We Are What We Celebrate: Understanding Holidays and Rituals

We Are What We Celebrate: Understanding Holidays and Rituals [Amitai Etzioni, Jared Bloom] on leondumoulin.nl *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. How did.
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Laboratory experiments and field studies show that the structured and repetitive actions involved in such rituals can act as a buffer against anxiety by making our world a more predictable place.


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Many of those rituals may of course also be performed at other times throughout the year. But during the holiday season, they become more meaningful. For this reason, more people travel during the year-end holidays than any other time of the year. Gathering together from far-flung locations helps people leave their worries behind, and at the same time lets them reconnect with time-honored family traditions. No holiday tradition would be complete without a festive meal. Since the first humans gathered around the fire to roast their hunt, cooking has been one of the defining characteristics of our species.

The long hours spent in the kitchen and the dining room during the preparation and consumption of holiday meals serve some of the same social functions as the hearths of our early ancestors.

Understanding Holidays and Rituals

Sharing a ceremonial meal symbolizes community, brings the entire family together around the table and smooths the way for conversation and connection. All cultures have rituals that revolve around food and meal preparation. Jewish tradition dictates that all food must be chosen and prepared according to specific rules Kosher.

In parts of the Middle East and India, only the right hand must be used for eating.

An anxiety buffer

And in many European countries, it is important to lock eyes while making a toast in order to avoid seven years of bad sex. Of course, special occasions require special meals. So most cultures reserve their best and most elaborate dishes for the most important holidays. And these recipes often include some secret ingredients — not just culinary, but also psychological. Research shows that performing a ritual before a meal improves the eating experience and makes the food even just plain carrots! Other studies found that when children participate in food preparation they enjoy the food more, and that the longer we spend preparing a meal, the more we come to appreciate it.

In this way, the labor and fanfare associated with holiday meals virtually guarantees an enhanced gastronomical experience.

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It is common to exchange presents during the holiday period. From a rational perspective, this might seem pointless, at best recycling resources or, at worst, wasting them. Anthropologists have noted that among many societies ritualized gift-giving plays a crucial role in maintaining social ties by creating networks of reciprocal relationships. Today, many families give each other lists of desired presents for the holidays.

The brilliance of this system lies precisely in the fact that most people end up getting what they would buy anyway — the money gets recycled but everyone still enjoys the satisfaction of giving and receiving gifts. And as this is a special time of the year, we can even allow ourselves some guilt-free indulgence.

We Are What We Celebrate

Great to practice recall and sequencing. Song books with carols so the kiddos can practice joining along with a familiar song. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. The Night Tree by Eve Bunting. Our centers will be a sensory explosion for the kiddos with activities like: Sensory activities are my favorite!

We Are What We Celebrate: Understanding Holidays and Rituals

Baking sensory table with real ingredients flour, salt, pie crust, etc… and real spices. Jingle bell sensory bottles with magnet wands. Jingle bell drop activities: Real pine needles to explore by smelling and touching. Peppermint slime with scissors to cut or cookie cutters to create shapes with. You can even hide jingle bells in the slime!

Peppermint scented rice with hidden holiday-themed objects to sift through and find. Textured wrapping paper to practice tearing, cutting, taping. For starters, just come take a look at our holiday decorations! In the Science Center, the children will be able to participate in smelling various scents found during the Holiday Season, dissolving candy canes and exploring pine cones. The children will also try tamales, candy canes, hot chocolate and other traditional holiday treats! A variety of Holiday music will be played in the room and listening center and exploring music with bells.

I try to incorporate as many authentic objects as I can into the classroom from the decorations to materials we are using at our centers! I add a Christmas tree, lights, ornaments, Menorah, driedels, garland, wrapping paper, bows, etc. I also incorporate smells and tastes through taste testing traditional holiday foods- latkes and applesauce, cookies and icing, gingerbread houses, etc! What is one of your favorite holiday memories from when YOU were a child? Decorating the Christmas Tree, for sure!

Learn American Holidays - Thanksgiving Day

My sister, brother and I would rotate turns of picking out the family Christmas tree from a nursery down the street from my house. The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast. The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition -- not only because so many other Americans have found prosperity but also because the Pilgrims' sacrifices for their freedom still captivate the imagination.

To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion. The Fourth of July , or Independence Day , honors the nation's birthday -- the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks.

The flying of the American flag which also occurs on Memorial Day and other holidays is widespread. On July 4, , the th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence was marked by grand festivals across the nation. Martin Luther King Day: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since his assassination in , memorial services have marked his birthday on January In , that day was replaced by the third Monday of January, which was declared a national holiday.

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Until the mids, the February 22 birthday of George Washington, hero of the Revolutionary War and first president of the United States, was a national holiday. In addition, the February 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the president during the Civil War, was a holiday in most states. The two days have been joined, and the holiday has been expanded to embrace all past presidents.


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