event.