I'M
READY
I'M
READY
FOR
MR. HEITMANN'S
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS
hol*i*day [1] (noun) [Middle English, from Old English haligdaeg, from halig holy + daeg day] First appeared before 12th Century. 1 : HOLY DAY. 2 : a day on which one is exempt from work; specifically : a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event 3 chiefly British : a period of relaxation : VACATION -- often used in the phrase on holiday
WELCOME!
HOLIDAYS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN OUR CULTURE. HERE
ARE SOME FACTS REGARDING THIRTY OF THE MOST WIDELY CELEBRATED HOLIDAYS
IN AMERICA
The Knights of Labor campaigned for national recognition
of the holiday, which succeeded ten years later. On June 28th, Congress passed
the bill to make Labor Day a holiday in the District of Columbia and for
all federal workers in the states.
Because the 1894 law only applied to the District of
Columbia and federal workers in the states, each state had to enact its own
Labor Day legislation. Eventually, all the states and territories put the
law into operation, and Labor Day became a nation
A Celebration of Labor in America
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Department of Labor
Grover Cleveland
Home Page
Arbor means "tree" in Latin. Arbor Day is a special
day that has been set aside for planting and caring for trees. The first
Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska on April 10, 1872. It was started by
J. Sterling Morton, a Nebraska newspaper publisher who encouraged Nebraskans
to plant trees to beautify and enrich the treeless state. He offered prizes
for the most trees planted; over a million trees were planted on that first
Arbor Day.
After Arbor Day was made a legal holiday in Nebraska
in 1885, agricultural associations and town councils spread the idea of Arbor
Day in other states. A campaign was also inaugurated to make Arbor Day a
school festival. Now, with activities that range from the planting of a single
tree to the beautification of public grounds, children are learning the
importance of forestry and reforestation.
Today, all fifty states and many Canadian provinces
celebrate this holiday every spring. The actual date of Arbor Day varies
from state-to-state due to climate. The most common common date is the last
Friday in April. In Nebraska, however, Arbor Day is now celebrated on April
22, the date of Morton's birthday.
Arbor and Bird
Day Observances: Library of Congress
June 14th, the birthday of our flag, became a holiday
in New York State in 1897. In the next few years other states joined New
York. But it was not until 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson established
Flag Day by national proclamation.
According to the Department of State, red stands for
hardiness and courage, white is the symbol of
purity and innocence, and blue is the color
of vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
American Flag Home
Page
Flag
Links The Flag of
the USA
Francis Hopkinson
Designer of American Flag
History of
the American Flag
Meaning
of the Colors in the Flag
Proportions of the
Flag
U.S. Code on Respect
for Flag
The Northern states and some Southern states celebrate
Memorial Day on the last Monday in May. This date was made a federal holiday
in 1971. Some Southern states have Memorial Day celebrations to honor Confederate
soldiers who died in the Civil War. Mississippi and Alabama celebrate Confederate
Memorial Day on the last Monday in April. In Florida and Georgia, the date
is April 26. May 10 is Memorial Day in North and South Carolina, and the
holiday is June 3 in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Texas observes
Confederate Heroes Day on January 19 (Robert E. Lee's birthday).
Memorial
Day Links
The Vietnam War
Easter is always celebrated on a Sunday, the day of
Christ's Resurrection. However, its date may fall anywhere between March
22 and April 25, depending on calculations made on the basis of the lunar
calendar. Easter is the central point in a long season of religious observances.
It is preceded by Lent, a six-and-a-half-week period of penitence and prayer
observed by many Christians. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on holy
Saturday, the last day of the Holy week, which immediately precedes Easter
Sunday. The Easter season lasts until Trinity Sunday, the eighth Sunday after
Easter.
Easter is the oldest and most important Christian feast
days, commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is a joyous
occasion because on this day, Christians celebrate Christ's victory over
death. To those who believe in Christ, Easter also symbolizes their own
participation in His death and rebirth to a new life.
Around the World Links
A
Bit of Swedish Easter Traditions
Easter
German Word Search
Easter in the Slovakia
Happy
Easter
Easter Eggs
Easter Egg
Safety
Eggcyclopedia
Egg Facts
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Faberge Eggs Collection
Home Page
Finding Easter
Eggs Tips
Great Internet Easter Egg Hunt
History
of Easter Egg
History of the Easter
Egg
History of the White
House Easter Egg Roll (Official Site)
How to Make Ukrainian
Easter Eggs
Natural Easter Egg
Dyes Natural
Easter Egg Dyes from USA City Link
Pysanky-Story
of Ukrainian Easter Eggs
Pysanky: Ukrainian
Easter Eggs
White House
Easter Egg Roll
Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in
May-a time when flowers are in bloom. Mother's Day is a special time for
children to honor their mothers (as well as grandmothers and other "mothers")
and show appreciation for their love and caring.
Julia Ward Howe, social reformer and poet, made the
first suggestion for a Mother's Day in the United States. In 1872, she suggested
Mother's Day be on June 2 and that it be a day dedicated to peace. She sponsored
Mother's Day meetings in Boston for several years, and people in other towns
began to do the same.
In 1907, Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West Virginia, began
a campaign for a nationwide observance of Mother's Day. She also began the
custom of wearing a carnation on that day-a colored carnation if one's mother
is living and a white carnation if one's mother has died.
On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint
resolution of Congress authorizing federal agencies to observe Mother's Day.
The following year, Mother's Day was proclaimed as an annual national
holiday.
Anyone who has seen the movie The Ten
Commandments is familiar with the story commemorating the freedom and exodus
of the Israelites (Jewish slaves) from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh
Ramses II. Passover is an 8 day observance and a time of family gatherings
and lavish meals called Seders. The story of Passover is retold through the
reading of the Haggadah, the Book of Exodus.
Pesach, the Hebrew name for Passover, starts on the
15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan. It is one of the most widely observed
holidays in the American Jewish community. Preparation for this holiday includes
extensive cleaning and removal of all yeast foods or hametz (meaning leaven
in Hebrew). Any food that contains some hametz is considered hametz and is
prohibited during Pesah. This would include such things as bread, pasta,
cereal and cookies.
