Students at NHS explain the different holiday traditions their families celebrate

Hundreds, if not thousands, of religions are practiced daily across the globe and each of these religions comes with its own set of holidays as a way to celebrate and worship. Even among people belonging to the same religion, many families celebrate holidays with their own unique twists. Diversity in faith is everywhere and NHS is no exception.

Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism are just a few of the religions students at NHS and their families follow. Family customs and traditions pass down through generations, making each holiday memorable.

“My favorite memory is probably of Diwali (di-va-li) when my grandma lights all of the candles,” sophomore Salil Gupta said. Diwali is a Hindu holiday that occurs each fall, one of the major holidays celebrated in India.

“During Diwali, we light candles and sing songs,” Gupta said. “It’s called the Festival of Lights, and it’s supposed to represent [the triumph] good over evil.”

Many religions have holidays to worship their religious views.

“I think [religion] is a basic system of beliefs and values, but that varies on what religion you’re talking about,” social studies and sociology teacher, Stephanie Gilbert, said.

Sophomore Hibbah Khan and her family celebrate Eid (eed), a Muslim holiday marking the end of

Ramadan (rah-ma-don), Islam’s holy month.

“On Eid, we all go to the mosque, which is like the Muslim church, and we pray together,” Khan said. “Then afterwards, we go home and you just have a good time and there’s good food.”

Khan says Eid is a way to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the holy book, the Quran.

“During Ramadan, you fast for 30 days from sunrise to sunset and after the 30 days, you celebrate all you’ve done,” Khan said. “It’s basically like Christmas.”

Christmas, a Christian holiday, celebrates the date its believers associate with the birth of the son of God. Junior Maddie Hayward says she likes to show her appreciation to her God on this holiday as well as Easter.

“My favorite memory has always been going to my grandma’s every year and spending the holiday with my extended family,” Hayward said.

“I’m just looking forward to yet another season of gratitude to honor [my faith],” Hayward said.

Just like diversity in religion around the world, there is also diversity within the religion itself. Many families have different traditions, including how they celebrate and the foods they eat.

“My family is from Pakistan, so we eat Pakistani foods but it just depends on where you’re from,” Khan said.

Many families prepare different meals during the holidays in correlation to where they originate from.

“During Hanukkah, I have always loved my grandma’s Matza Ball Soup,” sophomore Ben Pockrass said.

While some faiths have traditional meals, others have traditional desserts.

“During the holidays, we eat mathai which areIndian sweets,” Gupta said.

Aside from different types of food and religious beliefs, one common factor seems to be the same in all of these religions: family.

“[I’m looking forward to] another year with my beloved family and friends with a roof over my head and food in my belly,” Hayward said. “There’s nothing to not be thankful for.”