Tag Archives: Hanukkah

Features

Holidays Bring a Diversity of Celebration on the South End

by Alexa Peters

There is no area more diverse in its holiday traditions and celebrations than South Seattle — and with a quick look at the most recent demographic data for the area, it’s no wonder.

South King County is one of the most diverse parts of the United States, with the Rainier Valley 98118 ZIP code home to speakers of approximately 60 different languages. Plus, as opposed to other parts of Seattle that come in at 60% or more, the 2020 census shows that Seattle’s District 2, which includes South Seattle, is majority Asian. South Seattle is also 21.4% Black or African American, 9.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Alaskan Native and American Indian, 0.8% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 6.1% multiracial.

Here are the stories behind a few of the rich traditions and diverse celebrations South End residents observe during this time of year.

Continue reading Holidays Bring a Diversity of Celebration on the South End →
Voices

OPINION: Why We All Need a Chanukah Miracle

by Joy Resmovits 

I’m going to tell you a secret. 

I love Christmas music. When I hear the opening strains of “Silent Night,” I hum along. Play me “White Christmas,” and I’m a goner. It simply can’t be helped. The music is beautiful, and, well, most Chanukah music — with the exception of the satire songs my brother’s a cappella group releases, of course — is not it for me. Perhaps Jewish composers didn’t have much left to give after writing such Christmas hits as “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “The Christmas Song,” and “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”

Continue reading OPINION: Why We All Need a Chanukah Miracle →
Features

As Holidays Approach, So Do Food Insecurity Concerns

Leave a comment

by Elizabeth Turnbull

As the food-centric holidays of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s Day approach, many Seattlietes are confronted with maintaining financial and food security amid the new lockdown and further deliberations over future federal aid.

Various food banks in South Seattle have seen an increased need for food in the community from the beginning of the pandemic response in the spring. As happens every year around this time, this need has become even greater in preparation for the holidays.

Continue reading As Holidays Approach, So Do Food Insecurity Concerns →
Arts & Culture, Poetry

Sunday Stew: Eight Days the Light Continued on Its Own

Leave a comment

by Nicholas Gordon

Eight days the light continued on its own:
A miracle, they say, but not more so
Than ordinary lives of flesh and bone,
Consuming wicks burned ashen long ago.
Within there is a mystic lake of fire,
Fuel-less energy, power uncelled,
Unmeasured fount of obstinate desire,
Hope burning, where no hope was ever held.
Invisible source of all that’s seen or seeing,
Unseen light that animates the void;
Unlit spark of indivisible Being,
Shard of One that cannot be destroyed:
To be so vast a miracle till death
Is why we struggle fiercely for each breath.

Continue reading Sunday Stew: Eight Days the Light Continued on Its Own →