The Seder is a special meal prepared following the
Haggadah. The seder has several parts including the lighting of candles,
special prayers, the telling of the passover story, and the asking of the
four questions. The four questions are: Why do we eat matzah? Why do we eat
maror (bitter herbs)? Why do we dip the karpas in salt water and the maror
in the charoset? Why do we lean? The answers are: Because we left in such
a hurry we didn't have time to let the bread rise. To remind us of the bitterness
of slavery. The salt water represents our tears, the charoset the mortar
used in building Pharoah's storehouses. To mimic the practice of the Romans,
who leaned to the left to keep their right hand free, to show we are
free.
The centerpiece of the table is the Seder plate which
contains five foods that have special meaning for this holiday. The Haroseth
is a mixture of chopped walnuts, wine, cinnamon and apples that represent
the mortar the Jewish slaves used to assemble the Pharaoh's bricks. Parsley
symbolizes spring and dipping it in salt water is a reminder of the tears
of the Jewish slaves. The roasted egg is another symbol of spring. The shank
bone symbolizes the offering of the sacrificial lamb. And finally, the bitter
herbs is a reminder of the bitterness of slavery.
About 3000 years ago the Israelites were enslaved by
the Egyptians under the rule of the Pharaoh Ramses II. According to the Book
of Exodus - Moses, a simple Jewish shepherd, was instructed by God to go
to the pharaoh and demand the freedom of his people
Moses' plea of let my people go was ignored. Moses
warned the Pharaoh that God would send severe punishments to the people of
Egypt if the Israelites were not freed. Again the Pharaoh ignored Moses'
request of freedom. In response God unleashed a series of 10 terrible plagues
on the people of Egypt
Blood
Frogs
Lice (vermin) Wild
Beasts(flies) Blight (Cattle
Disease)
Boils Hail Locusts
Darkness
Slaying of the First
Born
The holiday became Valentine's Day after a priest named
Valentine. Valentine was a priest in Rome at the time Christianity was a
new religion. The Emperor at that time, Claudius II, ordered the Roman soldiers
NOT to marry or become engaged. Claudius believed that as married men, his
soldiers would want to stay home with their families rather than fight his
wars. Valentine defied the Emperor's decree and secretly married the young
couples. He was eventually arrested, imprisoned, and put to death
Valentine was beheaded on February 14th, the eve of
the Roman holiday Lupercalia. After his death, Valentine was named a saint.
As Rome became more Christian, the priests moved the spring holiday from
the 15th of February to the 14th - Valentine's Day. Now the holiday honored
Saint Valentine instead of Lupercus
Cupid has always played
a role in the celebrations of love and lovers. He is known as a mischievous,
winged child, whose arrows who would pierce the hearts of his victims causing
them to fall deeply in love. In ancient Greece he was known as Eros the young
son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. To the Roman's he was Cupid,
and his mother Venus
Cupid found her lifeless
on the ground. He gathered the sleep from her body and put it back in the
box. Cupid forgave her, as did Venus. The gods, moved by Psyche's love for
Cupid made her a goddess.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar.
The Month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Quran "was sent
down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a
means of Salvation"
It is during this month that Muslims fast. It is called
the Fast of Ramadan and lasts the entire month. Ramadan is a time when Muslims
concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday
lives. It is a time of worship and contemplation
During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed
on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during
the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during
fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal
called the iftar. In the evening following the iftar it is customary for
Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next
morning
According to the Holy Quran:
One may eat and drink at any time during the night
"until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by
the daylight: then keep the fast until night"
The good that is acquired through the fast can be destroyed
by five things -
the telling of a lie
slander
denouncing someone behind his back
a false oath
greed or covetousness
Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" and of course is celebrated
on that day of the week. The date can fall between February 3 and March 9
depending on the Catholic Church. Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter
Sunday.
The official colors for Mardi Gras are
purple,
green, and gold.
These colors where chosen in 1872 by the King of Carnival, Rex. He chose
these colors to stand for the following:
Purple represents justice
green stands for faith
gold stands for power
The Mardi Gras season begins about two weeks before
Fat Tuesday. During those two weeks, parades can be viewed nightly and on
weekends. Almost all businesses are closed for Lundi Gras (Fat Monday) and
for Mardi Gras itself. People all over the world come to New Orleans to enjoy
this extravagant holiday.
"I have a dream that one day little black boys and
black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls
as sisters and brothers."
Each year on the third Monday of January schools, federal
offices, post office and banks across America close as we celebrate the birth,
the life and the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is a time for the nation to remember the injustices
that Dr. King fought. A time to remember his fight for the freedom, equality,
and dignity of all races and peoples. A time to remember the message of change
through nonviolence
The
Text of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech
proposed there were no Father's Day cards!
Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the
idea of a "father's day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor
her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed
when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child.
Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself
on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became
an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown
in raising his children as a single parent.
The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910
in Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various towns and cities
across American other people were beginning to celebrate a "father's day."
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's
Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation
declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your
father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles,
grandfathers, and adult male friends are all be honored on Father's Day.
Independence Day celebrates the birthday of the United
States of America. Founded July 4th 1776, with the signing of the Declaration
of Independence, America is celebrating it's 224rd birthday this year
(2000)
The 4th of July is a time for the Red White and Blue.
A time for Picnics, Parades and Marching Bands. A time for Beaches, BBQs
and "Bombs Bursting in Air."
So turn up the speakers, put another "shrimp on the
barbie," and join America for a birthday celebration with fun Holiday things
for you and your family
A Small Humble Page With A Broken Heart
The Jewish High Holy
Days
Rosh Hashanah is observed
the first and second day of the seventh month of the Jewish calender, Tishri.
Coming in the Fall season of the western calendar, usually in September.
In Israel Rosh Hashanah is the only holiday kept for
2 days as it is considered too important to be observed for only 24 hours.
Both days are considered one long day of 48 hours
The traditions of Rosh Hashanah are simple as the only
commandment specified for the holiday is the blowing of the shofar. In temple
the shofar is blown on Rosh Hashanah to herald the beginning of the period
known as the High Holy Days.
