How do you spend the holiday season?
Rachel Lieske: My friends refer to me as the Grinch. The older I get, the more I realize how important Christmas is to others, and how insignificant it is to me. My sister and I set up a Christmas tree every year, even though my family never exchanges presents. I would wake up early like my friends, but instead of rushing to open presents, I would watch TV. The first year of university was the first year my parents didn’t put up a tree, and the second year we only had four family members over for Christmas, this year is undecided.
Razan Samara: One of the perks of growing up as a Muslim in North America is having opportunities to partake in the seasonal festivities without necessarily feeling the pressure of the holidays or any affiliated expectations and obligations. I typically take advantage of the time off to reconnect with long-distance friends or spend quality time with family. Coincidently, my siblings’ birthdays are on Dec. 25 and 28, so there’s always a reason to gather the family and celebrate. For me, the holiday season is all about community. Last year, I spent a day with a couple friends cooking at the Hamilton Farmers’ Market. I have fond memories of chef Grant from Best on Bread teaching us how to make a delicious stack of bruschetta for a friend’s holiday party.
Steffi Arkilander: Usually, I spend the holidays with my family. Because I’m biracial, holiday gatherings are usually a mix of both sides of my family. I get to see family members I haven’t seen in a long time, and we learn about what everyone has been up to in the past year. New Year’s is special too because my Chinese side of my family values a fresh start [and] going into the new year with good intentions.
Jessica Gelbard: Most of my holiday season is spent spinning wooden toys, spending time with family and stuffing my face with jelly-filled deep fried doughnuts. In order to celebrate the miracle of a tiny drop of oil lasting eight nights, I get pretty lit. And by getting lit, I mean I light a candle for each night of [Hanukkah] amassing a fully lit menorah by the last night!
Trisha Gregorio: I don’t have any particular holiday season staples or routines. My family consists of my mother, my younger brother and myself, and we spend Christmas quietly without exchanging gifts or holding Christmas parties at home. I find that in the lack of any concrete traditions Christmas feels lacklustre relative to the whirlwind of the days preceding it. Instead, I enjoy the lead-up to the week of Christmas — the hustle and bustle at stores, the neverending Christmas carols, the holiday drinks — more than I do Christmas Day itself, so a lot of the holiday season is spent basking in that Christmas atmosphere.
What parts of your identity or culture influence your holiday traditions?
Rachel Lieske: Neither of my parents has strong familial ties with their immediate family, and neither do I. Inherently, I don’t have that strong nostalgia that lets the holiday tradition live on for kids my age, despite our impending adolescence.
Razan Samara: One of my religious holidays includes Ramadan — a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset, reflection and prayer. Sometimes I miss a few days of fasting during Ramadan and I like to make them up during the winter holiday season. I typically have more time to focus on my spirituality and wellbeing, which is important when it comes to facing the winter blues. The days are also much shorter and fasting becomes easier. I especially enjoy it when I get to break my fast alongside friends celebrating their own holidays and traditions over dinners — there’s a collision of diversity that’s incredibly empowering. Since Islamic holidays are observed on a lunar calendar, then every 30 years or so Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr (festival of breaking fast) end up coinciding with other winter holidays. I can’t wait to shop for Eid gifts during Boxing Day in 2033.
Steffi Arkilander: I often get together with the two sides of my family — my white side and my Chinese side. We usually have two dinners for each side of my family, whether it’s for Christmas or New Year’s. One dinner is definitely considered more “traditional” to Western culture, where we all eat together, but my Chinese side often holds a hotpot or some form of Chinese food. We usually have a prayer in both English and Chinese. As gifts, red pockets with lucky money are often given from the elders of our family to the younger ones to celebrate Christmas or going into a new year. My family also usually cleans on New Year’s Day as it represents a “fresh start”.
Jessica Gelbard: Most of what influences my holiday traditions comes from my Jewish identity and European culture. For example, the holiday of Hanukkah itself, emanates from the story of the Maccabean revolt, in which the Jews defeated their Syrian-Greek oppressors in 160 BCE. So that comes from my Jewish identity. On the food side of things however, potato latkes, generally associated with Hanukkah, come from my European culture!
