Holiday Traditions around the World
OSGF
The month of December is always a time of year for celebration, reflection, and connecting with loved ones.
Around the world, celebrations during this time of year take many forms. Some practices today were derived from the long standing rituals observing the changes of light and dark in historic times throughout civilizations. The earliest of these is believed to be Zagmuk, observed by Egyptians around this time of year. From there, different celebrations and festivals emerged including that of the Romans and Greeks, who celebrated Saturnalia and Sacaea. The expansion of empires and nations facilitated the blending of these beliefs and traditions with Christianity over time to result in the Christmas holiday many of us now celebrate today. This time of year also celebrates Hannukah and Kwanzaa, which hold their own history and can be read about here.
This holiday, read below about a few traditions celebrated around the world and the ways plants inform these traditions.
La Noche de Rábanos, Oaxaca, México
Image via WikiCommons.
The state of Oaxaca has a long history of wood carving. The towns of San Martin Tilcajete and San Antonio Arrazola are well known for alebrijes, intricate wood carvings decorated with brightly colored paint. On December 23rd, however, a different kind of carving takes place to celebrate the Christmas holiday. In the Zócalo of Oaxaca City, a Christmas mercado is busy with people buying vegetables, meats, and other holiday dishes and items. This is also where la Noche de Rábanos commences. The radish (Raphanus sp.), which belongs to the Brassica family, serves as the center of the night's festivities. The species that was historically used has been lost but modern substitutions stand in as a unique carving medium. Predominant carvings center around religious themes, but people, animals, totomoxtle (corn sheaths) and flores immortales are featured as well.
There is debate surrounding how radish carving first originated, but a general thought is that this was introduced as a means to attract people to buy radishes. What we do know is that in 1897, the then-mayor declared it an official competition and ever since, it has been held every year. Presently it’s estimated that over 100 competitors enter their carved works while the community gathers, and sometimes waits for hours, to view them.
Pōhutukawa, New Zealand
For those in the Southern Hemisphere, the common holiday imagery of a winter wonderland or building a snowman isn’t quite as resonant. In fact, the average temperature for New Zealand in December hovers between 60-70 F. Of course this doesn’t stop Kiwis from celebrating and one piece of these celebrations is Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) which has come to be referred to as New Zeleand’s Christmas tree. This is no surprise as the flowers, which are abundant in the months of November and December, are a fiery bright red. Its native range is distributed throughout coastal forested areas of New Zealand’s Northern Island and serves as a vital erosion stabilizer on the steep cliffs. Another relative in the Myrtle family is rātā, which also sports bright red flowers and is one of the country's tallest flowering trees.
Metrosideros excelsa. Banks & Solander ex Gaertner Florilegium; Plate 445. Mr. Mellon gifted Bunny a subscription to the limited edition printing of Banks Florilegium as a Christmas gift.
Both hold significant importance with the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, the Māori. Pūrākau, the Māori word for story or myth, have been centrally important within the Māori people and culture. The pūrākau origin of pōhutukawa centers on the plight of a young warrior, Tāwhaki, who ascended to heaven in an attempt to avenge his father’s death, but fell to his own. The red flowers are said to represent his blood. Another story tells of a very old specimen growing at the top Northwest coast that guards a cave for spirits to jump into the underworld. Spirits would make their way to Muriwhenua (North Cape area of the North Island) and, when the waves receded, the cave entrance would be revealed and the spirits would jump to the underworld.
Unfortunately, despite its cultural significance in the country, the native populations of pōhutukawa and rātā have seen significant decline over the past 50 years. The Crimson Tree Project is working on restoration efforts alongside the New Zealand Department of Conservation to conserve the species.
Makahiki, Hawaii
Despite being a relatively new annexation of the United States, the history of Hawaii is long and rich, with many still centering the practices, environment, and religion of the Native peoples of Hawaii. The kinship Ancient Hawaiians shared with the environment was central to their farming approaches and ways of life. Many practices observed today in Hawaii were originally derived from observing the environmental cycles in nature. One of these is Makahiki.
