The Truth about Holidays
As December approaches the air all around becomes filled with the smell of Christmas. Without thinking, people get out their trees, put up their decorations, and start buying their gifts. To do all these things is normal; almost a force of habit. These habits are customs that people look forward to and treasure. For some, though, holidays have deeper meanings. They hold a deeper meaning, and are sacred and pure, in a way. To them, they have deep religious roots that span over generations and generations. What most people do not realize is that their beloved holidays often have pagan roots, and unpure beginnings.
If someone were to ask the general public how Easter began they would most likely be able to state the reason it is celebrated, though not all would, and different Easter celebrations of the time period. A problem with their answers would arise if someone asked them to link the two events together. Most self respecting Christians understand that Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead three days later, which is why we celebrate a holiday that memorializes him. If that is they case, where did the rabbit come in? If people are commemorating God’s son dying on the cross, then why do they do it by dressing up like animals and handing out eggs? Is it to make it more acceptable to society?
The same happens with Christmas. Most people can relay the story of the birth of Jesus easily off the top of their heads. Almost all people, five year olds and elderly alike can tell vivid stories of their Christmas celebrations, with Santa Claus, stockings and eggnog galore. The same problem comes up again, however, when someone asks how it all coincides. How did a man in a white beard become linked with the story of a baby born in a manger? Even more importantly, how could a baby be born safely in the middle of winter with little to no shelter?
Questions arise with almost every holiday. These holidays have either started from falsehoods, or have been twisted from their original roots to fit the traditions of different time periods. Most holidays are thought of as Christian or have Christian origins, but have started from pagan roots.
A general consensus would confirm that most people’s favorite holiday is Christmas. It is a holiday observed by all people around the world, but is most significant to Christians.
Popular culture was mixed with ecclesiastical culture in many ways. The story of St. John the Baptist is a good example of this. The ancient ritual of bathing and lighting fires during Midsummer's Eve was a remnant of a ritual from the pre-Christian period. Fire and water, symbols of purification, could be seen as the tools of St. John the Baptist, and therefore a combination of the two elements of popular and ecclesiastical culture was obvious. It looks as if the Medieval Church took over the festival and made it theirs. The same thing happened to the Midwinter Festival, which became linked with the birth of Christ, on 25 December.
Of all religious holidays that have been adopted by secularists, one of the most popular would be Christmas, originally meant to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. With the exact date of Jesus' birth unknown during ancient times, Christmas was initially assigned to January 6th, but was changed to December 25th under the influence of the winter solstice (Nothaft 903). Peculiarly however, is the universal celebration of Christmas al...
As the holiday season approaches, the world around us is beginning to change. Christmas trees are set up in homes, town squares are adorned with lights, and cookies are left out all night. Many people continue to practice these rituals year after year without any thought. They work for hours stringing up lights, leaving food out to spoil, and lying to their children about mythical figures because of societal traditions and superstitions that has been instilled in them. This idea of tradition and superstitions is also found in the text Julius Caesar. Superstitions impact us today by causing us to spend money, avoiding certain days of the year, and negatively impacting our health.
“Tis now the very witching time of night, when churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out contagion to this world.” This quote by William Shakespeare accurately sums up many cultures’ feelings towards modern-day Halloween. But where did Halloween originate? While there are several different ideas, the one that seems to be the most popular is that Halloween originated from an ancient Celtic rite called Samhain (pronounced sah-win). Halloween has strong roots in Paganism, which is the cause of negative connotations with Christian religion. Many modern Halloween traditions and symbols started
Christmas is a holiday celebrated by most of the world. Christianity is very popular in the US and Hispanic cultures. In the US, Christmas is celebrated with going to Church on Christmas Eve, spending time with their families, and many other things. People also reenact the nativity scene, sing Christmas carols, and do
The image enforces the meaning of Christmas being lost, and that the people need to be aware of this now sacrilegious, laic time. The source displays the change from sacred Australia, which was a time of religion, to a more secular period. The source presents the contemporary cultural values of Australians today, often disassociating themselves from holy, divine objects, places or people. Losing their sacred connectedness to God or their purpose with religion. Taking Christ out of the equation presents how Jesus has been neglected by those supposed Christians of the modern day, who have forgotten the sole meaning of Christmas and their religion. This image imposes a reinforced message through an image presenting secularism of contemporary Australian Christmas with the words “missing”, and “what Jesus has become”. The view of Source 3 displays that anything of great importance in the religious sense, including Jesus, in temporal culture which exists in Australia is lost.
