December is the best time of year for many people.  During Christmas, we sing Christmas carols, wrap Christmas presents, decorate Christmas trees, and more.  But many of us don’t recognize or know about other holidays celebrated during the month of December that deserve some recognition.

Hanukkah is a holiday celebrated by the Jewish community.  It is an eight-day celebration of the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.  This holiday is celebrated by lighting candles of the candelabrum, the nine-branched menorah or hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night.  Some common Hanukkah festivities include playing with the dreidel and eating doughnuts and latkes.

Kwanzaa is another very uncommon holiday that is celebrated for one week in December.  Kwanzaa is a celebration that has its roots in the Black Nationalist movement of the 1960s and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study of African traditions and Nguzo Saba, the “seven principles of African Heritage.”  Many African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.  It was not to replace their original religious holiday or celebration.

Christmas is a major holiday and the most recognized holiday. These are two other major holidays that are celebrated in the month of December.  Hanukkah, more commonly known, and Kwanzaa, a non-religious holiday celebrated by African Americans.  These lesser known holidays are still celebrated yet unknown by many people.