It is believed that on Rosh Hashanah the destiny of
all mankind is recorded by G-d in the Book of Life. After Rosh Hashanah services,
as the congregants leave the synagogue they say to each other...
"May you be inscribed in the Book of Life"
Yom Kippur, the Day
of Atonement, is the most sacred of the Jewish holidays, the "Sabbath of
Sabbaths."
By Yom Kippur the 40 days of repentance, that begin
with the first of Elul, have passed. On Rosh Hashanah G-d has judged most
of mankind and has recorded his judgment in the Book of Life. But he has
given a 10 day reprieve.
On Yom Kippur the Book of Life is closed and sealed.
Those that have repented for their sins are granted a good and happy New
Year.
Since Yom Kippur is the day to ask forgiveness for
promises broken to G-d, the day before is reserved for asking forgiveness
for broken promises between people, as G-d cannot forgive broken promises
between people.
Yom Kippur is a day of "NOT" doing. The is no blowing
of the Shofar and Jews may not eat or drink, as fasting is the rule. It is
believed that to fast on Yom Kippur is to emulate the angels in heaven, who
do not eat, drink, or wash.
The Five Prohibitions of Yom Kippur:
Eating and drinking
Anointing with perfumes or lotions
Marital relations
Washing Wearing
leather shoes
Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful
harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies.
Before the establishment of formal religions many ancient
farmers believed that their crops contained spirits which caused the crops
to grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when
the crops were harvested and they had to be destroyed or they would take
revenge on the farmers who harvested them. Some of the harvest festivals
celebrated the defeat of these spirits.
Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were
held by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the
Egyptians.
The Pilgrims, who celebrated the first thanksgiving
in America, were fleeing religious prosecution in their native England. In
1609 a group of Pilgrims left England for the religious freedom in Holland
where they lived and prospered. After a few years their children were speaking
Dutch and had become attached to the dutch way of life. This worried the
Pilgrims. They considered the Dutch frivolous and their ideas a threat to
their children's education and morality.
So they decided to leave Holland and travel to the
New World. Their trip was financed by a group of English investors, the Merchant
Adventurers. It was agreed that the Pilgrims would be given passage and supplies
in exchange for their working for their backers for 7 years.
On Sept. 6, 1620 the Pilgrims set sail for the New
World on a ship called the Mayflower. They sailed from Plymouth, England
and aboard were 44 Pilgrims, who called themselves the "Saints", and 66 others
,whom the Pilgrims called the "Strangers."
The long trip was cold and damp and took 65 days. Since
there was the danger of fire on the wooden ship, the food had to be eaten
cold. Many passengers became sick and one person died by the time land was
sighted on November 10th.
The long trip led to many disagreements between the
"Saints" and the "Strangers". After land was sighted a meeting was held and
an agreement was worked out, called the Mayflower Compact, which guaranteed
equality and unified the two groups. They joined together and named themselves
the "Pilgrims."
Although they had first sighted land off Cape Cod they
did not settle until they arrived at Plymouth, which had been named by Captain
John Smith in 1614. It was there that the Pilgrims decide to settle. Plymouth
offered an excellent harbor. A large brook offered a resource for fish. The
Pilgrims biggest concern was attack by the local Native American Indians.
But the Patuxets were a peaceful group and did not prove to be a threat.
The first winter was devastating to the Pilgrims. The
cold, snow and sleet was exceptionally heavy, interfering with the workers
as they tried to construct their settlement. March brought warmer weather
and the health of the Pilgrims improved, but many had died during the long
winter. Of the 110 Pilgrims and crew who left England, less that 50 survived
the first winter.
On March 16, 1621 , what was to become an important
event took place, an Indian brave walked into the Plymouth settlement. The
Pilgrims were frightened until the Indian called out "Welcome" (in
English!).
His name was Samoset and he was an Abnaki Indian. He
had learned English from the captains of fishing boats that had sailed off
the coast. After staying the night Samoset left the next day. He soon returned
with another Indian named Squanto who spoke better English than Samoset.
Squanto told the Pilgrims of his voyages across the ocean and his visits
to England and Spain. It was in England where he had learned English.
Squanto's importance to the Pilgrims was enormous and
it can be said that they would not have survived without his help. It was
Squanto who taught the Pilgrims how to tap the maple trees for sap. He taught
them which plants were poisonous and which had medicinal powers. He taught
them how to plant the Indian corn by heaping the earth into low mounds with
several seeds and fish in each mound. The decaying fish fertilized the corn.
He also taught them to plant other crops with the corn.
The harvest in October was very successful and the
Pilgrims found themselves with enough food to put away for the winter. There
was corn, fruits and vegetables, fish to be packed in salt, and meat to be
cured over smoky fires.
The Pilgrims had much to celebrate, they had built
homes in the wilderness, they had raised enough crops to keep them alive
during the long coming winter, they were at peace with their Indian neighbors.
They had beaten the odds and it was time to celebrate.
The Pilgrim Governor William Bradford proclaimed a
day of thanksgiving to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring
Native Americans. They invited Squanto and the other Indians to join them
in their celebration. Their chief, Massasoit, and 90 braves came to the
celebration which lasted for 3 days. They played games, ran races, marched
and played drums. The Indians demonstrated their skills with the bow and
arrow and the Pilgrims demonstrated their musket skills. Exactly when the
festival took place is uncertain, but it is believed the celebration took
place in mid-October.
The following year the Pilgrims harvest was not as
bountiful, as they were still unused to growing the corn. During the year
they had also shared their stored food with newcomers and the Pilgrims ran
short of food.
The 3rd year brought a spring and summer that was hot
and dry with the crops dying in the fields. Governor Bradford ordered a day
of fasting and prayer, and it was soon thereafter that the rain came. To
celebrate - November 29th of that year was proclaimed a day of thanksgiving.
This date is believed to be the real true beginning of the present day
Thanksgiving Day.
The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving,
held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American
Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by
the Continental Congress.
In 1817 New York State had adopted Thanksgiving Day
as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states
also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed
a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a
Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of
each November as the holiday.
On the night before Christmas, all across the world,
millions of children will be tucked in their beds while "visions of sugarplums
dance in their heads." When they awake they will check their stockings to
see if Santa Claus has come.
