holidays
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During the Holocaust, Jewish prisoners in the Westerbork Transit Camp in the Netherlands observed Hanukkah under harrowing circumstances. Despite the dire conditions, they sought to maintain their cultural and religious traditions as an act of resistance and hope. In Westerbork, Hanukkah celebrations were modest and often conducted in secret. Prisoners used makeshift menorahs crafted from
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Before diving into the story, let me first give a brief explanation of who Sinterklaas is for those who may want to become more familiar with him. Sinterklaas is a traditional holiday figure celebrated primarily in the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of Germany. The festival, which has roots in both Christian and pre-Christian traditions, takes
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Us Europeans often get confused about this whole Thanksgiving business, because in Europe Thanksgiving is on the 1st Sunday in October. That’s when we say thanks for the harvest. Although the US Thanksgiving has also an element of harvest in it, it is not the same as the European one. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists
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This piece isn’t about a Star Wars Christmas special—though, to be honest, seeing Santa join Darth Vader on the Dark Side would be undeniably awesome. When we think of Christmas, images of jolly Santa Claus, festive decorations, and cheerful Christmas carols come to mind. But hidden within the warmth of holiday cheer lies a figure
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Many people view Halloween as a festival centered on the eerie and frightening, where people dress up in scary costumes to give others a good scare. What I find even more curious is the tradition of “trick-or-treating.” On any other day, we warn our children not to take candy from strangers, but on October 31,
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Many will spend this Christmas without their best friend, wife, husband, father, mother, son, daughter, girlfriend, boyfriend, or other family members for the first time. It’s hard, especially the first Christmas, but that doesn’t mean you should feel guilty when you want to celebrate because that is what they would like you to do. This
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Before I started with the main story. I will first try to explain to the non-Jewish readers, which includes me, what Purim is. The jolly Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar (late winter/early spring). Purim began in 2024 on Saturday night, March 23, and
History of Sorts 