Few people can confidently say why the United States celebrates Christmas on December 25. And I imagine even fewer people know why we give gifts, or why we pucker up when we find ourselves under some mistletoe. The answers to these questions are under a thick layer of rich human and mythological history. For me, the majority of these discoveries were absolutely shocking—Christ was never in Christmas.
Australian’s choose not to recognise the religious meaning behind some of the most significant Christian holidays; Christmas and Easter, which when put simply celebrates the birth and resurrection of Christ. While people may s...
Many people in American society assume that the main purpose of Christmas is the supposed coming of Santa Claus. Their assumption however is far from the truth. The origins of Christmas, which literally means "Christ mass," actually lie in Christianity-not in the fat man with a stomach that jiggles like a bowl full of jelly. Centuries ago, Christians developed a tradition of celebrating Jesus Christ's birthday. Although Christians were unsure of the exact date of Christ's birth, they officially declared December 25th as the day they would celebrate it. The holiday began simply as a day in which families would spend quality time together, reflecting on Jesus' life, giving thanks to God for sending his "one and only son."
Christmas is filled with traditions and events, but how did they start and why do we still do them? Traditions are often passed down throughout generations for centuries, but the origins are often unknown or forgotten.
When I was younger, the two holidays I looked forward to were always Thanksgiving and Christmas. This time of the year always is the happiest because everything feels so refreshing because I am spending quality time with the people I love most. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I always seem to have the most memorable good and bad moments. These holidays have very different meanings but have the same feeling because it symbolizes, good food, good times with family and a whole lot of drama.
Carols, snow, mistletoe, cookies and milk. These are all synonymous with the Christmas season. However, for many, the true staple of Christmas is Santa Claus. Every child has felt the joy of Christmas Eve, spending time with family, leaving treats out for Santa, tossing and turning in their beds in anticipation for old St. Nick’s arrival. Although what Santa does is well known, his origins are slightly less familiar to most. The man we identify with Christmas has developed over a long time and has encountered many changes. “The original St. Nicholas is for the most part a shadowy figure, lost in historical mists and religious myths. (Myers 318).
Although it was never celebrated in biblical times, Christmas is celebrated in local churches here in Visalia, California in praise of the fact that God loved us so much; he sent his one and only son to earth. He was wholey god and wholey man. Whereas we have succumbed to the temptations of this earth, Jesus was able to overcome all temptations and live a sinless life. He was then crucified as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. One cannot understand why we celebrate the birth of Christ without seeing the other end of his life. He was crucified for our sins and resurrected.
Some Easter customs have come from this and other pre-Christian spring festivals. Others come from the Passover feast of the Jews, observed in memory of their deliverance from Egypt. Formerly, Easter and the Passover were closely associated. The resurrection of Jesus took place during the Passover. Christians of the Eastern church initially celebrated both holidays together.
In the Christian religion, Easter has become a grand day of celebration in honor of the resurrection of Christ. Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after a specific time and varies on how the day is followed throughout. Each denomination of the faith varies on the celebration day, hosting various outings and activities. Specifically, the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox denominations of Christianity view and celebrate the Holy Day of Easter differently. In addition to the various amounts of changes throughout the denominations, Easter has become modernized to what the world now sees as a big bunny handling colorful, candy-filled eggs for little children, making smiles appear left and right. However, the real question