The Weekly
Sentinel
ECRWSS PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Seacoast Media Group Portsmouth, NH POSTAL CUSTOMER
Your Community Newspaper Serving: ARUNDEL, BERWICK, CAPE NEDDICK, ELIOT, KENNEBUNK, KENNEBUNKPORT, KITTERY, KITTERY POINT, MOODY, NO. BERWICK, OGUNQUIT, SO. BERWICK, WELLS, YORK & YORK HARBOR
Friday, December 23, 2016
Volume 12 • Issue No. 52
History and Traditions of the Season History of Christmas in America
History of Hanukkah in America
In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday. The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident. After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America’s new constitution. Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870. Washington Irving reinvents Christ-
First and foremost, Hanukkah is a historical, nationalist holiday. It commemorates the successful rebellion, in the second century B.C.E., of a clan of Jewish freedom fighters called the Maccabees. These warriors rose up against Antiochus, a Greco-Syrian monarch who ruled Israel with a hard hand, banning Jews from practicing their faith and pressuring them to convert to a Hellenic way of life. (It is told that his soldiers would even force-feed Jews pork, a kosher no-no.) Despite being greatly outnumbered, the Maccabees managed to recapture the Holy Temple, the premier site of ancient Judaism, from their oppressors. Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew — the holiday pays tribute to the dedication of a group of Jews who believed fervently in their right to religious and nationalist freedom. Of course, there’s also a religious aspect to Hanukkah. Also known as the “Festival of Lights,� Hanukkah celebrates the miracle that occurred when the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple. The sanctuary was a shambles, torn apart by the Hellenic forces. The fighters found only enough oil to light a lantern — by which to read the Torah — for one day. But the lantern blazed for eight full days. When Jews
Index
Page
Arts & Entertainment 15 Business & Finance 16-19 Calendar of Events 11 Classifieds 34-36 Computer Lady 12 Health & Fitness 27 Home & Business 31-33 Library News 11 Obituaries 30-31 Pets 28,36 Puzzles 38 Real Estate 28-29,40 Sports 36-37 Where To Dine 20-26
/RFDO $YHUDJH 7LGH &KDUW 'DWH +LJK /RZ 6DW
DP SP
DP SP
6XQ
0RQ
7XH
:HG
7KX
)UL
mas: It wasn’t until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instiSee CHRISTMAS page 7...
6XQ
0RQ
7XH
:HG
7KX
)UL
See HANUKKAH page 9...
‘Magical Realism’ is a Mantra for Wade Zahares By Carin Lee, Staff Reporter KENNEBUNK Wade Zahares made his first money as an artist on the streets of Boston. Having just graduated from Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore, he staked his place on the sidewalk and started drawing things he saw, especially Boston's triple decker homes. His drawings sold and outdoor work became a staple in what has turned out to be a long career. He still likes to sketch in the open air, capturing scenes realistically, then often taking those images into his studio and drawing whimsical or fantastical pastel versions of what he has seen. It was this “magical realism,� as Zahares calls it, that made him a good candidate for illustrating children's books. He began illustrating in 1998 and
won The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book with his very first book 'Window Music'. “That gave me the energy to do more, it's validation. An artist works alone, and needs motivation,� Zahares said. From 1998 to 2013, Zahares illustrated 8 children's books, the most recent being “Frosty The Snowman,� which includes a CD by Kenny Loggins. His editor, Judy Sue Goodwin-Sturges of Rhode Island School of Design, has the job of making connections between him and publishers. He reads an author's text of a book and then draws what it makes him imagine. He is not allowed a direct connection with the writer or vice-versa, so each can work without influencing the other. Zahares is busy juggling
6XQ 5LVH 6XQ 6HW 6DW
light the eight candles of the menorah on the eight nights of Hanukkah, they recite a prayer extolling God who “performed miracles for our ancestors in days of old.� There is also a seasonal, even pagan, aspect to Hanukkah. Celebrated on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, during the darkest days of the year, the candle-lighting holiday is a warm, cozy ritual to banish the winter blahs. The focus of the holiday is not so much going to synagogue or reading certain scriptures, but rather
Health & Fitness A section concerning your health... INSIDE:
PG 27
many projects all at the same time. He is beginning to use paint in his drawings, rather than use pastels, because paintings are easier to ship (no glass necessary to protect the fragile pastel surface) and now is sending his work
Also check out our section on
BUSINESS & FINANCE PG 16-19
to the west coast to sell. He is also exhibiting at gallery shows, selling things on his own web site and his ETSY site. Zahares adds to his FaceSee ZAHARES page 15...
Be sure to shop locally! ecials H oliday Sp c al Shop Lo Check out these ideas!
PG 13