Trisha Gregorio: I grew up in the Philippines, where the Christmas season lasts from September to early January. While very little of the customs I had then remain with me [now], habits from childhood still inform my expectations for the holidays (that instinctive anticipation is probably why I like the pre-Christmas season so much). Christmas in the Philippines was also heavily religious, marked by week-long dawn vigils and multiple masses per day, and while my relationship with religion has only gotten more complicated the more I’ve come to terms with my identity, Christmas Mass is the one holiday tradition that my culture will always anchor me to.
How do ideas around a “traditional holiday experience” influence your traditions?
Rachel Lieske: Not being absorbed in the “traditional holiday experience” has given me a lot of anxiety about going home for the holidays. Motivated by FOMO [i.e. fear of missing out] and worry surrounding how I will spend such a long time in a town that doesn’t feel like home is daunting.
Razan Samara: My ideas around a “traditional holiday experience” come from watching the Home Alone franchise and feel-good Hallmark films. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how representation of the holidays in the media are almost always monopolized by Christmas and White American culture, so it’s no surprise that my own traditions tend to fit into this “picture-perfect” representation of Christmas. I walked by the Santa Claus parade in Hamilton and Toronto last week, listened to Christmas carols while cooking dinner with a friend a couple nights ago, and I have plans to check out the Toronto Christmas Market for the first time. While I do enjoy my cup of eggnog, I’m hoping to learn more about other holiday traditions this year.
Steffi Arkilander: I think that traditional holiday experiences can come in forms we may not necessarily consider traditional. Although my experience with the holidays may seem unique and different, it’s always been my normal to celebrate the holidays twice and to embrace both sides of my identity as not separate, but whole. Maybe my celebration of the holidays isn’t Western, but it doesn’t mean it’s not traditional. This is a tradition in my family and a tradition within many Chinese and even biracial communities. Although my celebrations may not be the majority, it doesn’t mean they aren’t any less meaningful.
Jessica Gelbard: I’ve notice in recent years, that in order to partake in “mainstream holiday seasons,” many Jewish people have taken to the idea of a “Hanukkah Bush” to replace a “Christmas Tree.” While the idea is cute, I think it adds to the unfortunate reality of assimilation. I too however, partake in events such as Christmas markets, and listening to Christmas music (obsessively I may add!) to feel apart of what society has deemed a “traditional holiday experience.”
Trisha Gregorio: The “traditional holiday experience” presents this ideal where all is cheerful and light-hearted during the holidays. As heartwarming as that can be, I also think it places a particular burden on those of us who don’t have access to the picture-perfect scene that Christmas ads present. For some, the holiday season may have its complications, whether it might be seasonal depression, or someone having to be around homophobic relatives, or simply having to spend Christmas alone. Not everyone has what counts for a warm, “complete” family, either, nor has the financial means to afford a big dinner. It isn’t so much that traditions are affected by this ideal; more than anything, it’s that this expectation of existing traditions isolates those who don’t have any.
What’s one takeaway you want readers to walk away with?
Rachel Lieske: Not having strong holiday traditions can be isolating at times. Just know that many people are on the same page as you, those who may have distant family relationships that don’t call for celebrating. This holiday I’m taking advantage of my free time and expending my energy on what’s important to me, and that’s okay.
Razan Samara: The holidays can be overwhelming. Whether you’re facing challenges, or your life seems to have been taken over by festive stress, it’s important to recognize when you need to take a break and focus on your own wellbeing. In the past, I’ve definitely been caught up in all the great expectations of the holiday season while also feeling quite lonely when I don’t see my own cultures and identities well represented. Whether you want to celebrate or not, I encourage you to seek out meaningful connections with your communities — it’s made a world of difference for me.
Steffi Arkilander: Biracial communities often have mixed celebrations and traditions that have shaped how we’ve grown up. I am not just 50 per cent Chinese and 50 per cent white. I am 100 per cent mixed and that is a different experience altogether. My culture can be seen through my meals, holidays and languages (or lack thereof) and they help shape my identity and who I’ve come to be today.
Jessica Gelbard: While the holiday season is often portrayed with a heavy focus on Christmas and the mainstream idea of Christmas, it’s important for us to have pride and joy in our own cultural and religious holidays at this time of year! We should be sharing our holiday joy and knowledge with others as well, so they too can join in the recognition and celebration of our respective holidays. Celebrate your holiday with pride, and reflect on your family’s history as these holidays have been celebrated over the generations before you.
