While Christmas themes seem to commercially outshine the winter holy season, this time of year is more than just a moment to acknowledge the Christian holy day, and can serve as a time of solace and communion for all communities.
From Handel’s Messiah at the Washington National Cathedral to an interfaith service at the John A. Wilson Building in Northwest D.C., the holiday season is a time to spread cheer and work to uplift all people.
“Moments like this are always opportunities to bring people together,” said Imam Talib Shareef of the historic Masjid Muhammad, also known as The Nation’s Mosque, who participated in an interfaith service on Dec. 12 at the Wilson Building. “In the month of December, we have Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, [we] are getting ready for Ramadan. This is a month that is important for people of faith.”
The holiday cheer was evident throughout the John A. Wilson Building Holiday Reception on Thursday, Dec. 7, hosted by the Office of the Mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia.
Live entertainment and ceremonial unity decorations set the tone, but a true highlight was embracing the variety of religions and seasonal traditions that come with the festive season.
“The theme of the holiday was our community, our city and our spirit and in my comments I added our responsibility,” Shareef told The Informer. “It is a beautiful season. Anything that is important to a particular people of faith is important to all people of faith.”
D.C. Faith Leaders, Residents Share What the Holidays Mean to Them
The multi-holiday season offers District residents a lot to celebrate, including Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, and even spiritual and religious traditions for the New Year, like Watch Night services.
While the nation’s capital is a culturally and religiously diverse city, a 2021 Pew Research Center study revealed 59% of Black adults in D.C. reported that religion is important in their lives, and about 86% of them identified as Christian.
In Christianity, Christmas (Dec. 25) is a sacred religious holiday, often acknowledged through church services before, during, and after the official holiday on Dec. 25, with traditions such as prayer, fasting, and services and wreath lighting for Advent, the four-week period dedicated to anticipating the arrival, or “advent,” of Jesus of Nazareth.
“Christmas for me is the foundation of hope,” said the Rev. Joe Daniels Jr., lead pastor of Emory United Methodist Church. “It is the constant reminder that no matter how far things, or we, have fallen, there is [our] Savior to pick us up, redeem us and keep us going.”
Zerline Hughes Spruill, editor of The Washington Informer’s Our House newsletter, joined a segment of “Let’s Talk WIN-TV” on Dec. 13 to share the holiday traditions she practices in reformed Judaism and celebrating Hanukkah, or the annual Festival of Lights — an eight-day commemoration of Jewish history, survival and religious freedom. During the time, she and her family eat seasonal dishes and play dreidel games.
“I really appreciate being able to keep a hold of the faith that I was brought up with,” said Hughes Spruill, who also acknowledges Kwanzaa, which she considers part of “all my cultures and faiths and traditions.”
Hughes Spruill, a Ward 7 resident, admits it’s difficult to avoid Christmas festivities living in the United States, so instead, she benefits from the commercialization of the annual holiday.
“Not so much the religious part,” she said, before acknowledging her festive attire. “But I have my [Christmas] hat on.”
Similarly, Essenia Satya (who uses they/them pronouns) grew up celebrating both Kwanzaa and Hanukkah, due to their father’s Jewish background. Now, at the age of 21, the California native doesn’t view the holidays from such a religious standpoint, but more so commends the spirituality and intention of the season — particularly Kwanzaa.
“It’s a big part of how I see the holidays because there’s a lot of people who really don’t know what it is, who I think could gain something from it,” Satya told The Informer. “It’s always good to continue to practice cultural traditions. … I’m glad [Kwanzaa] was something that is kept alive through my brother, my mom, and I.”
For Howard University alumna Sabreen Dawud, who identifies as Muslim, not celebrating Christmas on behalf of her religious beliefs doesn’t mean she can’t take advantage of the traditional concept. As a member of Sigma Gamma Rho, a national collegiate sorority of the nine historically Black Greek-letter organizations, she touts the “seasons of giving attitude” and time off and daily obligations as particular benefits she looks forward to this time of year.
“I find that people really work up service, [and] love to give back during the holiday time, and it’s something I wish people loved to do year-round,” said Dawud. “Being in a [Divine Nine] organization, [the holidays] actually allow for a lot more facilities to open up for us to partner with — food banks and things of that nature. That definitely would probably be my favorite part this time.”