Santa Claus has become the most beloved of Christmas
symbols and traditions. The image of the jolly old elf flying in a sleigh
pulled by reindeers and leaving toys and gifts for every child is know
worldwide.
The history of Santa Claus begins with a man called
Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.
Saint Nicholas was know for his charity and wisdom. Legends tell of him coming
from a wealthy family and giving all his money to the poor. He also was said
to posses magical powers. He died in 340 AD and was buried in Myra.
Late in the 11th century religious soldiers from Italy
took the remains of the saint back with them to Italy. They built a church
in honor of him in the town of Bari, a port town in southern Italy. Soon
Christian pilgrims from all over the world came to visit the church of Saint
Nicholas. These pilgrims took the legend of Saint Nicholas back to their
native lands. As the legend of Saint Nicholas spread it would take on the
characteristics of each country.
In Europe during the 12th century Saint Nicholas Day
became a day of gift giving and charity. Germany, France, and Holland celebrated
December 6th as a religious holiday and gave gifts to their children and
the poor.
When the Dutch colonists traveled to America, they
brought with them their Sinterklaas, an austere bishop who wore a red bishop's
costume and rode on a white horse.
The American image of Sinterklaas would gradually evolve
into that of a jolly old elf. He was first described as a plump and jolly
old Dutchman by Washington Irving in his comic History of New York. In 1823
Sinterklaas/Saint Nicholas' metamorphosis continued with the publication
of Clement Moore's poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas (Twas the night before
Christmas...).
In the 1860s cartoonist Thomas Nash drew pictures of
a plump and kindly Santa Claus for the illustrated Harper's Weekly. This
image of Santa Claus was becoming ingrained in the minds of the American
people. As time went on this image of Santa Claus traveled across the globe,
back to Europe, to South America, and elsewhere.
Many countries have kept their own customs and traditions
of Saint Nicholas. In some cultures Saint Nicholas travels with an assistant
to help him. In Holland, Sinterklaas sails in on a ship arriving on December
6th. He carries a big book which tells him how the Dutch children have behaved
during the past year. Good children are rewarded with gifts and the bad ones
are taken away by his assistant, Black Peter.
In Germany Saint Nicholas also travels with an assistant,
known as Knecht Ruprecht, Krampus, or Pelzebock, and comes with a sack on
his back and a rod in his hand. Good children receive a gift, but naughty
children are punished by the assistant with a few hits of the rod.
In Italy La Befana is good witch who dresses all in
black and brings gifts to children on the Epiphany, January 6th. In many
Spanish countries; Spain, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and South America, the children
wait for the Three Kings to bring their Christmas gifts.
In France Father Christmas or Pere Noel bring gifts
for the children. Switzerland has the Christkindl or Christ Child who bears
gifts. In some towns children await the Holy Child and in others Christkindl
is a girl-angel who comes down from heaven bearing gifts.
The Scandinavian countries celebrate with an elf, called
the julenisse or the juletomte who bears gifts. And in England Father Christmas,
an more austere and thinner version of Santa Claus, brings gifts.
In North American it is the round and plump "Ho Ho
Ho'ing" Santa Claus who flies in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeers delivering
toys to the children of the world.
Almost everyone is familiar with the Christmas song,
"The Twelve Days of Christmas". If you listen to the words carefully, it
seems like nonsense set to rhyme and music. At first blush it really sounds
like nothing else but Capitalism run amok, the "true love" purchasing all
sorts of things to impress his lady fair. Each year there is an official
estimation made about how much it would cost to purchase all the items and
services mentioned in the song.
However, this song was written with a vastly different
and much more serious purpose. And is not capitalistic at all - it is, in
fact, a deeply, even movingly, religious song.
During the period 1558 to 1829 the Catholic Faith was
illegal. Priests who attempted to tend their flocks were escorted under guard
to the docks at Plymouth, put on a ship and sent in to exile. If they returned
- and priests did - and discovered they were executed by being hung, drawn
and quartered.
Catholics were prohibited by law to practice their
faith either in public or private. Catholics were prohibited from voting,
inheriting land and from many other basic human rights. They were discriminated
against in hiring.
Back in England those few wealthy Catholic peers of
the realm who could afford it were taxed heavily for the privilege of discreetly
practicing their faith. But many lost hereditary rights that had been in
their families for centuries.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England
as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics
of their faith. In short, it was a memory aid that young Catholics could
sing without fear of imprisonment.
The song's gifts had hidden meanings to the teachings
of the Catholic faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer
to an earthly suitor but it refers to God Himself as the giver of eternal
life and all good things. The "me" who received the presents refers to every
baptized person, i.e. the Church. The partridge in a pear tree is Christ
Jesus, the Son of God. The "pear tree" is the Cross. In the song, Christ
is symbolically presented as a mother partridge in memory of the expression
of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How
often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks,
but though wouldst not have it so..."
Here is a list of the 12 symbols with their
meanings.*
1 - partridge in a pear tree = the One True God revealed
in the person of Jesus Christ who gave his life to gain heaven for us;
2 - turtle doves - The Old and New Testaments
3 - french hens - the virtues of Faith, Hope and
Charity;
4 - calling birds - the Four Gospels and/or the Four
Evangelists;
5 - golden rings - the first Five Books of the Old
Testament, the "Pentateuch" or "Torah", which contain the Law of Moses; or
it could also be a reminder of the five wounds of Christ;
6 - geese a -laying - the six days of creation;
7 - swans a-swimming - the seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit; the seven sacraments of the Catholic (baptism, confirmation, eucharist,
penance (now reconciliation), matrimony, holy orders, extreme unction (now
anointing of the sick);
8 - maids a-milking - the eight beatitudes
9 - ladies dancing - the nine Fruits of the Spirit
10 - Lords a -leaping - the ten commandments
11 - Pipers Piping - the eleven faithful apostles
12 - drummers drumming - the twelve points of doctrine
in the Apostle's Creed.
One of the best known symbols of Chanukah is the Dreidel.
A dreidel is a four sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side.