Trisha Gregorio: Don’t get me wrong: Christmas is my favourite part of the year! I think that even at its most simple, the holidays can be a quiet, lovely period to take a break from life. However, while it’s important to channel the Christmas spirit, it’s also worth keeping in mind those who might not be spending Christmas like you are. This doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be happy — you are, and despite everything, I encourage liveliness during the holidays whenever possible. It’s simply that one aspect of Christmas means extending that helping hand, so if you know someone who might be spending Christmas alone, or someone who will be going through a tough time attending family parties, it won’t hurt to send a message or two.
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Photo C/O Canadian Pacific Railway
For the past 20 years, the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train has traveled across Canada and the United States, spreading holiday cheer and making donations to food banks at each of its stops. This year, it will be making its annual Hamilton stop on the evening of Nov. 28, in Gage Park.
The Holiday Train is always decked in festive lights and decorations. At each of its stops one of the train cars opens up to reveal a stage for a live concert performance. Both the concert and the event itself are free. The featured musicians will include Alan Doyle — formerly of Great Big Sea — and Beautiful Band. While guests are encouraged to donate non-perishable items to Hamilton Food Share, it’s not mandatory.
“Nothing there costs anything, so even families who might not have a lot of extra can come out and enjoy [the event] as a kickoff to the holiday season to get into the festive spirit,” said Celeste Taylor, the Resource Development Manager for Hamilton Food Share.
Every month, over 13,000 people in the city, including almost 5,000 children, need a food bank every month. As rent in the city continues to increase, food is becoming more difficult to access for many. According to the Hamilton Hunger Report 2019, households who access a food bank spend, on average, more than 50 per cent of their income on housing, increasing the risk of displacement or homelessness. Food is an important part of most holiday traditions, and it can be difficult to celebrate when there’s nothing to put on the table.
Food is an important part of most holiday traditions, and it can be difficult to celebrate when there’s nothing to put on the table.
“Everybody wants to celebrate, whether they’re celebrating Christmas or another holiday, they want to be able to be with their family or to be with the people they care about and food is often central to that. It’s a method of social inclusion when people are able to have the food they need to make a meal. The other part is, here in Hamilton we have such a high percentage of people who are struggling so much with paying the rent that sometimes there just isn’t anything left to buy food with . . . It’s not just holiday food, it’s also being able to put a meal on the table,” said Taylor.
Taylor says that there are many other ways that the community can get involved. “The other thing that people can do is to be looking towards social policy change that would be helping people to cover the expenses of daily life and life’s basics . . . The important message is not that it’s Food Banks or policy change, it’s both.”
Since 1999, the Holiday Train has been contributing donations to local food bank organizations. While the concert in Gage Park is only one night, it’s important to keep that same level of donation energy throughout the year as giving shouldn’t end after the holidays.
The CP Holiday Train will be rolling through Gage Park (1000 Main St. E) on Nov. 28 at 7:45 p.m.
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Photo C/O Unsplash
By: Katie van Kampen, Contributor
Finding the perfect gift while holiday shopping is hard and will likely be time consuming, nerve wracking and frankly, stressful. Clothing, in particular, is nearly impossible to get right. What size is the person you’re shopping for? What styles do they like? Do they prefer fitted or oversized? With so many variables to consider, you’re overwhelmed. To help you find gifts that everyone would appreciate, here are fashion items that you could buy for anyone this holiday season.
Let’s Sock n’ Roll
Price: $
There has been a recent resurgence in sock subscription services and an increasing demand for trendy sock designs. A well-picked pair of socks can complement your outfit while adding a splash of personality. A great place to find a variety of socks within the city is floorplaysocks (194 Locke St. S). They have walls filled with socks, neatly organized and displayed for easy browsing. One reliable brand that the store carries is Stance—. my favorite brand for fun and durable socks.. They have many different designs to choose from that’ll be sure to appeal to anyone on your holiday list.
Green (T-Shirt) Sleeves
Price: $$
T-shirts are one of the best gifts you can give someone. Just like socks, they come in a variety of shapes, colours and designs. As trends in 90s fashion re-emerge, it’s becoming cooler to wear oversized t-shirts or to tuck them in. So, go out there and get your Secret Santa their favourite band t-shirt or a comic graphic t-shirt, and don’t worry if it’s a size too large. There’s lots of ways you can style a t-shirt — perhaps through a french tuck, layering the shirt with shorter items or by rolling the sleeves. Omnes (191 King St. E) has a selection of second hand vintage shirts from brands like Adidas to Guess. Or, you can take a walk down James Street and browse through boutiques like The Pale Blue Dot (240 James St. N) to find the perfect t-shirt for whoever’s on your list.
