A nontraditional holiday season

By Caitlin Hardgrove, contributing writer
Posted on December 6, 2007

With the holidays quickly approaching, campus is slowly transforming into a Winter Wonderland. From the huge illuminated tree on the quad, to the blaring holiday music playing in the dining facilities, it’s almost impossible not to be reminded that Christmas is on its way.  Students at JMU are also spreading the holiday cheer, although some celebrations have nothing to do with Santa and Christmas carols.

Sophomore Sarah Kavianpour is one of the many non-Christian students at JMU.  Being Muslim and following the religious traditions that go along with it, she does not celebrate Christmas.

“I usually go to my aunt’s house around Christmas because her husband is Christian,” Kavianpour said. “But we don’t have a tree or anything in my house.”          

Muslims do not have a traditional holiday that consistently falls around the same time, like other winter holidays.  However, Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, is sometimes celebrated close to the other holidays.  It isn’t at the same day every year because it changes based on the lunar calendar.

“It was around Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza a couple of years ago, which was cool because everyone was celebrating at the same time,” Kavianpour said.

Kavianpour said she doesn’t mind the Christmas decorations scattered throughout campus.

“I don’t celebrate Christmas at home, but I don’t mind the decorations around campus,” she said. “They’re making people happy and the tree looks festive, so it’s fine. I realize that most people are Christian. They can’t accommodate for everyone. There are a lot of religions out there.”

JMU Hillel has its own traditions for the season.

“December 4th at sundown is the first night of Hanukkah,” said sophomore Lindsay Eisberg, Hillel’s religious event planner. “We’re going to light the first candle on the Menorah and just hang out.”

Hillel also celebrates Shabbat, or the Jewish day of rest, every Friday.  Eisberg said members try to get together for Shabbat once or twice a month by having a big dinner together. 

“We are going to have dreidels and more Hanukkah related stuff at the one this Friday,” she said.

Campus wide events are making efforts to be more all inclusive this year. The junior class hosted the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on the Quad Sunday evening.

“We’re trying to be more inclusive of other religions,” said junior class president  Chiquita King, adding that JMU is trying to steer away from specific religions altogether.

King felt that the tree-lighting was an appropriate holiday celebration because the tree isn’t a Christian symbol, even though it’s only associated with Christmas.

“One of the main goals of this event is to unify the Harrisonburg and JMU community,” King said.

Whether it is with a religious group, with family and friends, or just with the rest of the student body and staff, it’s hard not to get into a holiday mood in one way or another at JMU. 

As Kavianpour put it, “That stuff is contagious.”