Cultural holiday celebrations integrate established traditions, modern practices

On Halloween, which is celebrated on Oct. 31, many people dress up as monsters, ghosts or other characters as part of the holiday. Originally a religious holiday established to ward off dead souls and apparitions returning to the homes of the living, Halloween was popularized in the U.S. in the late 1850s by a new influx of immigrants, particularly from Ireland. Fast forward to the modern day, Halloween...

Yom Kippur, which ended on the evening of Oct. 5 this year, is the most important day of the religious year for Jewish people such as sophomore Ben Levy. Yom Kippur’s significance can be best understood through its direct Hebrew translation: “Day of Atonement.” Ten days prior to and culminating in Yom Kippur, Jews repent for the sins they have committed in the past year and ask for forgiveness....

Over 2,500 years old, Diwali is a national holiday celebrated by multiple religions. The story of Diwali has various adaptations across the South Asian diaspora, but the festival has a central theme of the triumph of good over evil. While most American holidays follow the Gregorian calendar, Diwali follows the lunar calendar, and as a result, may fall on a different day each year. This year, the festival...