Abbot Public Library will host an online presentation led by Dr. Bill Thierfelder, who will explore the fascinating history behind the winter solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa – four holidays that untold numbers of people celebrate every year – on Monday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. Please register in advance for this meeting at tinyurl.com/Holidays-Unwrapped. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
December is a month of celebrations that go back thousands of years. In ancient times, the winter solstice marked the beginning of vigil that would lead to the rebirth of spring. In the second century B.C., the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire led to the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The church in Rome began formally celebrating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth on Dec. 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. And Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of African Studies at California State University, first created Kwanzaa in 1966 in response to the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1965, and as a way to bring Black Americans together as a community.
This program is led by Thierfelder, a retired college professor who taught a variety of arts and
humanities courses for 32 years at several New York universities and colleges. He holds a doctoral
degree in English, with minors in theater, art history, and music history.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of Abbot Public Library. For additional information, please visit www.abbotlibrary.org, email mar@noblenet.org or call 781-631-1481.