Ixi Pimentel-Aparicio, a Berkeley High School junior, celebrates the Latin American version of Christmas Eve, a tradition called Nochebuena. Nochebuena is a celebration centered around a large family gathering, traditional food, and staying up late into the night together. For Pimentel-Aparicio, these traditions matter because of the time she is able to spend with family and the connection fostered through the tradition. “It’s a time where I get to spend time with family that I don’t usually see all the time,” Pimentel-Aparicio said. She explained that she grew up with these traditions, making them feel especially significant.
BHS freshman Jari Hesse celebrates St. Nikolaus, a German holiday that happens on Dec. 6, marking the beginning of the Christmas season for many German families and building anticipation for the holiday. On this day, children clean their shoes and leave them out on the night before, receiving small gifts or sweets inside them in the morning. For Hesse, it is one of the most meaningful holidays because of the holiday spirit it inspires. “It really brings in the Christmas holiday spirit,” Hesse said. Hesse finds that the holiday creates somewhat of a positive effect, making the season feel physically different, “It starts to feel more like cold weather outside,” Hesse said.
Charlie Loeper, a BHS sophomore, has a Thanksgiving tradition of traveling to Sacramento to spend the day with extended family. His family celebrates with a potluck style dinner, in which each person brings a dish to share to the meal. Potlucks are a common aspect of many American Thanksgiving gatherings, with each dish contributing to a larger meal. “We meet over brunch or lunch, and everybody brings some sort of food,” Loeper said. In recent years, Loeper has started to help cook. What stands out to him is the connection it creates between his family. “Family roots mean a lot,” Loeper said, explaining the traditions’ significance for him.
Cassian Evans, a BHS senior, enjoys the family tradition of smoking an entire turkey for Thanksgiving, which is a variation of the classic American Thanksgiving meal. Smoking a turkey requires days of preparation due to the many steps required: thawing, brining, and a low-and-slow smoke. “My father will smoke a full turkey, and if you’ve never had smoked turkey, I highly recommend it,” Evans said. It’s a core part of the holiday for Evans’ family and the day feels incomplete without it. “It kind of doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving when we don’t have it,” Evans said. For Evans’ family, smoking a turkey is not just a method of cooking it, but a cherished family ritual.