What’s Your Favorite Holiday Tradition?
A few years back, we published an article exploring local families’ favorite winter holiday traditions. What we found was a wealth of diverse customs that make the holidays special for families year after year. Not surprisingly, many of those traditions revolved around food. One father, a native of France and the owner of a local French bakery, bakes an iconic Buche de Noel with his sons each year, while his wife, a Portland native, prepares traditional American sweets including cookies, peanut brittle, chocolates and, of course, a gingerbread house. Another local dad, originally from the Philippines, prepares the morcon – a traditional Spanish dish of flank steak rolled around a mixture of sausages, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, carrots, olives, cheese, and bacon, then swathed in tomato sauce — that he remembers from his childhood. A southeast Portland mom follows her mother-in-law’s recipe to prepare mountains of Swedish meatballs and lefsa , which she described as “like a Swedish potato tortilla.” The work is made easier and more festive each year as her daughters join in to help. Crafty traditions also are popular with local families, from making menorahs and dreidls for Hanukah to creating and decorating lanterns for Christmas or the Indian holiday of Diwali. Charitable giving and community service also are important traditions for many area families. (See “Raising Kids to ‘Be the Change’” in our December issue for more on that!). We also were intrigued to learn that many area families celebrate some lesser known — or at least lesser observed — winter holidays. One family celebrates the Winter Solstice as their ancestors would have, by turning off all things electric (except the fridge). Each year on that long, dark night, there are no lights, no television, no dishwasher, and meals are cooked outside on a camping stove. Another family described their month-long observance of Advent, which centers around a wreath holding four candles, each signifying one weekly theme: hope, peace, love and joy. And one family observes Yule, an ancient celebration of light’s victory over darkness that begins on the Winter Solstice and lasts for twelve days. On the final night, called “Twelfth Night,” oaths are sworn, similar to modern New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps most inspiring is an Indian-American family who — inspired by their daughter’s fascination with other cultures — explore a different holiday each year, researching the customs and rituals of a “new” holiday and celebrating it together. In addition to Christmas and their own traditional Hindu holidays, they’ve celebrated Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and the Swedish holiday of Santa Lucia’s Day, among others. What are your family’s favorite seasonal traditions? What’s the history behind those traditions? Have your kids inspired you to start some new family traditions of your own?
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What’s Your Favorite Holiday Tradition?