The Holiday Sweater
Price: $$
‘Tis the season! What’s better than an aggressively adorned holiday sweater for those office parties, unbearable family events, or themed parties. Holiday sweaters vary in their design from “My Grandpa made this in the 1970s” to “Minimalistic snowflake” and can be found at a variety of stores. Depending on what you think they’ll like or how much you actually want them to wear this sweater, there’s a variety to choose from. The McMaster Campus Store carries their own McMaster Christmas sweater so you can get some Mac swag while also purchasing a festive gift. If your friend won’t buy one for themselves, and always complains about not owning a holiday sweater, you can easily fix this situation. They’ll soon be sporting their new sweater to every holiday event.
Backpack, Backpack, Yeah!
Price: $$$
A backpack is a necessity for students, so why not take the opportunity to turn it into a fashion item? Even if they already have a backpack, having different styles and different sizes to choose from can be useful if they ever want to downsize their daily carry-all. Pair it with the right colours and it can be easily integrated into any outfit. Check out the Campus Store for a variety of backpacks featuring designs by Hershel and Fjallraven.
Jean-eology
Price: $$
While it is a bit chilly for denim jackets, they can prove useful and fashionable during the warmer months. As I said, oversized clothing is in style. Buying someone an oversized jacket can help elevate their style as they can experiment with layering other fashion pieces. Jean jackets come in a variety of linings and colours. Some non-conventional colors to check out are grey, white, black and olive. Denim jackets are a great item to find at a thrift store, especially since they’re quite durable and timeless. One close option to Mac is Deja Vu Used and New (262 King St. W). Here you’re sure to find different styles, colours and sizes of jackets. If you want a vintage, retro aesthetic you can take the trek to Ottawa Street and visit Out of the Past (308 Ottawa St. N). Whoever you’re buying for will surely appreciate this item as it can be styled in many different ways, creating a great addition to their wardrobe.
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I’ve always struggled to give special and personalized gifts to those I care about without breaking the bank. One of the best ways I’ve learned to navigate this is to find unique creators for holiday shopping. Etsy is a hub for original products that make great gifts and by choosing local stores, you lower your shipping cost and support local creatives. Check out these local Etsy shops that sell great products for under $30 (including shipping!) The best part? You don’t have to trek through the snow.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdBV76UlUaA/
If you know someone who likes light-hearted quotes or gold foil, then consider getting them a gift from The Blonde Orphan. The store is owned by Daniela Stajcer, a self-taught graphic designer who calls Hamilton home. She incorporates real gold or copper foil in many of her prints. Her home décor prints are a pretty addition to the wall of a friend likes positive pick-me-ups or quirky quips. She sells instantly downloadable prints for as little as $5. Actual prints start around $13 with $3.35 shipping within Canada.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo4NZXVH9nR/
The Pendulum Shop sells simple but stunning crystal jewellery. Hamilton-based store owner Lana Burley is a crystal lover who makes the pieces herself. In addition to the unique earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets and pendulums that she creates, she also sells a crystal guide that she created with her production partner Cetina Farrugia. Her jewellery makes the perfect gift for those in your life with a simple and refined style. Shipping is $4.50 within Canada. While some of the pieces are above $30, there are cute rings and earrings closer to $20 and cute pieces in the clearance section of the shop.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoSEPghgK0V/
Greg Smith is behind Blind Pig Press, which specializes in letterpress and sells various notebooks, posters, prints and books. Blind Pig Press is actually a private press in Grimsby, Ontario that has been around since 1991. The Etsy store provides a place to buy these letterpress products, such as notepads starting just under $7 and posters just over $20 with $4.10 shipping costs. These items would make great gifts for those in your life who are frequently drawing or jotting down things.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqFrhh2gzp4/
If you know a nature lover, bring nature indoors to them with this Kitchener-based Etsy shop. Shop owner Laur Erickson is a self-taught artist mixing her love of animals and nature with her love of art. She sells watercolour and mixed media prints and cards. Her prints start as low as $12 with free shipping and cards can be picked up for $6 with $3 shipping. She also sells adorable stickers for $3.50 a piece with $3 shipping.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhwicSBnugr/
Flora Hue Naturals is a Hamilton-based Etsy store boasting “love infused offerings inspired by nature.” Store owner, Kristen Taylor, uses all natural ingredients in creating the soaps, candles, face and aromatherapy products that she sells. These items make the perfect gift for those in your life that relish new scents and natural beauty products. Check the “Gifts Under 20” section for affordable gifts. Shipping costs are generally under $12.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqM2HeVlkvm/
For a truly unique gift for the creatives in your life, check out this Toronto-based Etsy shop that sells cross-stitch kits and patterns. Shop owner Diana Watters is a designer and metal fabricator who loves to cross-stitch in her spare time. She sells original cross-stitch patterns and kits, taking the form of holiday ornaments, keychains, instantly downloadable patterns and more. While there are many affordable kits, be sure to out the sale section. Shipping is generally $6 or less.