The traditional Hawaiian calendar is divided into two seasons, Kau, the warmer dry season, and Ho'oilo the cooler wet season. Makahiki, the Hawaiian word for year, signifies the beginning of the second lunar cycle within the Ho’oilo season. This time occurs from November to December and is the culmination of several significant events. First, the changing of the seasons. The Winter Solstice falls within the time of Makahiki and with it the constellation Makaliʻi (Pleiades, or sometimes also referred to as Seven Sisters) is clear in the night sky. In Hawaiian culture, this constellation is presided over by the god, Lono. Lono reigned over thunder, clouds, rainfall, fertility, agriculture, and peace. During this time wars ceased and attention was turned to games, sports, storytelling, and hula. The traditional ceremony of hānaipū (the feeding of the god) was also observed and celebrated the season’s bountiful harvest.
Makahiki is still practiced today and carries the same traditions of peace and communion, and honoring the new year.
Laba Festival, China
The earliest evidence of the Chinese calendar dates back to the Shang Dynasty 1600-1050 BCE, over 3,000 years ago. The days and months were dictated by lunar and solar events and consisted of 12 or sometimes 13 months. The Laba Festival celebrates the final month in the Chinese Calendar which occurs. In Mandarin, the word La means month, and Ba 8, indicating the date which the festival falls on. Due to the Earth’s shifting axis, the lunar calendar and thus precise date of Laba changes yearly. For 2022, it falls on December 30th.
Image via Blogspot.
Laba is often regarded as the prelude for the Spring Festival, which signifies the beginning of the Chinese New Year. There is lengthy history and evolution of Laba and the festivities the day entailed throughout the Chinese Dynasties. However, the holiday's signature dish, Laba congee, has emerged as one of the most recognizable and practiced parts of this festival with the first records of its incorporation dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1267 BCE). There are many different recipes and methods that have come about over the years and Laba congee (sometimes referred to as Laba porridge) continues to be a staple dish in many countries throughout the world. Traditionally there are eight base ingredients for the 8th month, Ba. They vary but typically include rice (Oryza sp.), red beans (Vigna angularis), mung beans (Vigna radiata), broad beans (V. faba), tofu, peanuts or walnuts, and meat. The addition of eight extra ingredients is sometimes added and includes things like dried fruits like apricots, persimmons, goji berries, or preserved pears are also sometimes incorporated.
This blog post was largely inspired by the book, The Atlas of Christmas by Alex Palmer. Thanks to Head Librarian Tony Willis for his assistance with the botanical illustrations in this blog post.
References:
“Hawaiian Lunar Calendar.” Hawaii Climate Data Portal, https://www.hawaii.edu/climate-data-portal/hawaiian-moon-calendar/.
“Kapiʻolani CC Library Libguides: Traditions of Oʻahu: Seasons & Months.” Seasons & Months - Traditions of Oʻahu - Kapiʻolani CC Library LibGuides at Kapi'olani Community College, https://guides.library.kapiolani.hawaii.edu/apdl/oahu/months.
“Makahiki.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/hale/learn/historyculture/makahiki.htm.
“Makahiki: An Overview - Kaʻiwakīloumoku - Hawaiian Cultural Center.” Ka'iwakīloumoku - Hawaiian Cultural Center, https://kaiwakiloumoku.ksbe.edu/article/essays-makahiki-an-overview.
“Night of the Radishes.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Oct. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Radishes.
Galloway, Lindsey. “Mexico's Whimsical Night of the Radishes.” BBC Travel, BBC, 21 Dec. 2014, https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20141217-mexicos-whimsical-night-of-the-radishes. C
Kwanten, Luc. Journal of Asian History, vol. 11, no. 1, 1977, pp. 80–82. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41930233. Accessed Dec. 2022.
Laba Festival, http://en.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/28/content_28554.htm.
Liming, Wei. Chinese Festivals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2011.
N, Lincoln. “The Sugarcane Plant.” General Cane Information, 2017, https://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/cane/General-Info.
New Zealand Department of Conservation. “Pohutukawa.” http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/pohutukawa/.
New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. “New Zealand History: Pohutukawa trees.” https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/pohutukawa-flowers.
Project Crimson: http://projectcrimson.org.nz/.
Wong, Evy. Chinese Auspicious Culture, Asiapac Books, Singapore, 2012, pp. 48–49.