The four letters are:
Two days after the feast of the great Irish saint ,
comes the day of the carpenter of Nazareth, Saint Joseph, "the just man,"of
whom the Gospels say little but who is beloved by generations of Italians
and Italian-Americans, celebrated on March 19. Though often pictured as an
aged man, bearded and bent with years, Joseph has more recently been seen
as younger, more fitted to his role as protector of the young Mary and her
Child. Saint Joseph is patron of many places and many trades. He is
the guardian of the spiritual home of Christians, the Church, and of the
material home, too. The tradition of a St. Joseph's Day began when there
was a severe drought in Sicily in the middle ages. In desperation, people
asked St. Joseph, their patron, to intervene. They promised, if rain came,
they would prepare a big feast in his honor. The tradition says these prayers
were answered with rainy weather. In gratitude, huge banquet tables were
set-up in public and poor people were invited to come and eat as much as
they wanted. Today, special foods, linens, flowers, and statuary adorn the
St. Joseph's Altar which is built with three steps representing the Holy
Trinity.
The Fourth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary. This celebration
originated in the 5th or 6th Century. St. Juvenal of Jerusalem stated as
early as the Council of Chalcedon in 451 that Our Lady, after her death,
was assumed body and soul into heaven.
Pope Pius XII, on 1 November 1950, in Munificentissimus
Deus officially defined the doctrine of the Assumption as an article of the
Catholic Faith. He stated:
". . . By the authority of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of
the Blessed
Apostles Peter and Paul, and by Our Own authority,
We pronounce,
declare, and define as divinely revealed dogma: The
Immaculate Mother
of God, Mary ever Virgin, after her life on earth,
was assumed, body
and soul to the glory of heaven." [III, 44]
The Immaculate Conception is the dogma of faith stating
that the Blessed Virgin was from the first instant of her conception, by
a singular privilege and grace of God, preserved from all stain of original
sin. Not only is Our Lady free from original sin, see is also free from actual
sin. That is, she never committed any sin during her lifetime From the time
of the Fathers of the Church up to the Middle Ages we find explicit reference
to the freedom of Mary from sin from the first moment of her conception.
The Eastern Church as early as the second half of the 7th Century celebrated
the feast of the Immaculate Conception under the title "Conception of Saint
Anne."
In the Western Church the feast was first celebrated
in Ireland. By 840 the feast was also celebrated in Italy and Spain. Pope
Pius V in 1567 condemned Baius for holding that "no one but Christ was without
original sin, and therefore the Blessed Virgin Mary died in consequence of
the sin contracted through Adam, and endured affliction in this life, like
the rest of the just, as punishment for actual and original sin." (The Catholic
Catechism, JA Hardon at 154). In the following year the great Dominican Pope
extended the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to the Universal Church and
made it a holy day of obligation. Although still considered one the most
important feasts of Our Lady it is not a holy day of obligation in
Australia..
Pope Pius IX on 8 December 1854 issued the Apostolic
Letter Ineffabilis Deus in which he defined as an article of Catholic Faith
infallibly the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. Shortly after this
dogma was defined Our Lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes in
1858 and described herself as the Immaculate Conception.
In sixteenth-century France, the start of the new year
was observed on April first. It was celebrated in much the same way as it
is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night. Then
in 1562, Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world,
and the new year fell on January first. There were some people, however,
who hadn't heard or didn't believe the change in the date, so they continued
to celebrate New Year's Day on April first. Others played tricks on them
and called them "April fools." They sent them on a "fool's errand" or tried
to make them believe that something false was true. In France today, April
first is called "Poisson d'Avril." French children fool their friends by
taping a paper fish to their friends' backs. When the "young fool" discovers
this trick, the prankster yells "Poisson d’Avril!" (April Fish!)
Today Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers
alike on the first of April. One common trick on April Fool's Day, or All
Fool's Day, is pointing down to a friend's shoe and saying, "Your shoelace
is untied." Teachers in the nineteenth century used to say to pupils, "Look!
A flock of geese!" and point up. School children might tell a classmate that
school has been canceled. Whatever the trick, if the innocent victim falls
for the joke the prankster yells, "April Fool! "
The "fools' errands" we play on people are practical
jokes. Putting salt in the sugar bowl for the next person is not a nice trick
to play on a stranger. College students set their clocks an hour behind,
so their roommates show up to the wrong class - or not at all. Some practical
jokes are kept up the whole day before the victim realizes what day it is.
Most April Fool jokes are in good fun and not meant to harm anyone. The most
clever April Fool joke is the one where everyone laughs, especially the person
upon whom the joke is played.
"The first of April is the day we remember what we
are the other 364 days of the year. "
- American humorist Mark Twain
In the United States, the federal holiday is January
first, but Americans begin celebrating on December 31. Sometimes people have
masquerade balls, where guests dress up in costumes and cover their faces
with masks. According to an old tradition, guests unmask at midnight.
At New Year's Eve parties across the United States
on December 31, many guests watch television as part of the festivities.
Most of the television channels show Times Square in the heart of New York
City. At one minute before midnight, a lighted ball drops slowly from the
top to the bottom of a pole on one of the buildings. People count down at
the same time as the ball drops. When it reaches the bottom, the new year
sign is lighted. People hug and kiss, and wish each other "Happy New Year!"
New Year's Day
On January first, Americans visit friends, relatives
and neighbors. There is plenty to eat and drink when you just drop in to
wish your loved ones and friends the best for the year ahead. Many families
and friends watch television together enjoying the Tournament of Roses parade
preceding the Rose Bowl football game in Pasadena California. The parade
was started in 1887, when a zoologist who had seen one in France suggested
to the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena, California that they sponsor "an artistic
celebration of the ripening of the oranges" at the beginning of the year.
At first the parade was a line of decorated horse-drawn private carriages.
Athletic events were held in the afternoon, and in the evening, a ball where
winners of the events of the day and the most beautiful float were announced.
In later years colleges began to compete in football games on New Year's
Day, and these gradually replaced other athletic competitions. The parade
of floats grew longer from year to year, and flower decorations grew more
elaborate.
