As winter break comes closer each day, students and teachers at Gulf Breeze High are eager to finally be able to celebrate the holidays with their families. With such a small number of students it may seem like everyone does the same thing for the same holiday; that couldn’t be further from the truth. Many students at Gulf Breeze High participate in unique traditions or celebrate holidays other than Christmas.
Having moved to Gulf Breeze from Mexico, Alex Sanchez and his family celebrate the holiday of Día de los Reyes or Three Kings Day. The holiday is dedicated to the celebration of the Three Wise men mentioned in the Bible. Día de la Reyes takes place on January 6 rather than the 25 of December and is spend with family and eating a special cake called Rosca de Reyes and is paired with hot chocolate or a traditional Mexican drink called atole. Día de la Reyes mirrors Christmas in many ways; one of them being the tradition of gift giving as well as parades. The core reason of the holiday is family, “Having most of my family back home in Mexico, it’s very important to me to stay close and celebrate with the family I have here” says Sanchez. Despite their distinct differences Día de los Reyes and Christmas have much in common and both are celebrated by Christians.
Obviously not all students at Gulf Breeze High are of the same religion or belief system. Yael Fleekop and her family are Jewish, and her father is a rabbi at their Synagogue. They celebrate Hanukah, an 8 daylong celebration commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century. Yael’s family partakes in many traditional Jewish festivities this time during Hanukah that includes the reciting of blessing and stories, giving gifts, and playing the game of dreidel. The most important tradition of Hannukah is the light of the menorah each night Yael and her family light a one candle on the menorah and after they eat various Jewish foods most of which are fried in oil which include jelly filled donuts, and latkes. Being able to spend time with your family and learning of you peoples past makes Hanukah so significant “Hanukah is important to me because it’s a time of year where everyone enjoys being together and learning about the history of our people…also the presents and good food don’t hurt” says Fleekop.
Despite the various unique way students at Gulf Breeze celebrate this holiday season. The beauty of each celebration is revealed in the way it brings the people of every culture, faith or community together. Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Dia de la Reyes, or Hanukah have a safe, fun and most importantly a happy holiday.