The Choice of Flowers, Foliage and Fruit Can Reflect Personal Heritage as Well as Tradition

The holiday season means many things to many people. Living in a melting pot as we do, we can look around and find myriad holiday traditions. Many of these celebrations involve flowers, foliage, or fruit from the garden.

Hanukkah Traditions

When it comes to decorating for Hanukkah, Carol Goldmark focuses on her collection of menorahs. Goldmark, a resident of Buena Park, places a candelabrum on the dining room table and adds flowers, leaves, fresh pomegranates, and citrus.

“Much emphasis is placed on preparing the holiday table because Hanukkah centers on gathering the family and retelling the story of why we celebrate the holiday,” Goldmark said.

Although gifts are given during Hanukkah, they are not a true part of the holiday, according to Rabbi Lawrence Goldmark, who has been at Temple Beth Ohr in La Mirada for 22 years.

“Hanukkah actually involves religious freedom,” he said.

The Story Behind Hanukkah

The holiday celebrates an event from around 165 BC in what is now Israel. At that time, a non-Jewish ruler attempted to convert the Jews. However, a small group fought the conversion, and after three years, the ruler gave up. During that period, the Jewish temple was desecrated, but it was later rebuilt and rededicated. The term “Hanukkah” means “rededicate” in Hebrew. The eight-day celebration is reflected in the eight branches of the menorah, with one additional branch for the servant candle.

As the Goldmarks light each candle during Hanukkah, they bring in a new flower from the garden.

Celebrating with a Southwestern Touch

When Paul Apodaca, a Navajo, decided to celebrate the holidays 15 years ago, he realized that a European-style Christmas tree just wouldn’t feel right for his heritage.

“I wanted to put presents under something that would make me feel inclusive of the season but not be too foreign to who I am and my roots,” said Apodaca, who teaches courses on American Indians and culture at Chapman University in Orange and is a consultant to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

After some thought, Apodaca came up with the idea of creating a Southwestern-style Christmas. He purchased a synthetic cactus that resembles a saguaro, which he decorates with chile-pepper lights, cornhusks, and hand-woven folk dolls from the Southwest, Mexico, and South America.

“Although my cactus seemed like the natural choice for someone with my background, I’ve been surprised to not find anyone else with the same idea,” Apodaca said. “For me, it makes perfect sense.”

Preserving Mexican Heritage

Christmas is also a time for Connie Ortiz to teach her grandchildren about their Mexican heritage.

“It’s important to me that my grandchildren learn about their cultural roots,” said Ortiz, who was born in Mexico. “I try to preserve my culture in my holiday decorations by including significant plants, fruit, and vegetables from the garden.”

At the center of many of Ortiz’s decorations is the poinsettia, a flower native to Mexico. Each December, she buys one or two dozen to decorate both inside and outside her home in Orange.

Ortiz, a master gardener who teaches nutrition for the University of California Cooperative Extension, also creates wreaths for holiday decorations using dried foods important in her culture, including cornhusks, limes, and chiles.

As a final touch, she fills her home with festive bowls of in-season fruit from the garden, such as cherimoyas, guavas, and papayas.