The theme of the Tournament of Roses varies from year
to year. Today the parade is usually more than five miles long with thousands
of participants in the marching bands and on the floats. City officials ride
in the cars pulling the floats. A celebrity is chosen to be the grand marshal,
or official master of ceremonies. The queen of the tournament rides on a
special float which is always the most elaborate one of the parade, being
made from more than 250,000 flowers. Spectators and participants alike enjoy
the pageantry associated with the occasion. Preparation for next year's
Tournament of Roses begins on January 2.
In the warmer regions all around the country there
are other games whose names are characteristic of the state. People watch
the Orange Bowl game in Florida, the Cotton Bowl in Texas, and the Sugar
Bowl in Louisiana. In most cultures, people promise to better themselves
in the following year. Americans have inherited the tradition and even write
down their New Year's resolutions. Whatever the resolution, most of them
are broken or forgotten by February!
Americans might not have a Columbus Day if Christopher
Columbus had not been born in Italy. Out of pride for their native son, the
Italian population of New York City organised the first celebration of the
discovery of America on October 12, 1866. The next year, more Italian
organisations in other cities held banquets, parades and dances on that date.
In 1869, when Italians of San Francisco celebrated October 12, they called
it Columbus Day.
In 1905, Colorado became the first state to observe
a Columbus Day. Over the next few decades other states followed. In 1937,
then- President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed every October 12 as Columbus
Day. Since 1971, it has been celebrated on the second Monday in October.
Although it is generally accepted that Christopher
Columbus was the first European to have discovered the New World of the Americas,
there is still some controversy over this claim. Some researchers and proponents
of other explorers attribute the first sightings
to the early Scandinavian Vikings or the voyages of Irish missionaries which
predate the Columbus visit in 1492. The controversy may never be fully resolved
to everyone's satisfaction, but 1992 marked
the 500th anniversary of the Columbus discovery.
Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed
as federal holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and
George Washington (Feb. 22).
In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single
federal holiday, the Presidents' Day, to be observed on the Third Monday
of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States of
America
Quotations from Lincoln
"...As I would not be a slave, so I would not
be a master This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this,
to the extent of the difference, is no democracy"
Letter, August 1858
"If we do not make common cause to save the
good old ship of the Union on this voyage, nobody will have a chance to pilot
her on another voyage. "
Speech, Cleveland, Ohio,
February 15, 1861
Patron of Internet
Users
Solemnity celebrated on the first of November. It is
instituted to honour all the saints, known and unknown, and, according to
Urban IV, to supply any deficiencies in the faithful's celebration of saints'
feasts during the year.
In the early days the Christians were accustomed to
solemnize the anniversary of a martyr's death for Christ at the place of
martyrdom. In the fourth century, neighbouring dioceses began to interchange
feasts, to transfer relics, to divide them, and to join in a common feast;
as is shown by the invitation of St. Basil of Caesarea (397) to the bishops
of the province of Pontus. Frequently groups of martyrs suffered on the same
day, which naturally led to a joint commemoration. In the persecution of
Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could
not be assigned to each. But the Church, feeling that every martyr should
be venerated, appointed a common day for all. The first trace of this we
find in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost. We also find mention of a
common day in a sermon of St. Ephrem the Syrian (373), and in the 74th homily
of St. John Chrysostom (407). At first only martyrs and St. John the Baptist
were honoured by a special day. Other saints were added gradually, and increased
in number when a regular process of canonization was established; still,
as early as 411 there is in the Chaldean Calendar a "Commemoratio Confessorum"
for the Friday after Easter. In the West Boniface IV, 13 May, 609, or 610,
consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs,
ordering an anniversary. Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a chapel in the
Basilica of St. Peter to all the saints and fixed the anniversary for 1 November.
A basilica of the Apostles already existed in Rome, and its dedication was
annually remembered on 1 May. Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration
on 1 November to the entire Church. The vigil seems to have been held as
early as the feast itself. The octave was added by Sixtus IV (1471-84).
The
Saints Index is an exhaustive list of Saints that contains all known
information pertaining to each Saint. There is also information about
this months
Saints, general FAQ about
Saints, Patron Saints,
Ethnic Saints and a
Feastday List. This
site also provides a
Saints Search feature
that will help you locate a specific Saint quickly and effectively by name
or other search criteria and then try
SAINT
OF THE DAY
The Wednesday after Quinquagesima Sunday, which is
the first day of the Lenten fast. The name dies cinerum (day of ashes) which
it bears in the Roman Missal is found in the earliest existing copies of
the Gregorian Sacramentary and probably dates from at least the eighth century.
On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are exhorted to
approach the altar before the beginning of Mass, and there the priest, dipping
his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead — or in
case of clerics upon the place of the tonsure — of each the sign of
the cross, saying the words: "Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust
thou shalt return." The ashes used in this ceremony are made by burning the
remains of the palms blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. In
the blessing of the ashes four prayers are used, all of them ancient. The
ashes are sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense. The celebrant
himself, be he bishop or cardinal, receives, either standing or seated, the
ashes from some other priest, usually the highest in dignity of those present.
In earlier ages a penitential procession often followed the rite of the
distribution of the ashes, but this is not now prescribed.
There can be no doubt that the custom of distributing
the ashes to all the faithful arose from a devotional imitation of the practice
observed in the case of public penitents. But this devotional usage, the
reception of a sacramental which is full of the symbolism of penance (cf.
the cor contritum quasi cinis of the "Dies Irae") is of earlier date than
was formerly supposed. It is mentioned as of general observance for both
clerics and faithful in the Synod of Beneventum, 1091 (Mansi, XX, 739), but
nearly a hundred years earlier than this the Anglo-Saxon homilist Ælfric
assumes that it applies to all classes of men. "We read", he says,
in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that
the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed
their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of
our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent
of our sins during the Lenten fast.
And then he enforces this recommendation by the terrible
example of a man who refused to go to church for the ashes on Ash Wednesday
and who a few days after was accidentally killed in a boar hunt (Ælfric,
Lives of Saints, e![[IMAGE]](glory.gif)
LET'S GET THIS
PARTY STARTED!
President Grover Cleveland proclaimed the first national
observance of Labor Day, henceforth the first Monday in September. In 1882,
Peter J. McGuire, founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, first
suggested a day to honor workers. That year, on September 5th, the Knights
of Labor held the first "Labor Day" parade in New York City. The organization
repeated the parade the next two years. In 1884 it adopted a resolution declaring
the first Monday in September to be Labor Day.
