c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) If ever a month was made for celebrations, it’s December. Days are at their darkest in the Northern Hemisphere, and a ray of light holds promise _ whether it comes as a sliver of the sun, the Prince of Peace or an instant of enlightenment. Anthropologists think the winter solstice plays a part in why December seems holiday-heavy. Since Neolithic times, human beings have believed that the sun was reborn on the winter solstice (Sunday, Dec. 21), the longest night of the year. Their very survival depended on days that would grow longer as summer approached. “The sun, and by extension, everything else was reborn in the new year,” says David McMurray, an anthropology professor at Oregon State University. By midwinter, beer and wine were ready to drink. Livestock had been slaughtered, so no one would have to feed the animals. Major harvests were finished, and there was little farm work to do. So why not celebrate? Here’s a peek at all December has to offer: _ St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6): The fourth-century bishop inspired the Santa Claus legend. _ Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8): Observed mostly by Roman Catholics and others who revere Mary as the mother of Jesus. Many mistakenly believe the day commemorates Jesus’ conception. _ Bodhi Day or Rohatsu (Dec. 8): The day when many Buddhists celebrate the enlightenment of the Buddha. _ Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice (Dec. 8): Muslims, who use a lunar calendar and may declare their holidays by sightings of the moon, observe this feast by remembering the trials and triumphs of the Prophet Abraham. The date can vary. _ Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12): An important feast for Latinos and others who know the story of Juan Diego. An indigenous man, he saw an apparition of Mary four times in 1531 on a hill outside of Mexico City. Juan Diego’s own feast day is Dec. 9. _ St. Lucia Day (Dec. 13): Celebrated in Swedish households and communities. A girl dresses in white and wears a crown of candles as she serves coffee or wine and rolls to adults. St. Lucy, as she’s known in English, gets her name from lux, Latin for “light.” The saint’s story is darker. Tradition says she blinded herself rather than yield to a rapist, and she’s often depicted holding her eyes on a tray. _ Winter solstice (Dec. 21 this year): From the Latin for “sun stands still.” Ancient rituals associated with the shortest day and longest night of the year include Northern European traditions of yule logs and evergreens, mistletoe and holly. _ Hanukkah (begins Dec. 21): The Jewish festival of lights falls on different days each year because it’s tied to a lunar calendar. This year, it began at sundown on Sunday. Candles lit on successive nights recall the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, when a small amount of oil burned for eight nights. _ Christmas (Dec. 25): Christians mark it as the day of Jesus’ birth. A few Orthodox Christian churches use an older calendar and observe it on Jan. 7. Some modern scholars think the Catholic Church chose a December date for Christmas because people were already feeling celebratory about the solstice. Others trace the date to a biblical commentary by Hippolytus, a second-century Roman writer. _ Kwanzaa (Dec. 26-Jan. 1): A seven-day celebration created by African American activist Maulana Karenga in 1966. Inspired by African harvest festivals, Kwanzaa (from the Swahili for “first fruits”) celebrates unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. (Nancy Haught writes for The Oregonian in Portland, Ore.) KRE/CSW END HAUGHT File photos of St. Nicholas, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa are available via https://religionnews.com