University of Southern Maine USM Digital Commons Free Press, The, 1971- Student Newspapers 12-7-2015 The Free Press Vol. 47, Issue No. 11, 12-07-2015 Krysteana Scribner University of Southern Maine Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/free_press Recommended Citation Scribner, Krysteana, "The Free Press Vol. 47, Issue No. 11, 12-07-2015" (2015). Free Press, The, 1971-. 145. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/free_press/145 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Newspapers at USM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Free Press, The, 1971- by an authorized administrator of USM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. the free press University of Southern Maine Student Newspaper usmfreepress.org THRIFT SHOP HOLIDAY NUTCRACKER GIFT GUIDE BALLET PG 9 PG 10 HOLIDAY A YEAR IN CELEBRATIONS FILMS 2015 PG 3 Photos by Nathan Baril and Design by Hannah Lyon PG 11 2 December 7, 2015 December 7, 2015 News 3 Holiday celebrations in other cultures and religions Amanda Melanson commemorating the birth of Jesus Free Press Staff Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and December is a time for many cultural celebration among bil- celebrations and with Portland lions of people around the world. having a diverse population, A feast central to the Christian more than just Christmas will be liturgical year, it is prepared for celebrated this holiday season. by the season of Advent or Nativ- ity Fast and is prolonged by the Buddhism: Octave of Christmas and further by the season of Christmastide. Bodhi Day Christmas Day is a public holi- day in many of the world’s na- Bodhi Day is a Buddhist holi- tions, is celebrated culturally by day that commemorates the day a large number of non-Christian that the Buddha achieved enlight- people, and is an integral part of enment, translated as bodhi in the Christmas and holiday season. Sanskrit or Pali. Bodhi Day is cel- The celebratory customs asso- ebrated on the eighth day of the ciated in various countries with 12th lunar month. In 2014, Bodhi Christmas have a mix of pre- day is observed on Monday, Dec. Christian, Christian, and secu- 8. lar themes and origins. Popular The Buddha was born as Sid- modern customs of the holiday dhartha Gautama into a noble, include gift giving, completing privileged household. When he an Advent calendar or Advent was close to 30 years old, he wreath, Christmas music and car- abandoned his material lifestyle oling, an exchange of Christmas and retreated to the forest seeking Nathan Baril / Multimedia Editor cards, church services, a special answers to the problem of suffer- Hidden in the depths of a local holiday shop, an Old Christian holiday ornament of Santa Claus sits for sale. meal, and the display of various ing, specifi cally old age, sickness Christmas decorations, includ- and death. According to tradition, sometimes on his own, Krampus way and Sweden, girls dressed of Christianity in Scandinavia, ing Christmas trees, Christmas he initially sought bodhi (enlight- visits homes and businesses. The as Lucy carry rolls and cookies and like much of Scandinavian lights, nativity scenes, garlands, enment) through meditation, self- Saint usually appears in the East- in procession as songs are sung. folklore and even religiosity, is wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In mortifi cation and practicing other ern Rite vestments of a bishop, Even boys take part in the pro- centered on the annual struggle addition, several closely related austerities. and he carries a ceremonial staff. cession as well, playing different between light and darkness. and often interchangeable fi g- After several years of intense Unlike North American versions roles associated with Christmas. The Nordic observation of St. ures, known as Santa Claus, Fa- practice, he realized that bodhi of Santa Claus, in these celebra- It is said that to vividly celebrate Lucy is fi rst attested in the Mid- ther Christmas, Saint Nicholas, was to be found through medita- tions Saint Nicholas concerns St. Lucy’s Day will help one live dle Ages, and continued after the and Christkind, are associated tion, but through a Middle Way, himself only with the good chil- the long winter days with enough Protestant Reformation in the with bringing gifts to children away from the extremes of self- dren, while Krampus is responsi- light. 