On June 14, 1777, at Philadelphia,
the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress offered the resolution
which resulted in the adoption of the Flag of the United States. As new states
were admitted it became evident that the number of stripes in the flag would
have to be limited. Congress ordered that after July 4, 1818, the flag should
have thirteen stripes, symbolizing the thirteen original states, that the
union would have twenty stars, and that a new star should be added on the
July 4th following admission of a new state. The permanent arrangement of
the stars is not designated, and no star is specifically identified with
any state. Since 1912, following the admission of a new state, the new design
has been announced by executive order. The original resolution read:
"Resolved: that the flag of the United States be made
of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen
stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
The
location of the first observance of Memorial Day is in dispute. Some claim
the custom of honoring war dead began in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. Others
claim the custom was originated by some Southern women who placed flowers
on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers after the Civil War.
According to one writer, the first Memorial Day service took place on May
30, 1866, on Belle Isle, a burial ground for Union soldiers in the St. James
River, at Richmond, Virginia. The school superintendent and the mayor planned
the program of hymns and speeches and had the burial ground decorated with
flowers. In 1966, however, the U.S. government proclaimed that Waterloo,
New York, was the birthplace of Memorial Day. On May 5, 1865, the people
of Waterloo had honored soldiers who had died in the Civil War.
The Easter Egg is associated
with beliefs of particularly ancient origin. The egg was an important symbol
in the mythologies of many early civilizations, including those of India
and Egypt. It was commonly believed that the universe developed from a great
egg and that the halves of its shell corresponded to Heaven and earth. The
egg was also connected with the springtime fertility rituals of many
pre-Christian and Indo-European peoples, and both the Egyptians and the Persians
made a practice of coloring eggs in the spring. In Christianity, the egg
is a symbol of Resurrection, representing the emergence of Christ from His
tomb to everlasting life.
The Easter rabbit has
become as traditional at Easter time as the Easter egg. Like the egg, the
hare or rabbit was a symbol of fertility and new life among the Egyptians
and other ancient peoples. How the rabbit became associated with Easter and
Easter eggs is unclear, but it may have been intended to symbolize the fertile
life that the risen Christ would send His followers. In any case, the Easter
rabbit has had a long history in European folklore. Modern Easter rabbits
are often stuffed toys or made of candy; especially popular are chocolate
bunnies.
Perhaps one of the most
popular Easter customs in the United States is that of wearing new clothes
on Easter Sunday. In New York City many people display their new outfits
as they stroll along Fifth Avenue in the famous Easter Parade, which is
duplicated on a smaller scale in many other communities. The custom originated
within the Church hundreds of years ago, when those who were baptized on
Holy Saturday were given new white robes to wear. Other members of the
congregation, recalling their earlier participation in the ceremony of baptism,
also put on new garments in memory of the occasion
Church bells are silent
from Good Friday until Easter in token of mourning for the crucified Christ.
Mothers tell their children that "the bells have flown away to Rome". Early
on Easter morning the children rush into the garden to watch the bells "Fly
back from Rome". As the small folk scan the sky for a glimpse of the returning
bells their elders hide chocolate eggs.
Agnellino, roasted baby
lamb, is universally popular for the Easter dinner, especially when served
with carciofi arrostiti, roasted artichokes, with pepper. One seasonal treat
that the children in many places enjoy is a rich bread shaped like a crown
and studded with colored Easter egg candies.
Friends give each other
beautifully hand-painted eggs which are made according to distinctive traditional
designs. The exquisite patterns were passed down from one generation to another
in certain villages. In many places, it was customary for village girls to
present their suitors with a red egg. Should the girls fail to have their
gifts ready, however, the boys spank them with canes. Ouch!! :-)
Throughout the country
Easter is celebrated as a great spring holiday. In homes there are charmingly
laid tables with decorations of colored eggs and early flowers. Paasbrood,
a delicious sweet bread stuffed with raisins and currant, is one of many
traditional feast day specialties.
Throughout the country
the egg, symbol of life and resurrection, is featured in all Easter food
and Easter games. Every household has egg coloring parties. Egg rolling contests
are the favorite Easter activity of younger boys and girls.
"God can't be always everywhere: and, so,
Invented Mothers."
One legend tells the story of Cupid and the mortal
maiden, Psyche. Venus was jealous of the beauty of Psyche, and ordered Cupid
to punish the mortal. But instead, Cupid fell deeply in love with her. He
took her as his wife, but as a mortal she was forbidden to look at him. Psyche
was happy until her sisters convinced her to look at Cupid. Cupid punished
her by departing. Their lovely castle and gardens vanished with him and Psyche
found herself alone in an open field
As
she wandered to find her love, she came upon the temple of Venus. Wishing
to destroy her, the goddess of love gave Psyche a series of tasks, each harder
and dangerous than the last. For her last task Psyche was given a little
box and told to take it to the underworld. She was told to get some of the
beauty of Proserpine, the wife of Pluto, and put it in the box.
During her trip she was given tips on avoiding
the dangers of the realm of the dead. And also warned not to open the box.
Temptation would overcome Psyche and she opened the box. But instead of finding
beauty, she found deadly slumber
Mardi
Gras
In the third year of his reign, the King of Persia, Ahashverosh
(also known as Ahasuerus and Ahashuerus) decided to have a feast. It was
on the seventh day of these festivities that the King summoned his queen,
Vashti, to appear before him and demonstrate her beauty for the King's officials.
Vashti refused to appear. (According to the Talmud, G-d afflicted her with
leprosy to cause her downfall and Esther's rise.) Incensed, the King asked
his officers for a suitable punishment. One advisor, Memuchan (some think
he was was actually Haman), argued that Vashti should be killed for her
disobedience. The King took his advice and Vashti was killed
As time passed the King desired a new queen. To find a suitable
wife, a contest was initiated among all the eligible girls in the kingdom.
