The American holiday season has traditionally been marked by Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s celebrations, but many other religions and traditions celebrate holidays, festivals and host practices as well.
The Northshore area is home to a wide and diverse variety of traditions and faiths, and as the greater Seattle area continues to grow, many religions may as well.
Guru Tegh Bahadur
For the Sikh tradition, Jes Sing said they celebrate the life of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth out of ten gurus, and his death on Nov. 24 in New Delhi.
Bahadur was a Sikh guru who lived while India was under the rule of a Muslim emperor, Sing said. The emperor wanted the residents to convert and summoned Bahadur to New Delhi where he hoped to convince him to adopt his religion.
When Bahadur and his five companions refused, Sing said three were executed and two were sent back to their village as messengers. When Bahadur refused to convert as well, he was beheaded.
The Sikh Center of Seattle reflects on this every year by taking turns reading scripture for around 48 hours, starting Nov. 23 and continuing until Nov. 25.
Hanukkah
This year, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins on Dec. 6 at sundown and goes through Dec. 14.
Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg of the Congregation Kol Ami in Woodinville said that Hanukkah is more of a cultural celebration than religious, marking the survival of the Jewish people over thousands of years of persecution.
“Really, it’s a holiday where we celebrate religious freedom,” she said.
Kinberg said on Sunday, she will begin preparing foods heavy in oil to commemorate oil found in the Jerusalem temple in a victory over the ancient Greek army when they recaptured the city.
Also essential to the celebration is the lighting of the Menorah, a nine candle holder, with one lit on each day of Hanukkah.
“I love everybody gathering around the Menorah and lighting the lights,” she said.
The Congregation Kol Ami will be hosting a celebration at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 11, and a candlelight meditation service for world peace the next day.
“Anybody is welcome to come and experience Hanukkah with our community,” she said.
Bodhi Day
While the Atammayatarama Buddhist Monastery in Woodinville doesn’t have any specific celebrations planned, Abbot Ajahn Ritthi said his monastery hosts meditation sessions from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Wednesday and from 9:30 a.m. to noon every Sunday.
There are six Buddhist holidays a year, Ritthi said. One which is commonly celebrated in the tradition is Bodhi Day on Dec. 8.
The monastery also hosts a free library, which Ritthi encouraged the community to check out.
“They can come and learn, they can take a book,” he said.
Hindu Temple
While the Hindu celebration of Diwali may have already passed this year, Hindu Temple and Cultural Center Chair Nit Niranjan said their center is always open for the public to come and pray, meditate or talk and improve themselves on a personal level.
“The main emphasis is you need to do your job properly,” he said. “You need to have love, respect and knowledge.”
He said people have many jobs, like being a good parent, loving spouse or working hard in a professional environment.
The temple houses many shrines with deities from various religious orders. Niranjan said their temple believes all prayers to any god, great teacher or prophet is sent to one God, so people of all or no religious persuasions are welcome at the temple.
“This religion survived because of what it stands for, it stands for humanity,” he said.
The temple is anticipating more than 5,000 to come on New Years Day for prayers, food and community.
Mawlid an Nabi
While it is a controversial celebration in some branches of Islam, others celebrate the Mawlid an Nabi, or the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad on Dec. 23. Ryan Welton from the Islamic Center of Bothell said they do not celebrate the tradition, but they do celebrate Ramadan and the Hajj along with all Muslims.
The Islamic Center is open for prayer daily.
Christmas Eve
Finally, the Bothell United Methodist Church will be hosting three Christmas Eve services at 3, 7 and 11 p.m. to mark the celebration of the birth of Christ, the figure central to the Christian faith. They will also be holding a choir concert at 2 p.m. on Dec. 20.
The St. Brendan Catholic Church in Bothell will be holding a Christmas Eve Vigil Mass at 7 p.m.
