December 2012 E-News from Multicultural Activities

We are winding down the fall term – thanks to all of you for supporting our fall workshops and activities. Currently, we are in the midst of planning the winter term activities. Look for events related to the King, Gandhi, Chavez, Mankiller Season of Nonviolence coming in January, February, and early March. We are looking forward to our special guest, Arun Gandhi (Gandhi’s grandson), on February 20. The complete schedule will be posted in early January on our website: www.cocc.edu/mcc-events

In the meantime, below are listed some of the cultural and religious holidays that are observed in December. We invite you to learn more about the numerous holiday commemorations that take place in December and join us in fostering a campus environment that respects the diversity of our celebrations. Good luck on finals and have a joyous new year!

Please contact Karen Roth, Director of Multicultural Activities at kroth1@cocc.edu or call 541-383-7412 for more information.   You may also view this newsletter on our webpage at:  www.cocc.edu/Multicultural

December is Universal Human Rights Month! 

December 1 – World AIDS Day, a day to encourage awareness and education of HIV + and AIDS.

December 1 – Rosa Parks Day celebrates the date in 1955 when Ms. Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on a bus for a White passenger. This action sparked the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott.

December 2 – First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the preparation for Christmas and Jesus’ birth by Christians.

December 3 – United Nations International Day of Disabled Persons.

December 4 – Birth of Crazy Horse, great Lakota leader, 1842.

December 5 – Mary McLeod Bethune founded National Council of Negro Women, 1935.

December 6 – St. Nicholas Day. Traditional celebrations in Northern Europe include gifts left in children's shoes (the origin of Christmas stockings in the U.S.) Saint Nicholas was a fourth century bishop of the city of Myra in what is now Turkey.

December 7 – Pearl Harbor Day commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing two thousand people. This caused the United States to enter into World War II.

December 8 – Bodhi Day is the observance of the enlightenment of Buddha. Monks and students often sit in meditation until dawn as Buddha did 25 centuries ago.

December 9 - 16 – Hanukkah celebrates the victory (165 BCE) of the Maccabees over the Syrian tyrant Antiochus IV and the subsequent reclamation of Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, only a one day’s supply of nondesecrated oil was found in the Temple when the Maccabees prepared it for rededication by removing all Syrian idols. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days until oil that was fit for use in the temple could be obtained. This miracle is commemorated by the lighting of the Hanukkah candles.

December 10 – United Nations Human Rights Day.

December 10 – Birthday of Thomas Gallaudet, pioneer in the education of deaf people, 1787 – 1851.

December 12 – Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1531, when the Virgin Mary appeared before Juan Diego in Mexico. Processions, dances, and visits to her shrine commemorate this festival.

December 12 – Masa’il, the first day of the fifteenth Baha’i month. The English translation of Masa’il is Questions.

December 13 – Santa Lucia Day. Girls in Sweden dress up as Santa Lucia wearing a white dress and a crown of candles . Boys carry a candle and wear a kind of white pajama. Santa Lucia is a saint because of her kindness and her love. She was an Italian Christian who lived in Sicily in the 4th century. Some people believe she once visited Sweden. December 13th is also her feast day.

December 13 – Aga Khan’s Birthday. He is the religious head of the Ismaeli sect of Islam.

December 15 – Sitting Bull, a Sioux chief, was assassinated in 1890. Considered the last Sioux to surrender to the U.S. Government, Sitting Bull remained a powerful force among his people and would counsel other tribal chiefs who greatly valued his wisdom.

December 15 – Navidades, a Puerto Rican holiday that marks the beginning of the Christmas season and ends with Three Kings Day on January 6th.

December 15 - Bill of Rights Day – The first ten amendments to the US Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights which protect freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and freedom of assembly.

December 16 – 24 – Las Posadas (Spanish for “shelter") is a traditional Mexican festival that re-enacts Joseph and Mary's search for shelter. Processions of pilgrims go door – to – door asking for a place to stay. Once they are invited into a home, food is offered as part of the festivities..

