By Ajmaanie Dort & Kelly Sanchez
With winter break right around the corner, most students at Miami Lakes Educational Center (MLEC) are already getting ready to celebrate some of the most popular festivities this season.
But while most jaguars can share the excitement of looking forward to the December holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve, not all of them celebrate these holidays the same way: jaguars, who come from all over the world, celebrate in different ways—and some don’t even celebrate at all.
It is no lie that at MLEC, jaguars are a diverse student body that represents nations from all over the globe. Walking down the hallways one can easily hear a mixture of English, Spanish, Creole, and even German. In the holiday season, this diversity means that each student has their own unique traditions for the holidays.
One of the most popular holidays is “Christmas”—the holiday of elves, giving to those we hold dearest, and a magical man named Santa. “We usually have a party at the house. It’s like a potluck kind of thing, so everyone brings food. We do a lot of baking. My grandparents come home from New Jersey and at the end, we all open a present,” said MLEC student Kylien Clark about her family’s Christmas celebrations.
There isn’t just one way to celebrate Christmas. One can find different variations of the famous holiday around the globe.
“We have these things that are called “posadas.” I think the 25th [of December] there’s a whole community gathering of the neighborhood and a feast,” said second SGA Vice President Jassmin Barrientos about what her Mexican-Guatemalan family does around Christmas, or La Navidad.
“That’s my Mexican Christmas,” she emphasized.
One tradition common among many Hispanics and Latinos is “Nochebuena,” which takes place on December 24th. La Noche Buena translates to “ The Good Night” in English, and it is a celebration where families come together and have what is possibly the biggest feast for the Christmas season.
“You dance, you sing, you eat, and at midnight, you open gifts,” described Angelina Matos, a Colombian Global Studies sophomore at MLEC.
For many people, this time of year is one of religious significance. Families unite to celebrate their faith, something that provides stability in their lives and hope for better days.
“We make altars to our apparition of the Virgin Mary and then we pray and sing,” stated Marilyn Fonseca, a communications student at MLEC.
Others have a more light-hearted and fun take on the holidays. For instance, some people anticipate the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year.
“It’s something I’ve been doing since I was a child. It’s just something fun,” said Bryana Aviles, a global studies student at MLEC.
No matter what you celebrate or where you come from, the holiday season is a time that brings people together by allowing them to break the mundane routines of their everyday lives.
For jaguars, the holidays are about simply enjoying the moment.
