DEEP WITHIIN THE MOUNTAINS, where the snow is ever white and the forest ever green, where the winds sing through icicle chimes, there\u2019s a town that has never known a holiday. There\u2019s no Hanukkah, no Diwali, no festival of lights of any sort, no Day of Enlightenment, no Yule, no Pancha Ganapati. Though they\u2019re aware of the solstice, it\u2019s not observed in any way. There\u2019s no Kwanzaa, no Boxing Day, and no Watch Night. Families don\u2019t gather for the D?ngzh\u00ec Festival. Malanka is completely unknown.<\/p>\n
The town has no holidays at all, winter or summer, regardless of the snow, and no contact with the world beyond its mountains. After witnessing airplanes overhead, and noticing fresh satellites in the night sky, they realized they\u2019ve been excluded from the world. They sent scouts to discover what the rest of the world might have to offer.<\/p>\n
A year passed, and the scouts began to return \u2013 from every point on the compass, with impossible maps and impossible magical technology, and in addition to all this, the holidays. They brought candles and wreaths, garlands and sweets, fruits and incense. They brought partridges and turtle doves and golden rings. They brought teas and cakes, and stories and songs to explain all the different festivals, their purposes and intentions, who or what or how they celebrated. \u201cThe arrival of winter.\u201d \u201cThe liberation of the Temple.\u201d \u201cThe birth of their savior.\u201d \u201cThey give gifts.\u201d \u201cThey gather to feast with distant relatives.\u201d \u201cThey honor their ancestors.\u201d They wish for peace and prosperity.\u201d \u201cThey share their fortunes.\u201d \u201cAnd their love.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elders sequestered themselves for many long nights deliberating. When they emerged, they proclaimed that all the holidays should be celebrated, every one, as they all honored family and neighbors and love, and what could be better than that?<\/p>\n
This season, after a whole year\u2019s planning and preparation, the town introduced itself to the world. No one had ever seen such a colorful, joyful place, nor one so reverent, nor one so thankful. There had never been so great a feast, and they invited the rest of the world to join this forgotten town in its enthusiastic celebrations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"