Christmas is a traditional Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus, but over the years, it has evolved into a holiday for families to come together and spend time with each other. Each country has its own traditions and ways of celebrating this holiday that are special to their culture and history. 

Darlington has many different countries and traditions represented in its student body. How exactly are these students going to celebrate their holidays this year?

Junior dorm student Iva Hadži-Mihailović will celebrate the holiday back home in Serbia.

“In Serbia we don’t celebrate Christmas on December 25th. We celebrate it on January 7th,” Hadži-Mihailović said, alluding to the day Christmas is celebrated in the Orthodox Christian faith.

“Specific traditions I enjoy are decorating the tree as it’s a great way to bond with my family,” sophomore Mily James said. “I enjoy cooking meals and the best part is eating them.”

Some countries around the world do not celebrate Christmas at all. Senior Cindy Zhou described Chinese New Year, a holiday similar to Christmas. 

“Chinese people gather together in one place and eat at one table and do fireworks, eat dumplings and give a red envelope with money to other people,” Zhou said.

Sophomore Maggie Redding will spend time with her family and friends over the break.

“My family usually goes to the beach, I also go to my summer camp and spend three days there,” Redding said. “My favorite part is everybody gathering around and seeing people they don’t see usually in the year. I think this is a good time for people to talk and chat to each other.”