Glen Cove celebrates the holidays in the downtown

A cozy den to meet Santa, horse carriage rides, and a chance to meet Martha May Whovier and the Grinch were some of the magical happenings at Village Square on Dec. 1.

The hub of activity kicked off the start to the most wonderful time of year in Glen Cove. The festivities were part of the business improvement district’s annual holiday festival, followed by the city’s tree lighting ceremony.

“This tree lighting is such a special event,” Pamela Panzenbeck, Glen Cove mayor, said. “We all enjoy these festivities, and people love to drive by the tree. It is beautiful and warms our hearts. This is such a special time of year.”

As onlookers enjoyed hot chocolate throughout the afternoon, the Glen Cove High School orchestra and select chorale, Jazz Hands Children’s Theatre and many more held performances. The holidays are all about celebrating the values that bring us together in life, such as our friends and family. These important connections can bring us unity through togetherness, generosity, and gratitude.

December is jam-packed with celebrations. While Christmas is the headliner for many, countless winter celebrations abound. Some of the most well-known and oft-celebrated are religious in nature, but a number spring from nature itself, acknowledging the darkest day of the year and the inevitable return of the sun, while others honor cultural traditions.

Hanukkah runs from Dec. 10 to 18 this year, and is a Jewish holiday based on the story of the menorah in the Second Temple of Jerusalem that burned for eight days in spite of only having a single day’s supply of oil. The temple had just been rededicated to God following the Maccabean Revolt, where the Jews rose up to defeat the much larger Greek-Syrian army that oppressed them. It was seen as a miracle and thus, Hanukkah was born. During each of Hanukkah’s eight nights, one candle on the menorah is lit by the Shamash candle – the ninth candle used to ignite all of the others.

Las Posadas, runs from Dec. 16 to 24, and is celebrated throughout Mexico and Central America. The Spanish for “The Inns.” It honors the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of lodging. During each night of this nine-day festival, a small child dressed as an angel leads a procession through towns and cities.

The Winter Solstice, also called Yule occurs on Dec. 21. This Pagan celebration of the darkest day of the year originally is one of the oldest recorded winter holidays. At its core is the rebirth of the sun – a welcoming back of longer days of sunlight – and it has long been viewed as a powerful time for energy renewal and introspection. Historically, Yule – also referred to as Christmastide or Yuletide – was celebrated by feeding a large oak tree into the fireplace. The tree would be cut down on the Winter Solstice and the yule log would be slowly pushed into the flames over through the 12 days of Christmas.

Although the holiday has become commercialized, Christmas is a Christian holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. While Protestants and Catholics celebrate on the 25th, a lot of countries and religious sectors may choose to embrace the festive period on a different day. Orthodox and Coptic Christians will celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.

Kwanzaa, celebrated on Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, was created in 1966. Kwanzaa – which stems from a Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits” – honors African-American culture. Each of Kwanzaa’s seven nights involves a candle-lighting ceremony during which attendees light a candle representing one of Kwanzaa’s seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work/responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.