With experts warning against large gatherings due to the easy spread of the coronavirus, celebrating holidays is another custom that has taken a hit due to the pandemic. Despite this, people are finding innovative ways to celebrate holidays with their friends and families that are still fun, but safe, as well.
This Halloween was marked by many parties disregarding health warnings, including around Montgomery County. However, for Winston Churchill High School junior Olivia Yasharroff, her family found creative ways to truly get into the Halloween spirit without having to worry about catching COVID-19.
“To make this Halloween special, my family decided to all dress up as characters from one of our favorite shows, ‘Schitt’s Creek.’ We all got really into it and had a photoshoot outside our house. We even dressed up our dog as the character, Stevie, by putting a flannel on her,” Yasharoff said. “In addition, we had a double feature of Coraline and Hocus Pocus, and my sister made a Halloween-themed charcuterie board. We also watched Saturday Night Live, which was a great way to end the night.”
Although Yasharoff and her family usually spend their Halloween handing out candy to trick or treaters, due to COVID-19, Montgomery County officials highly discouraged trick or treating this year.
“My family has been trying to find fun, safe and creative ways to get in the spirit of holidays this year,” Yasharoff said. “Over the summer for my sister’s birthday, I planned about five different themed parties in different rooms of our house.”
Furthermore, apps such as Zoom have made it possible to connect with friends and family despite gathering restrictions and quarantine. Even though it is just through a screen, being able to see loved ones can uplift spirits, especially during the holidays.
Winston Churchill junior Jeremy Fredericks is just one of many to use Zoom to celebrate his traditions, celebrating the Jewish holiday Passover this April.
The main event of Passover is the seder, where the Haggadah (religious text) is read and families come together to eat traditional food such as brisket while avoiding eating leavened food products.
“We did a Zoom and everyone joined from their homes and we talked for a little while, sang some prayers, and bonded. It was different from how I would usually celebrate because we couldn’t be together, so we weren’t able to be with each other,” Fredricks said. “However, it was nice because some members of my family that usually wouldn’t come because of work or other reasons were able to join.”
For Winston junior Sonia Bhatia, Diwali is usually a time to spend with her family. Diwali is the Hindu New Year, the celebration of good over evil, and is usually marked with prayers, special food and gifts.
“This year, I did a small celebration for Diwali. My grandpa came to celebrate with us and we set up a small mandir, got dressed up and ate Indian sweets,” Bhatia said. “Although it was a smaller celebration than most years, it was still a lot of fun.”
Across all cultures and religions, people have had to deal with not being able to celebrate their holidays the way they normally would. COVID-19 has greatly limited the size and type of celebrations allowed this year. Despite this, quarantine has brought some families closer together than ever before and has caused them to create new traditions that they can continue celebrating for years to come.
Article by Ela Jalil of Winston Churchill High School
Photo by Charles Wang of Walter Johnson High School