New Year’s Eve has come and gone this winter break and, just like every year, my family threw a huge party with weeks of preparation behind it. Decorative desserts from wall to wall, side dishes and entrees on the counters, and the bustling of shoes filled my home.
I never questioned why we spent so much time preparing and cooking and cleaning and baking, it was just always something that happened. I’m 15 and have yet to have a New Year without this massive celebration behind it.
A couple of years ago, I was pretty fed up with all the cleaning I had to do five whole days before the actual event I was cleaning for. So, I finally asked why we threw this stupid party at all. The answer I got was far from what I expected and carried some real weight with it.
Instead of “it’s a fun party we throw to host for our friends,” I got an answer that probably applies to many Jewish people that came from the collapse of the Soviet Union.
My mother was born in the USSR and lived there until she was 14. In the Soviet Union, Judaism was not considered a religion, rather, a nationality. This meant that she belonged to the “nation” of Judaism, was labeled as ethnically Jewish, and not allowed to celebrate any Jewish holidays.
The one holiday she was allowed to celebrate was New Year’s Eve. She went all out every year with their celebrations. When the Soviet Union fell apart, my mom and her immediate family came to America where the tradition still lives on.
Written by Michael Pisetsky, business editor
Yorumlar