Cultural Celebrations in Iowa This Holiday Season

by Bryon Houlgrave

Love and light will be a part of many households this December as Iowans gather to celebrate the seasons. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa -- all just some of the warm greetings Iowans will send to one another this month. 

Iowans celebrate the holidays in a variety of ways: large family gatherings, quality time spent with friends, gift giving and lots of food. Iowans also love to celebrate by giving of themselves. They show their charitable side as well, taking part in toy drives, volunteering their time to serve hot meals at churches and community centers, and donating food and coats to shelters that provide those that are less fortunate. 

These are all ways Iowa shows its spirit of community as a whole. But on a singular level, there are a number of holidays in December and January that are celebrated differently. Here are how some of the holidays are celebrated throughout Iowa’s communities:

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the long and hard-fought battle to drive Syrian oppressors out of Jerusalem in 168 B.C. Hanukkah is celebrated today by lighting a menorah. One candle is added to the menorah each evening until all eight candles are lit, symbolizing God’s light. Small gifts are given out to children on each of the eight days, but the holiday is celebrated most by meals of traditional Hebrew foods like latkes or blintzes and by playing games and spinning the dreidel, a four-sided top. 

This year, Hanukkah begins on Dec. 25 and ends on the evening of Jan. 2, 2025. Watch a local story on Hanukkah traditions from Iowa Life. 

Kwanzaa 

In 1966, Maulenga Karenga wanted to start a tradition for Black Americans that celebrated the culture, traditions and values of nations in Africa. Karenga based Kwanzaa on African harvest festival traditions in western regions of Africa and centering on seven principles that range between self, community, faith and creativity. Kwanzaa, which comes from the Swahili phrase “Matunda ya kwanza,” meaning “first fruits,” is celebrated each year from Dec. 26 - Jan. 1, with each day focusing on a different principle. Celebrations include community gatherings to sing and play traditional African music, storytelling, poetry readings, and Karamu Ya Imani, a large feast that is usually held on one of the latter days of the holiday.

Christmas

For Christians, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. While there is no record of Jesus’s actual birthday, Pope Julius I chose Dec. 25 as the day to celebrate the birth of the savior. In the last century, Christmas has grown into the perfect American holiday, with families adopting traditions from many European countries from tree decoration (there were no tinsel-clad trees around that manger in Bethlehem, no lights other than what were in the sky) to traditional meals to gift-giving. For our younger readers we won’t get into the history of that man in a red suit, but the spirit of St. Nick can be traced back to Turkey around 280 A.D., when a monk named Saint Nicholas donated all his wealth and traveled the country to help the sick and poor. Popular customs in the United States when it comes to celebrating Christmas include gift giving, church and mass celebrations, decorating Christmas trees and family gatherings.

Christmas facts: 

• Each year between 25-30 thousand real Christmas trees are chopped down and sold. 
• Christmas was declared a Federal holiday on June 26, 1870.
• Rudolph was invented as a marketing ploy to attract shoppers to Montgomery Ward.
• In 1647, Christmas was banned in England, Ireland and Scotland. Police and military officials actually roamed the streets of London, breaking up festivals and took food if they believed it to be part of a Christmas celebration.

See how one local family's Christmas traditions got them national attention in a special holiday Iowa Life feature. 

Los Posadas

Los Posadas is celebrated each year between Dec. 16-24, and is widely recognized in Latin American countries and communities here in the United States. The popularity of Los Posadas has grown in recent years in Iowa’s Latino communities. 

The celebration of Los Posadas began in Mexico in 1586 and has been a tradition ever since. It is celebrated by a procession where someone, usually a child, dresses as an angel and leads carolers dressed as Mary, Joseph and the shepherds along city streets where they sing and knock on doors asking for lodging. They’re told no, in line with the historic event, but the last stop of the night they are welcomed in with refreshments and pinatas. 

Bodhi Day

The Buddhist holiday of Bodhi Day is held on the eighth of each December to commemorate the day Gautama Buddha experienced enlightenment. It is celebrated in a variety of ways in the Buddhist communities, but meditation is often practiced. Chanting, readings, study of the Dharma and acts of community service are all popular ways to celebrate Bodhi Day.