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Happy Holidays from AFE!

Published on 12/25/2018

The Association for Facilities Engineering is so luckily to have members, certificate holders and partnerships across the globe and this news brief was created to wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday this December. Though we have have different cultures, languages, beliefs it seems that December holidays worldwide are about reflection, tradition, food, and giving outside of yourself. Here are some clips of the history of December holidays or how some celebrate these days.

Hanukkah, Chanukah or the Festival of Lights is an eight-day Jewish celebration commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean Revolt.

It was a miracle that though there was only enough untainted oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day, the flames continued to burn for eight nights.

Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. All celebrations revolve around lighting the menorah. On each nigh after sundown, a candle is added to the menorah. The ninth candle is called the shamash or helper and is used to light the other candles.

Hebrew: Chag Urim Sameach!

A very popular holiday during this month is Christmas.

The spirit of Christmas expands more than just the 25th of December. During this season, it is a time of year where focus on others. It has both secular and religious traditions but this date was chosen as a feast day and evolved into the date where many officially celebrate.

Merry Christmas!

Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 after the Watts riots in Los Angeles.

The etymology of Kwanzaa stems from the Swahilian phrase “matunda ya kwanza” meaning “first fruits”.

On each of the seven nights, a child lights one of the candles on the Kinara, then the family discusses one of the seven principles. On December 31st, there is a feast called a Karamu.

Umoja: unity
Kujichagulia:Determination
Ujima:Responsibility
Ujamaa:Cooperative Economics
Nia:Purpose
Kuumba:Creativity
& Imani:Faith

Boxing Day takes place on annually December 26 and is now a holiday celebrated in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Originally, it was the day when the alms box, collection boxes for the poor often kept in churches, were opened and their content distributed, a tradition that still happens in some areas.

Happy Boxing Day!

Ōmisoka is New Year’s Eve. And considered the second-most important day in Japanese tradition as it is the final day of the old year.

Some traditions are that families gather on Ōmisoka for one last time in the old year to have a bowl of toshikoshi-soba or udon.At midnight, many visit shrines or temples for Hatsumōde.

Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu
明けましておめでとう

THESE ARE THE VIEWS OF THOSE IN THE VIDEO AND MEANT TO INFORM. THIS IS NOT A REFLECTION OF AFE OR ITS' BELIEFS.

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Happy Holidays from AFE!

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