This is a very special time of the year. Department stores have been celebrating Christmas since before Halloween, but we are now in the season of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time; it is a uniquely American holiday.

People from other countries are amazed at how important it is to be with one's family on this holiday. People will fly from coast to coast, or across the Pacific to be with family for this special feast. While parades and football games are an important part of the celebration, it is the family meal that is the heart of the feast.

Whether we share the traditional turkey, stuffing and all the fixings or go with an ethnic variation, it is the most important family meal of the year.

I have noticed, in recent years, an increasing number of people, often whole families, beginning the day by going to church. Giving thanks to God is a blessed way to begin this family celebration; it binds us together in prayer.

As we approach the Christmas season there is a wonderful variety of local and ethnic traditions, which give great fun and meaning to this time of the year.

In our parish the Mexican community is preparing to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.

It all begins at 5 a.m., when people gather at the church to sing the mananitas, the early-morning song, to the Virgin Mary.

In 1531, during a time of severe discrimination against the native people, Mary appeared as a native person, and as a symbol of racial equality and human dignity.

After prayers are said and hymns are sung, folks gather to munch on pastries and drink authentic Mexican hot chocolate. After a day at work we gather again in the evening, children in native costumes, to celebrate a festive Mass, in Spanish.

As Christmas approaches the community will celebrate "las Posadas," a very old Mexican tradition.

The children divide into groups; one group represents Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay on their journey to Bethlehem, the other the innkeeper turning them away. They sing back and forth, and are turned away from several houses. Finally an innkeeper takes them in, everyone rejoices and the keiki wham the pinata until the candy and gifts pour forth for everyone.

This is a fun way for the youngsters to learn the Christmas story.

The Filipino community has a tradition of the Misa de Gallo (Mass of the rooster). For nine days before Christmas, they have a dawn Mass at 5 a.m., followed by a sumptuous breakfast enjoyed by all, to prepare spiritually for the birth of the Christ child.

How gifted we are, at this time of the year, to have such wonderful traditions.

May this be a blessed time for you and your families.

The Rev. Jack Ryan is a Catholic priest and pastor of St. John the Baptist in Kalihi. Expressions of Faith is a column that welcomes submissions from pastors, priests, lay workers and other leaders in faith and spirituality. E-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8035. Articles submitted to The Advertiser may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.