December 16 - Simbang Gabi – One of the longest and most popular among the Filipino traditions in the Philippines, Simbang Gabi or Mass at Dawn is a nine-day novena to the Blessed Mother. The novena begins December 16 as early as 4 in the morning and culminates with the “Misa de Gallo” on Christmas Eve to welcome the birth of Jesus Christ.

December 18 – U. S. Supreme Court upheld the evacuation of Japanese Americans to concentration camps during World War II.

December 20 – Harriet Tubman made the first Underground Railroad trip. She helped over 300 slaves to their freedom in the North.

December 21 – Winter Solstice/Yule. The longest night (shortest day) of the year in the Northern Hemisphere is celebrated throughout the world by pagan and other spiritual groups. Many Christmas traditions, including the Yule log, evergreens, and mistletoe are rooted in ancient Yule/solstice traditions.

December 21 – Tohji-Tasai , Shinto. The sun is of central importance in Japan and this day celebrates the end of the Yin period of the Sun in its declining strength and the growing power of the Yang period.

December 23 – The U. S. Army hanged 38 Sioux in Mankato, MN, the largest execution of Native people, in 1862.

December 23 – Joseph Smith’s Birthday, the American Mormon leader who led the formation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

December 25 - Junanoo or Jonkonnu (Caribbean) - A dancing parade that combines ancient African rituals with a Mardi Gras style. It begins in the predawn hours and lasts until sunrise.

December 25 – Christmas Day – Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Jesus is considered to be the Son of God to Christians.

December 26 – January 1 – Kwanzaa , an African-American cultural festival. The festival was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga. Dr. Karenga's goal was to establish a holiday that would facilitate African-American goals of building a strong family, learning about African-American history, and developing unity.

December 26 - Boxing Day in Canada, Britain, and other countries. There seems to be several theories on the origin of Boxing Day and why it is celebrated. The first is that centuries ago, on the day after Christmas, members of the merchant class in England would give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. A second thought is that Boxing Day comes from the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over the Christmas season. The contents then were distributed amongst the poor, by the clergy, the day after Christmas. Another theory explains that the servants who were required to work on Christmas Day were given the following day off, and as the servants prepared to leave to visit their families, their employers would present them with gift boxes. Even another story is that Boxing Day is the day to pack away all the Christmas decorations in their boxes to await next year's festivities.

December 26 – Wren Day/St. Stephen’s Day in Ireland. Boys in wren costumes go from house to house with a captured wren, singing songs and gathering coins. These coins help to pay for the big celebratory feast in the evening.

December 26 – Death of Prophet Zarathrustra, this day marks the death of the founder of the Zoroastrian faith.

December 28 – Massacre of Dakota Sioux at Wounded Knee. Chief Big Foot and about 300 of his followers were attacked and killed on the banks of Wounded Knee Creek, the largest massacre of native people in our country’s history.

December 30 – Rizal Day. A holiday celebrated in the Philippines in honor of the death of a hero named José Rizal who was killed on December 30, 1896. Rizal was a prominent advocate for reforms by peaceful means in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. Rizal's 1896 military trial and execution made him a martyr of the Philippine Revolution.

December 30 - Gahambar of Maidyairem – A Zoroastrian winter festival celebrated until Jan. 3. There are six seasonal festivals celebrated by the Zoroastrians to commemorate the six universal creations of God. During the five festive days of Gahambar, the five material creations are honored, namely, earth, water, plants, animals, and humans. The first four days are spent reciting versus from the scriptures and on the fifth day people come together to enjoy the feast.

December 31 - Omisoka Day – This Japanese new year’s eve festival is a time for taking stock of and paying one’s debts.

December 31 – New Year’s Eve

December 31 – January 4 - Gahambar Maidyarem, a Zorastrian celebration of the creation of animals and the equitable sharing of food.

December 31 – Sharaf, the first day of the sixteenth Baha’i month. The English translation of Sharaf is Honor.