Happy Yalda, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa.
The Yalda festival was a Mithraic celebration, which finds its origins among the earliest Iranians. But in 53 BCE, when Roman legions were unable to conquer Parthian Mithraists, they adopted Mithra the “Unconquered Sun” as their own military deity, and Yalda or “Yule” became an official celebration of the Roman Empire.
Many of the original pagan symbols survive in what has come to be known as Christmas such as: holly, ivy, the color red, the mistletoe, Yule logs, the giving of gifts, decorated evergreen trees, Santa Claus, etc..
Christmas Day (December 25th) is a Christian holiday which is celebrated around the world by decorating Christmas trees, attending church, traditional food, and exchanging gifts.
Kwanzaa is an African American holiday celebrated by millions of people in the United States. It is a week long holiday, observed from December 26th to January 1st every year.
Hanukkah (also known as Chanukah) is an eight-day festival of lights and a Jewish holiday. It commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem during the second century BC. It begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev and usually falls in November or December. Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days and nights with the lightening of the menorah, food, and gifts.
