During the holiday season, the majority of people think of Christmas. However, there are so many other holidays that are celebrated by different religions that are often overlooked, such as Hanukkah and Diwali. Each of these holidays are significant to their culture in various ways. 

Many students celebrate their own traditions during these holidays. Our diverse community allows others to understand more about the different cultures around us. Senior Arhana Karsaliya celebrates Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, during the holiday season.

“Normally we go to the temple also every day to pay our respects to God,” Karsaliya said. “We also gather everyone and we have dinners.”

Diwali is celebrated in Hindu cultures, it marks the beginning of the New Year. Similar to American culture, Diwali celebrates the New Year. On the other hand, Christmas is takes place on December 25 and celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. 

“My favorite part of Christmas time is getting to thank my family and Jesus and the weather and the food,” sophomore Valentina Ross said.

 Similar to Christmas, Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday is celebrated around the same time.  AP English Literature and on-level English 4  teacher Regina Castillo celebrates Hanukkah, when she enjoys being around her kids and family. 

“Not necessarily what gifts we give each other, but just that mandatory family time that they know that we’re going to have during that week,” Castillo said. 

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is to celebrate a miracle from the Maccabees. 

“They were in battle and they only had enough oil lamps to get them through one night, and luckily it lasted for eight nights, so that’s why we celebrate Hanukkah for eight consecutive nights.” Castillo said.

Ultimately, while Hanukkah, Christmas, and Diwali are each different in their own ways, the three celebrations serve to celebrate the holiday season.

 “So it’s just a time that everyone gets to celebrate together and that’s the main joy of it,” Karsaliya said.