How to Celebrate an Inclusive Christmas
Enjoy a more inclusive holiday season for yourself and your colleagues in 2021
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Merry Christmas! We hope you’re enjoying the holiday season with your loved ones by your side. It is certainly a special time for most of us, but do you truly understand how special it is for others around the world? Our team at Revolancer highly values the diversity of the plurality of cultures, traditions, and experiences internationally, which is why we’ve decided to create this little article to help you celebrate an inclusive Christmas, with diversity in mind.
Unity in Diversity
Do you know how many different celebrations take place around the world in December? Although it might come as a surprise we’re excited to let you know about the four major festivities that are celebrated around the Christmas season. Some of these traditions link to one another, some are uniquely celebrated in one of the world’s countries, and some are popular enough to be recognised all across the globe. Whichever festival you choose to celebrate, it is important to remember the different cultures with their own traditions worshiped. Our team believes that by recognising and understanding the differences among our cultures and backgrounds, we can come together and stay more united as the human race we are. We believe that unity in diversity is the way forward, so let’s celebrate and cherish our differences by understanding their roots!
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah
As most of us are familiar with Christmas festivities, we will leave this particular celebration alone and instead focus on the four others that bring people together throughout December. The four celebrations we’d like to share with you today are Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and Omisoka. We are aware you might already know about some of these but bear with us, as we explore their unique aspects and traditions!
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Hannukkah
Hanukkah, for example, is an eight-day Jewish celebration that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean Revolt. Commonly known as the Festival of Lights, this festivity begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and revolves around lighting the menorah. It is a celebration of miracles and community.
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Kwanzaa
The second on our list, the celebration of Kwanzaa, which originated from African ‘first fruit’ harvest festivities, was brought to life by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966. Cherished across the many communities of African descendants, this tradition brings families together for seven consecutive nights of storytelling, playing music, dancing, and eating delicious foods
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Boxing Day
Although you might be surprised to see us describing Boxing Day here, it is important to note that this celebration was never a quintessential part of the Christmas Holidays. Originating in the United Kingdom during the Middle Ages, this tradition brings about the different aspects of English, Irish, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and Bahamas culture. It is a time dedicated to one’s family and relaxation.
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Omisoka
Finally, the beautiful tradition of New Year’s Eve from Japan is the last piece of our brief list. The celebration of Omisoka takes place both in the family houses as well as in the shrines and temples of the many traditions cherished across Japan. It is a time of reflection and appreciation of the world around us.
How Can You Show You Care
Getting to know the facts and interesting aspects of the traditions celebrated across the globe is only the beginning of your potential care for universal diversity. Whilst your perspective does widen with every new culture you get to explore, it is useful to consider the ways in which your brand, company, or online presence could celebrate these differences. By showing others you care about the things they care about you will strengthen the connection and unity with them and their peers. An inclusive Christmas means adapting yourself to others whilst recognising that many people from minority communities are already adapting themselves to you.
How could you show appreciation for the culture of another? Maybe your Christmas-themed social media posts could be more inclusive by adding a few lines about the different celebrations that take place in December. Or, you could invite a representative of a different culture to collaborate with you on a multicultural project. Moreover, you could try and talk about the differences between your and other cultures by finding the similarities first, therefore strengthening the sense of community.
Differences That Matter
Finally, we would like you to really ponder the idea of differences that matter. They might not matter to you, but whenever they matter to others, they should at the very least be respected by you. That is why, we would like you to consider the language, framing, and inclusivity of your work, whether online or in person. This kind of reflection will allow you to truly grasp how to celebrate an inclusive Christmas. Whilst you’re focussed on reflection, have you been able to reflect on your year as a whole? Learn to make the most of it with our article, ‘How to Reflect on Your Year in 2021’.
For the majority of us, the world appears in a similar tone. We tend to navigate our lives within the society based on our understanding of what this society of ours is. But it is not so simple with everyone. Some people might feel differently about the way their genders are portrayed by the advertisements, others might need a set of captions to fully understand the message voiced by the short video they see, and some might need an additional set of tools to fully immerse themselves in your website’s content. That’s where caring about differences comes in. That’s where you can make the difference.
Consider your advertising tone and language, add captions to your videos for better audience care, and make your website all-inclusive by employing a set of readability improving tools. These small differences can make a great change and bring about a multitude of positive effects. Because understanding others is just the beginning…
Before you go
If you liked this article, feel free to check out the one about differences in personalities. And if you’re looking for a freelancing platform that provides you great flexibility, join Revolancer today!
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