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I have completely different feelings towards the holidays than my father. It has never bothered him when someone wishes him a Merry Christmas. “I’m not offended if someone wishes me happy birthday when it isn’t my birthday,” he used to tell me, “What harm can extra good will do?”
I, on the other hand, despise December. Every sprig of mistletoe, every nativity scene and every adorned tree drives me up the wall. As one of the few Jewish students at my high school I ran a campaign to get music other than Christmas carols played over the PA system in the mornings. When someone asks me what I’m doing for Christmas I will reply — at times, coldly — that I do not celebrate. Although on principle I haven’t seen any movies starring the Grinch, I’ve been told that my attitude is comparable.
I fully recognize that I am biased, but you should understand that my resentment is not unfounded. While other kids my age associated Christmas with gift from Santa, I was left wondering why he hadn’t also visited my house. As a child of European and Israeli parents, the promised eight days of gifts for Jewish children was not a reality for me. This isn’t to say that I now feel hard done by it; I had more than enough toys to keep me busy growing up, but it meant that I wondered what I had done wrong to receive the proverbial lump of coal. Presuming that it was a lack of chimney, my mother explained the truth to me when she found me trying to make a tree out of cardboard and a green magic marker. Finding out that I was different from other kids in something that is often portrayed as a ubiquitous experience hit hard.
I relate to, and feel sorry for, the fictional Anthony Goldstein, the only Jewish character in the Harry Potter books, who would have most likely felt as alienated as I did when watching all the witches and wizards around him celebrate a holiday that easily took up one or two whole chapters of each book. I feel even sorrier for all of the Jewish kids, myself included, who weren’t able to picture themselves at Hogwarts as a result. I can suspend disbelief in allowing for charms and hippogriffs, but being Jewish is such a large part of my identity that I can’t envision my magical self as being anything but.
Anthony, much like myself, would have had a lot of experience being looked to as the token representative of Hanukah, or as it has often been described to me, “Jewish Christmas.” Every time a Hanukah song was played at an assembly — inevitable the hateful and nonsensical “dreidel dreidel” — people would look to me as if to say “is this what your religion looks like? Have we made you feel included yet?” The truth is that I feel no connection to the Hanukah songs often played by Gentiles. To start, none of my holiday tunes growing up were in English, and if you made a dreidel out of clay, I guarantee you that it would break. If you are going to include a token Jewish song, please at least just do it justice. This type of clumsy attempt at inclusion tends to just make me feel worse.
Perhaps even more upsetting to me than hearing “Jewish” songs I don’t know is knowing the Christmas ones a little too well. You can only live in Canada for so long before you absorb Christmas knowledge, and for me growing up, that was carols. It never ceases to disturb me that I know more tunes about the birth of Jesus than I do about the victory of the Maccabees. I feel extreme guilt over being more assimilated than not, but there is little that I can do about it. Every time I get “Silent Night” or “Deck the Halls” stuck in my head it is a reminder that this holiday does not belong to me, but that I can’t help but be involved in it whether I want to be or not.
Thus this December I have a simple request: please stop assuming that Christmas is a universal experience. Any holiday with “Christ” in its name is nowhere near secular enough for the entire population to be celebrating. Please stop tokenizing our holiday in half-hearted attempts at inclusion, because as the kids who know the truth about Santa long before you do, we hold more power than you’d like to believe.