1520s and 1530s, although the during the Christmas season and mortifi cation and self-indulgence. ble for the bad. Nicholas dispens- In Italy, Saint Lucy’s Day is a modern celebration is only about have their own body of traditions The story goes that he meditated es gifts, while Krampus supplies church feast day dedicated to Lu- 200 years old. It is likely that tra- and lore. Because gift-giving and in Bodh Gaya, a town in north- coal and the ruten bundles.” cia of Syracuse (died 304), also dition owes its popularity in the many other aspects of the Christ- eastern India, under a peepal known as Saint Lucy, and is ob- Nordic countries to the extreme mas festival involve heightened tree (a species of Banyan fi g), Saint Lucia’s Day served on 13 December. A special change in daylight hours between economic activity, the holiday has now famously known as the Bo- (Sweden) devotion to St. Lucy is practiced the seasons in this region. become a signifi cant event and a dhi tree, and resolved to contin- in the Italian regions of Lombar- The pre-Christian holiday of key sales period for retailers and ue meditating until he achieved Saint Lucy’s Day is on Decem- dy, Emilia-Romagna,Veneto, Fri- Yule, or jól, was the most im- businesses. The economic impact bodhi(enlightenment). ber 13, in Advent. Her feast once uli Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto portant holiday in Scandinavia of Christmas is a factor that has It is believed that after 49 days coincided with the Winter Sol- Adige, in the north of the country, and Northern Europe. Originally grown steadily over the past few of continuous meditation, dur- stice, the shortest day of the year and Sicily, in the south, as well as the observance of the winter sol- centuries in many regions of the ing which he confronted Mara, before calendar reforms, so her in Croatian coastal region of Dal- stice, and the rebirth of the sun, it world. the lord of desire, and his army feast day has become a festival of matia. brought about many practices that of demons, Gautama achieved light. St. Lucy’s Day is celebrat- Saint Lucy is one of the few remain in the Advent and Christ- Judaism: bodhi(enlightenment) at the age ed most commonly in Scandina- saints celebrated by the over- mas celebrations today. The Yule of 35. Since then he was known as via, with their long dark winters, whelmingly Lutheran Nordic season was a time for feasting, Hanukkah the Buddha (‘enlightened one’). where it is a major feast day, and people — Danes; Swedes; Finns drinking, gift-giving, and gather- Buddhists around the world in Italy, with each emphasizing a and Norwegians but also in USA ings, but also the season of aware- Also known as the Festival of consider Bodh Gaya, India to be different aspect of the story. and Canada and Italy. The St. Lu- ness and fear of the forces of the Lights and Feast of Dedication, the most sacred of holy places as In Scandinavia, where Lucy is cy’s Day celebrations retain many dark. is an eight-day Jewish holiday the birth place of their tradition. called Lucia, she is represented indigenous Germanic pagan, pre- commemorating the rededication Bodhi Day is celebrated in many as a woman in a white dress and Christian midwinter elements. Christmas: of the Holy Temple (the Second mainstream Mahayana traditions red sash with a crown or wreath of Some of the practices associated Temple) in Jerusalem at the time including Zen and in Pureland candles on her head. In both Nor- with the day predate the adoption Christmas is an annual festival of the Maccabean Revolt against Buddhist schools in China, Japan the Seleucid Empire of the 2nd and Korea. century BC. Hanukkah is ob- Buddhists commemorate this served for eight nights and days, day by meditating, studying the starting on the 25th day of Kislev Dharma, chanting sutras (Bud- according to the Hebrew calendar, dhist texts) and performing kind which may occur at any time from acts toward other beings. Some late November to late December celebrate by a traditional meal of in the Gregorian calendar. tea, cakes and readings. The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique Christianity: candelabrum, the nine-branched menorah or hanukiah, one addi- Krampusnacht tional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on The history of the Krampus fi g- the fi nal night. The typical me- ure has been theorized as stretch- norah consists of eight branches ing back to pre-Christian tradi- with an additional visually dis- tions. In a brief article discussing tinct branch. The extra light, with the fi gure, published in 1958, which the others are lit, is called Maurice Bruce wrote a shamash and is given a distinct “The Feast of St. Nicholas is location, usually above or below celebrated in parts of Europe on the rest. 6 December. In Alpine countries, Other Hanukkah festivities in- Saint Nicholas has a devilish clude playing dreidel and eating companion named Krampus. On oil based foods such as doughnuts the preceding evening of Decem- and latkes. ber 5th, Krampus Night or Kram- pusnacht, the wicked hairy devil Nathan Baril / Multimedia Editor appears on the streets.