Christmas
This 19th-century practice of giving small gifts and bonuses to servants, postmen, and workers is still echoed in modern practices of holiday tipping or charitable donations.
What is "Christmas Box" (or "Boxing")?
The tradition of masking and costuming in the U.S. was often linked to this early-20th-century American civic practice of ensuring order.
What are parades?
The principle of Nia (Purpose) calls for collective work to restore African-American people to their traditional greatness, specifically requiring the building of this type of history.
What is history (or cultural history)?
The commandment to leave the corners of your field for the poor, related to the harvest festival aspect of Passover, is known by this Hebrew term.
What is Pe'ah?
This is the very early morning meal eaten before dawn to prepare for the day's fast.
What is Suhoor?
What is a contemporary, often criticized, aspect of the Christmas season that sees a dramatic surge in spending, commercial advertising, and consumer debt?
What is consumerism?
The 19th-century Irish tradition of carving gourds or vegetables to make lanterns was derived from an old folk tale about this character who famously tricked the devil.
Who is Jack?
This principle, known as ____, encourages the Black community to always do as much as it can to leave its community more beautiful and beneficial than it inherited it.
What is Kuumba?
The custom of reclining or leaning during the Seder meal is a social symbol meant to demonstrate this status, which was forbidden to ancient slaves.
What is freedom?
This Arabic term refers to the act of mandatory annual charity, or almsgiving, which is often emphasized and paid during Ramadan.
What is Zakat?
This 19th-century author is credited with popularizing the modern, secular Christmas focus on charity, goodwill, and family with his novella A Christmas Carol.
Who is Charles Dickens?
In the medieval period, this Christian holiday's customs often included the poor begging for food or money, a practice that directly influenced the social function of modern trick-or-treating.
What is All Souls' Day (or All Hallows' Day/All Saints' Day)?
The word Kwanzaa is a modification of this Swahili phrase meaning "first fruits," which reflects the festival's grounding in African harvest traditions.
What is Matunda ya Kwanza?
This central part of the Seder involves children singing or asking four questions to encourage active participation and reinforce the importance of memory.
What is the Mah Nishtanah?
The term for the act of breaking the fast right after sunset, which is usually a large, communal meal shared with family, friends, or neighbors.
What is Iftar?
The push to make Christmas a legal holiday for federal workers in the 1870s was part of a larger movement to grant legal, paid time off to this growing class of workers.
What is the Puritan (or Pilgrim) group?
This specific American holiday, traditionally celebrated with a dinner on the last Thursday of November, had many of its public, costumed, and parading traditions absorbed by the growing popularity of Halloween.
What is Thanksgiving?
The principle of Ujamaa promotes this type of economic system, often involving local ownership and co-operative ventures, to build and maintain the community's shops and enterprises.
What is cooperative economics?
This bitter herb, eaten during the Seder, serves as a ritual reminder of the harshness and suffering experienced by the Israelites during their enslavement.
What is Maror (or bitter herbs)?
This major three-day holiday, known as the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," takes place immediately after Ramadan ends.
What is Eid al-Fitr?
This popular 1947 holiday film, which pits a traditional Santa Claus against cynical commercialism, centers on a legal case that questions the very nature of belief and integrity.
What is Miracle on 34th Street?
The shift of Halloween celebrations from large-scale, sometimes chaotic street pranks to more organized, child-centric activities like trick-or-treating is often credited to the social influence of this key demographic.
What is children?
The seven principles of Kwanzaa, collectively known by this Swahili term, are intended to be a foundation for strengthening the African-American community throughout the entire year.
What are the Nguzo Saba?
The Passover Seder features the reading of this text, which details the rituals, prayers, and retelling of the Exodus story.
What is the Haggadah?
Many community centers and mosques prepare and serve this type of meal free of charge to help those in need break their fast during Ramadan.
What is Iftar (or dinner)?