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By: Daniella Porano and Hayley Regis
D: It’s official. Radio stations are playing Christmas music, malls are decked out in consumeristic holiday glee, and everyone is feeling anxious about their post-holiday bank accounts. In the coming month, holiday parties, family gatherings, and made-for-TV Christmas movies will dominate my social calendar, and with that, images of pencil skirts, colourful knits, and heels will dominate my mind (What exams? What final papers?).
H: I usually have a pair of holiday parties and New Year’s celebrations to attend, so that gives me plenty of occasions to look as fabulous as humanly possible. Last year for Xmas one of two, I paired a patterned pencil skirt with a half-tucked vintage tee and a big glamorous necklace. My family is usually pretty casual so I planned for something that would make me feel like the coolest of cats but allow me to eat and drink as much as possible. Anything to soothe the burn of the term paper I have yet to write.
D: Last year I celebrated a handful of Christmases, which all came with their own set of dress codes. At a dinner celebration, I donned maroon-coated skinny denim, a black peplum sleeveless shirt with a collar, and a pair of riding boots. At my family’s casual Christmas lunch, I wore a plaid woven skirt, tights, a fitted cable-knit sweater, and scarf. This year my central style rule will revolve around pairing everything I can with heels. Their ability to instantly dress up a relatively simple outfit is ideal, especially when splurging on new holiday clothing isn’t an option. For cozy winter evenings at home, I plan on opting for slouchy sweaters with boyfriend jeans.
H: For last New Year's I went full glam. I stayed in, ordered food, and watched movies with my best friends. I wore a full-length dress that’s basically a blanket with some chunky earrings because I knew I would have to be in public(ish) to greet the delivery guy. This year, I’m looking forward to rocking anything with a high-waist with chunky and coordinated cropped knits. That or the pantsuit I just ordered. I’m pretty excited to have my hands on what is basically just a souped-up onesie that is somehow socially acceptable because it isn’t made of acrylic and fleece. For my evenings in I’m going to stick with my harem pants and half-tuck a basic white tee.
D: Last New Year's I opted for a cozy knit layered over a collared denim shirt, black skinny jeans, and boots, and paired with a chunky knit scarf and a beanie. I still froze - I mean that’s my fault because I thought it would be “cute” to go skating in minus twenty-five degree weather by Toronto’s Harbourfront. This year, it’s all about the glam. I can’t wait to put on my favourite black jumpsuit, a pair of snakeskin heels, and rock a red lip to whatever party I end up going to.
1. Marry your shoes.
I don’t care if you need to make an elaborate vow to your five-inch stilettos before you attend a party. For the night, you and your shoes are betrothed, deeply connected, common law partners. Under no circumstance do you remove your shoes until you return home and/or go to sleep.
2. Dress for the weather.
I don’t care how cool you look in the club; if your skin is blistering as soon as you step outside, you are making a poor life choice. Layer up. This isn’t just for clubs, going to family gatherings where you know you’re going to be inside can make it tempting to just wear whatever but trust. Wouldn’t you rather be a layered parfait than a single scoop of vanilla in the case of emergency?
3. Regarding accessories.
Follow the eternally wise words of the ultimate Parisian Coco Chanel, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.”
Is St. Patrick’s Day not your thing? Then try out some of these weird holidays around the world that may suit your fancy!
Tinku “Punch Your Neighbour” Festival
Where? Bolivia (Potosi and Macha)
When? May
If you have a neighbor you really hate then this festival is for you! Every May in the Bolivian Andes Mountains thousands of people go to the city of Macha to participate in the annual Tinku Festival (Tinku being a Quechua word meaning an encounter or meeting) where people literally get into fights with their neighbours. The Tinku Festival is based on an old religious festival as a blood offering for the Goddess Pachamama to ensure a good harvest. The festival, while violent, isn’t nearly as deadly or bloody as ancient times. Now police patrol the event, keeping fights one on one and ending the fights once blood is shed.
La Tomatina
Where? Buñol, Valencia, Spain
When? The last Wednesday of August (August 27 this year!)
