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.
In order to explain, this we need to go back to the very beginning of this creepy holiday. Long ago, a people known as the Celts celebrated a holiday they called Samhain. The Celts lived two thousand years ago in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern France. Celts began each new year on November first; This is the day that ends the harvest and marks the beginning of winter, cold and hard, which many then feared they had not stored enough food to survive. With that in mind it is no small wonder that this time of year was often associated with death. So the day before, Samhain , Celts believed that this world and the Deadworld boundaries blurred and th...
Although Christ's Nativity has been celebrated since the 4th century, most of the English customs we are familiar with today are as recent as the mid-19th century. Many of the early ceremonies were started with pagan beliefs.
The Christmas holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith has expanded beyond its religious significance and transformed into a cultural phenomenon observed by both believers and non-believers. According to a Pew Research study conducted in 2013, 92 percent of Americans and 96 percent of Christians participate in Christmas festivities. The same study also revealed that 81 percent of non-Christians, including atheists, Buddhists, and Hindus, also observe the holiday.
Christmas was originally supposed to be a celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Modern historians suggest that Christ was actually born sometime in April, but that is hardly the point; the point is that a day on which to celebrate his birth and life was needed, and so one was chosen. During the season surrounding this holiday -- especially since it coincided with that of other, similar holidays -- it was thought right to honor Jesus by acting as he did, i.e., in a kind, generous, and forgiving manner. Out of this sprung the custom of giving gifts to loved ones on this holiday.
Not many consider death and the fear it conjures something to celebrate, but the sole purpose of El Dia de Los Muertos and Halloween is to cheerfully confront these themes. One might view a skull or skeleton as a symbol of death, but for many Latin Americans, these things are looked upon in a positive light. They exhibit a unique stance concerning the dead, and death in general, by facing these things with fun and humor instead of horror and fear (Halloween and Festivals of the Dead” 195-209). Likewise, the Ancient Celtic viewed death and darkness much differently than many modern societies. The Celtic tradition believed that darkness could bring forth life just as much as it could bring evil and death. In celebrating Samhain, people were comforted by the thought that their souls could never truly be gone (Trevarthen 6). During Samhain,
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.
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.
Christmas used to be a time when families gathered and love enclosed each member. Meals and stories were shared and times were simpler. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass were special times for families to sit back in a pew and remember the true meaning of Christmas as carols were sung in the high choirs. This serenity and peace seems to be a thing of the past. Now, people are drowning in the pressure that Christmas is all about presents, and that unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning is what this joyous occasion is centered around. Another misconceived thought is that Christmas has to be bought and given away in order to have a good time. In 2010, a stunning “4.8 million people [found] time on Christmas Day to go online and shop.” On the contrary, only “4.5 million people who attend an Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist or Pentecostal church,” was present in church on Christmas Day. The thought that shopping is more important than the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is appalling to Christians throughout the world.
April's Tag Game ~ Semana Santa ~ Easter in Spain. (2014). Retrieved March 23, 2014, from Food.com: http://www.food.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=373241
he Celtic-pagan celebration called Samhain; although it has also been sculpted by other cultures in the centuries that have past, the Celts are the foundation of the ideas of such a celebration. I would like to establish more of a contrast between the two celebrations: what exists now and here versus what existed then and there. Therefore, my main approach will be to establish the differences between these two uncanny celebrations; for example, the role that costumes had on both ends, and ultimately the somewhat vague parallels between both of the customs that each embraces. This paper will establish a likeness between both celebrations, but ultimately to exhibit the unlikeness, by the means of comparison, between Samhain and the mixture of cultures that is Halloween. The objective is to acknowledge the importance and significance it had for the Celtic peoples against the ones held here in the US and for its people.
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."
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.
Holidays are a major part of culture around the world. No matter where someone goes, the culture that surrounds them may have their own unique holidays. In the culture that has surrounded me my whole life, we celebrate 18 holidays. Every holiday has their own reason to be celebrated, whether it’s a holiday to remember something or someone who has made an impact on our society, or if it is to celebrate pagan holidays that were established back in biblical times, we always have something to celebrate. The one holiday that stands out to me the most, is Easter.
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
The name Easter comes from Eostre (pronounced yo'ster), an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess. In pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her honor. 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.