Hey Raiders, it’s Hoco season! This year, our theme is celebrations; freshmen are Midsommer, sophomores are Día de los Muertos, juniors are St. Patrick’s Day, and seniors are Mardi Gras. But you might be wondering what these celebrations actually are and how they are really celebrated. Well here’s more information on all the themes.
FRESHMEN: Midsommar
Midsommar can be traced back to agrarian times when it was held to welcome summertime and the season of fertility, but did not become what they are today until much later. Today to celebrate, people start by picking flowers and making wreaths. They later use these flowers and wreaths to decorate a maypole. Once fully decorated, they raise the maypole in an open spot and traditional ring-dances ensue. Legend has it that the days around Midsommar are a magical time for love.
SOPHOMORES: Día de los Muertos
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is thought to reunite the living with their family members who have passed. To honor the dead, families create ofrendas filled with marigolds, photos for their loved ones, and foods/beverages that they loved. These are believed to encourage visits from the dead. As the holiday has evolved, people gather in cities with skeleton face paint and have parades in the city.
JUNIORS: St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day celebrates St. Patrick, who is credited with bringing Christianity to the people of Ireland. He was kidnapped and forcefully brought to Ireland when he was 16, but after he escaped, he returned of his own will to convert the Irish to Christianity. He was most famous for explaining the Holy Trinity as a shamrock’s three leaves, which is why it is a big symbol for St. Patrick’s Day today. Originally, it was a religious holiday in Ireland, but in 1995, the Irish government made it a bigger celebration in order to boost tourism. Some other St. Patrick’s traditions include eating Irish soda bread and corned beef and cabbage.
SENIORS: Mardi Gras
Did you know that Mard Gras is French for Fat Tuesday? This is because traditionally, it was celebrated on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, and people would eat all their rich, fatty foods before the weeks of fasting to come. Today however, it has evolved into festivals throughout the whole week of Mardi Gras. In addition to the festivals, other traditions include eating King Cake and wearing masks.
https://dayofthedead.holiday/
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mardi-gras
https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day
https://sweden.se/culture/celebrations/swedish-midsummer