For those who love food fights, La Tomatina takes place during a weeklong festival in Buñol in which participants throw overripe tomatoes at each other for fun! It’s a pretty self-explanatory event, and while it is a fun and messy time there are certain rules participants must follow:
1. Tomatoes must be squashed to avoid injuries.
2. Only tomatoes are allowed to be thrown.
3. Participants must allow trucks, buses, and cars room on the road.
4. Participants are not allowed to rip off their t-shirts.
5. No tomatoes should be thrown after the second shot indicating the end of La Tomatina.
Bermuda Day
Where? The islands of Bermuda (temple of Pra Prang Sam Yot)
When? May 24
Do you have a passionate love for Bermuda shorts? If so than this holiday is for you! Bermuda Day is the first day residents of the island go into the sea, recognizing it as the official end of winter. Another holiday tradition is that Bermuda shorts are recognized as clothes of business attire on this day. Aside from wearing Bermuda shorts all day long, residents also have boat races that entire families participate in.
Monkey Buffet Festival
Where? Thailand
When? Last Sunday of November
What’s cuter than monkeys? Monkeys eating at a buffet of course! This Thai festival I thought to have origins from the Asain religious story of Rama who gave the province Lopburi to Hanuman, a monkey king. Keeping with traditions the Thai people hold the annual Monkey Buffet as tribute to Hanuman and as a tourist attractions. After all, who doesn’t want to see monkeys at a buffet?
Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus)
Where? Kanayama shrine, Kawasaki, Japan
When? First Sunday of April (April 6 this year!)
Yes, you read that right. Japan has a penis festival.
The festival is meant to promote fertility (since the penis is the ultimate symbol of fertility apparently) where participants can buy penis-shaped candy, posters, and other decorations. Its history is centered around a penis shrine that prostitutes would go and pray to for protection against sexually transmitted diseases. Nowadays Kanamara Matsuri has become a tourist attraction and money is raised for HIV research.
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Amy Taylor
The Silhouette
Being here at McMaster on exchange from the UK, I thought I’d write a recipe for a traditional festive dessert in England, the Christmas pudding. This plum pudding only formed connections with Christmas when it was introduced to the Victorians by Prince Albert. An important English tradition is to bury a silver coin in the mixture and whoever finds it in their portion is said to have good fortune for the rest of the year. The pudding should be made on the Sunday before advent, also known as “Stir Up Sunday” as the flavours develop over a few weeks (though two-three weeks before is also fine!)
Ingredients you will need:
(Serves 6-8)
- 50g plain flour
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon of ground mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 50g of shredded beef suet
- 50g fresh breadcrumbs
- 50g of soft light brown sugar
- 175g of raisins
- 175g of sultanas
- 1 apple, grated
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 25g of blanched almonds, chopped
- 25g of mixed candied peel, finely chopped
- The grated rind and juice of ½ a lemon
- The grated rind of ½ an orange
- 2 teaspoons of treacle
- 65ml of barley wine
- 2 tablespoon of rum
Method:
1. You should ideally start the day before you want to steam the pudding. Mix together the suet, sifted flour, breadcrumbs, spices and sugar very well. You should then gradually mix in all of the dried fruit, mixed peel and nuts, followed by the apple and the grated orange and lemon zests.
2. Next, in a smaller bowl you should measure out the rum and barley wine, adding the eggs and beating these thoroughly together. You should then pour this mixture over all of the other ingredients and mix well. This is when you would add the silver coin and make a wish! The mixture should fall instantly from the spoon when tapped against the bowl for the right consistency. Cover the bowl and leave overnight.
3. On the next day, spoon the mixture into a lightly greased pudding basin, cover it with pleated greaseproof paper and foil, and then secure it with string. Place the basin in a large saucepan of simmering water and steam the pudding for 8 hours.
4. When the pudding is steamed let it get quite cold before removing the steam papers and foil, and then replace them with fresh ones. The pudding is now made and should be kept in a cool place until Christmas day.
5. To cook, re-steam the pudding on a gentle simmer for 2 hours.
6. To serve, remove the pudding from the steamer and take off the wrapping. Turn it out on to a plate and to further enhance the taste, you should heat a ladle of brandy, set it alight and then gently pour over the Christmas pudding. Watch it flame and once this had died down, dust with icing sugar and a holly berry. Serve with brandy butter, fresh cream or custard.
McMaster students on what they plan to do with their families over the holidays. What will you be doing to celebrate the end of exams?
