With national lockdowns came disruption to not only our everyday lives, but also our yearly traditions. The question to if Christmas should continue this year was finally answered by our government, and they decided that the right answer was to stay at home. This led to a divide in our nation as to whether the government made the correct choice. Ultimately, many individuals were saddened that Christmas was unable to continue like normal, especially after what has been a difficult year.
However, this has already been the reality for other religious groups who have had to abandon their normal traditions and think of alternative ways to celebrate. For many, the use of online platforms has allowed people to celebrate festivities with their family whilst ensuring that everyone will be safe from the virus. Although it has acted as an adequate alternative for many, most would agree that it is not quite the same as in person celebrations.
On December 10th, my family celebrated the Jewish festival called Chanukah. Typically, we would celebrate by having a gathering at one of our houses, and have a homecooked meal together. We also would light the menorah and sing our prayers together. However, as I stated earlier, this year had to be different. Due to a second national lockdown, we were unable to celebrate in person. Instead of our typical yearly traditions, we switched to using an online platform called zoom, which I am sure has become familiar to many people this year due to the circumstances we have all faced.
By having our microphones and webcams switched on, we were able to all catch up and also light the menorah together. Although it was nice to be able to speak to each other and still have the opportunity to carry out some of our yearly traditions, it still did not feel the same. We all felt that an online platform was not as substantial as actually being together in person. This is because it reflected the depressing situation of having to be apart from one another.
Here is what my Aunty, Gail Cohen, had to say about it: ‘As a non-religious secular Jew, these religious festivals always mean an excuse to celebrate and connect with your family. Celebrating online to me is a depressing reminder of what we can’t have at the moment, which is each other.’
To conclude, we can all agree that the use of technology has largely helped us to attempt to keep up with our typical yearly celebrations. However, having to use the internet is an upsetting reminder of how we cannot be with our families.
