For all of you across the entire globe who reach out your hearts to touch the hearts of others, for love, for faith, for hope. Reach out and celebrate this holiday with those of us of this faith. We wish you the happiest of holidays no matter your personal belief, no matter your race, no matter your religion. Just let love for your fellows beings bring peace into your heart and soul. Let the love of the Great and Noble Gentle Spirit be as yours. ~Lobo Wolf~                                 Christmas. While many worldwide see this season as Christmas, much of the magic and wonder are taken from celebrations from before Christianity. The birth of the sun celebrated in late December is replaced by the Christmas celebration of the birth of the son of God. Many of the Christmas traditions are based on older, pre-Christian traditions. Chanukah For those of the Jewish Faith Chanukah, the 'Feast of Dedication' or 'Feast of Lights', is an eight day festival celebrating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. It celebrates the Syrians being driven from Jerusalam and the temple being reclaimed in 165 B.C. During this holy time a single light is lit for each night for eight nights, lighting one the first night and increasing the number each night for eight nights. An extra light lit each night is called a 'shamash' meaning 'guard' or 'servant'. Special blessings are said over the lights each night. Ramadan The date for Ramadan changes in relation to our calendar. Muslims observe Ramadan when it falls during the Christmas season. It is the most blessed and beneficial month of the Islamic year and is believed to be the month the first verses of the Koran (the Muslim scripture) were revealed by Allah (God) to the prophet Muhammad. It is celebrated with a month of fasting, inner reflection, devotion to God, and self control. Saudi Arabia, is the birthplace of Islam and protects the faith's holiest shrines at Mecca and Medina. Kwanzaa Kwanzaa honors African-American heritage. An alternative to commercialism, Kwanzaa is a non-religious, cultural festival, based on African harvest celebrations. The name comes from the Swahili for 'first fruits', an 'a' was added to make seven letters, one for each of the Seven Principles. Each day a candle in a Kinara is lit and dedicated to one of the Principles: Unity, Self-determination, Collective work & responsibility, Cooperative economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. Solstices Solstices are the point in time when the sun reaches its most southern or northern position. Winter Solstice is we have the shortest day and least daylight. Solstice festivals were common in most ancient cultures to mark the time when we turn from darkness back toward light. Each day in autumn the day becomes progressively shorter. At winter solstice the shortest day is reached, and each day becomes progressively longer In Celtic mythology the 'Oak King' and the 'Holly King' were twins, locked in a never-ending fight for supremacy. As cold weather approached, the Celts noted that the evergreen holly trees, hidden in the oaks most of the year, seemed to reign over the otherwise barren land. The Holly King had won, and the oaks shed their leaves and stood bare in defeat. But at winter solstice, the Oak King begins to retake control, until the soltice in mid-summer, when oaks hide the holly trees again. Yule Yule celebrated winter solstice in northern Europe long before Christianity. Yule means wheel, a symbol for the sun, and yuletide celebrated the turning of the sun toward spring. In the Iceland Yule was a time for feasting, dancing, and sacrificing a pig to Freyr, a tradition which survives in the Scandinavian Christmas ham. Worshipped as a fertility god, Freyr bestows 'peace and pleasure' upon mortals. Many of the old customs of Yule - the Yule log, hanging boughs, holly, mistletoe - were adopted by Christianity. The yule log was a huge log (sometimes an entire tree) that was burned slowly throughout these days to herald the birth of the new sun. Native American Winter Solstice Each Tribe celebrates the Winter Solstice differently. John Bierhorst's book, Mythology of the Lenape (1995), tells a NJ. Native American tribe�s legend that the origin of winter was due to the quarrels of a married couple. A husband and wife who lived in the tundra constantly argued about the weather. One day, the wife had enough fighting and left her husband to live in a warmer climate. Lonely, the man traveled southward to apologize, and as he adored winter he carried along with him his cold and snowy weather. Now every year around this time, the husband travels south to visit his wife, bringing with him his winter elements. Bodhi Day Bodhi Day Buddhists celebrate Siddhartha Gautama�s realization and presentation of the Four Noble Truths. After this point, he was called the Buddha, the Enlightened One. This day is for meditation and to practice Dogen's Four Methods: giving, kind speech, beneficial action, and seeing others as self. Gudjewg The Aborigines of Australia are one the oldest cultures and people on earth. The Aborigines have a rich and honored culture, in particular the 'Dreamtime' storytelling which is an integral part of their life. It plays a role in educating children with stories of history, culture, the land, and their people. Stories have been handed down from one generation to the next over thousands of years. December celebrations include in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Yolngu Aboriginal people who observe the last season of their six-season cycle. Gudjewg is the wet season which begins in late December. Interfaith Calendar Personal Edition December, 2008 A monthly print out version from www.interfaithcalendar.org Note: * the event begins the evening of the previous day. ** the exact day may vary between traditions and communities.) 6 Saturday Saint Nicholas Day - Christian remembrance of a gift giving saint 6-9 Saturday-Tuesday Hajj * ** - Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca 8 Monday Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) ** - Buddhist celebration of Prince Gautama. Immaculate Conception - Catholic Christian celebration of Mary the mother of Jesus 9 Tuesday Eid al Adha * - Islamic remembrance of Abraham 12 Friday Nativity Fast - Orthodox Christian winter lent. Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Catholic Christian latino celebration of Mary the Mother of Jesus 21 Sunday Yule - Christian celebration of the light of Jesus. Yule * - Wicca northern hemisphere solstice observance. Litha * - Wicca southern hemisphere solstice observance 22-29 Monday-Monday Hanukkah * - Jewish Festival of Lights 25 Thursday Christmas * - Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus 26 Friday Death of Prophet Zarathushtra - Zoroastrian observance 28 Sunday Holy Innocents - Christian remembrance of children who have perished from violence 29 Monday Al Hijra * - Islamic first day of the New Year 31 Wednesday Watch Night - Christian welcome of a New Year ~~*~~ Where ever you are and what ever you may believe, it is our deepest prayer that your holy days and all of your days are filled with faith, peace, hope, and love. ~a simple wish from Hearts That Care~ ~we have tried to honor all December holy days, if you celebrate any we have missed please know it was not deliberate~ ~*~ ~*~ Light a candle in memory of all those who are hurt or lost, for a sick, abused, or special needs furbaby, or perhaps just someone who needs a prayer and a candle lit.