One of those was Esther, a Jewish girl. Esther had been raised by her relative
Mordechai after her parents' death. Mordechai instructed Esther not to divulge
her Jewishness when she went to meet the king. Each day Mordechai walked
by the court and inquired as to her well being. Esther impressed all who
met her, including the King, and she was elevated to queen
Years later the King elevated Haman , a descendant of Amelak,
the traditional enemy of the Jews, to the position of chief advisor. Haman
was a wicked and vain man who expected everyone to bow down to him. Mordechai
refused to bow because Jews are to bow only before G-D. Not content to just
punish Mordechai, Haman wanted to destroy the entire Jewish people in Persia.
He cast lots or PURIM to determine the day of annihilation
Haman went to the King, slandered the Jews, and convinced
the King to go along with his plans. Upon learning of the plot, Mordechai
tore his clothes, wore sackcloth and ashes, and walked through the city crying
loudly. When Esther heard of Mordechai's display she dispatched a messenger
to discover what was troubling her relative. Mordechai recounted the details
of the evil decree and instructed Esther to intercede on the Jews behalf.
Esther agreed to appear before the King and instructed Mordechai to organize
a three-day fast for all the Jews on her behalf
After completing the three-day fast, Esther entered the king's
inner court dressed in her most royal garb. The King inquired as to Esther's
desires. Esther replied that she wished to invite the King and Haman to a
banquet. After the feast Esther asked the King and Haman to a to return for
another banquet the next night. Haman left the banquet consumed with self
importance and pride, but these feelings were turned to anger when he saw
Mordechai. Haman went home, and his wife, Zeresh, advised him to construct
a gallows. Haman joyously acted upon the suggestion
That night, the King discovered that Mordechai had never
been rewarded for saving him from the assassination plot of two servants.
When Haman appeared in the court, the King decided that his trusted servant
should determine Mordechai's compensation. Haman , intending to obtain the
King's permission to hang Mordechai, unwittingly answered the King's questions.
The King asked Haman, "What should be done for the man the King wishes to
reward?" Haman, believing that Ahashverosh intended to reward him, replied
that the honoree should be dressed in royal clothing, ride upon a royal horse.
And be led through the city streets by an official proclaiming "This is what
is done to the man the King wishes to honor"
Ahashverosh agreed and instructed Haman to carry it out for
Mordechai, Crestfallen, Haman followed the King's orders. Haman's daughter,
mistakenly believing that her father was being led by Mordechai, dumped garbage
on her father, the horses' leader
At Esther's second banquet Haman's downfall continued. Esther
revealed Haman's villainous plot and the fact that she was Jewish. She asked
the King to "grant me my soul and my people." Ahashverosh consumed with anger
ordered that Haman be hanged on the gallows intended for Mordechai. The King
elevated Mordechai to a position of great influence and allowed him to issue
edicts permitting the Jews to fight their enemies. On the thirteenth and
fourteenth of Adar the Jews won tremendous victories and were saved from
the threat of total annihilation
Ever since, Jews have observered Purim. The day before Purim
is a day of fasting, in memory of Esther's fast. The fast is then followed
by two days of dancing, merrymaking, feasting and gladness
Father's Day, contrary to popular misconception, was not established
as a holiday in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards.
In fact when a "father's day" was first
Rosh
Hashanah
Yom
Kippur
Halloween
is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back thousands of years.
The holiday we know as Halloween has had many influences from many cultures
over the centuries. From the Roman's Pomona Day, to the Celtic festival of
Samhain, to the Christian holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days.
Hundreds
of years ago in what is now Great Britain and Northern France, lived the
Celts. The Celts worshipped nature and had many gods, with the sun god as
their favorite. It was "he" who commanded their work and their rest times,
and who made the earth beautiful and the crops grow.
The
Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st. It was celebrated every
year with a festival and marked the end of the "season of the sun" and the
beginning of "the season of darkness and cold."
The
Celts believed, that during the winter, the sun god was taken prisoner by
Samhain, the Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darkness.
On
the eve before their new year (October 31), it was believed that Samhain
called together all the dead people. The dead would take different forms,
with the bad spirits taking the form of animals. The most evil taking the
form of cats.
On
October 31st after the crops were all harvested and stored for the long winter
the cooking fires in the homes would be extinguished. The Druids, the Celtic
priests, would meet in the hilltop in the dark oak forest (oak trees were
considered sacred). The Druids would light new fires and offer sacrifices
of crops and animals. As they danced around the the fires, the season of
the sun passed and the season of darkness would begin.
When
the morning arrived the Druids would give an ember from their fires to each
family who would then take them home to start new cooking fires. These fires
would keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits.
The
November 1st festival was named after Samhain and honored both the sun god
and Samhain. The festival would last for 3 days. Many people would parade
in costumes made from the skins and heads of their animals. This festival
would become the first Halloween.
During
the first century the Romans invaded Britain. They brought with them many
of their festivals and customs. One of these was the festival know as Pomona
Day, named for their goddess of fruits and gardens. It was also celebrated
around the 1st of November. After hundreds of years of Roman rule the customs
of the Celtic's Samhain festival and the Roman Pomona Day mixed becoming
1 major fall holiday.
The
next influence came with the spread of the new Christian religion throughout
Europe and Britain. In the year 835 AD the Roman Catholic Church would make
November 1st a church holiday to honor all the saints. This day was called
All Saint's Day, or Hallowmas, or All Hallows. Years later the Church would
make November 2nd a holy day. It was called All Souls Day and was to honor
the dead. It was celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and people dressing
up as saints, angels and devils.
The
spread of Christianity did not make people forget their early customs. On
the eve of All Hallows, Oct. 31, people continued to celebrate the festival
of Samhain and Pomona Day. Over the years the customs from all these holidays
mixed. October 31st became known as All Hallow Even, eventually All Hallow's
Eve, Hallowe'en, and then - Halloween.
The
Halloween we celebrate today includes all of these influences, Pomona Day's
apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of Sanhain's black cats, magic, evil
spirits and death, and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saint's
Day and All Soul's Day.
When
Rome was a great Empire ruled by Caesar Augustus and Israel was governed
by King Herod, in the village of Nazareth lived Joseph and Mary. Joseph was
a carpenter and Mary was a young virgin who would become his wife. Mary told
Joseph of a dream in which she was visited by an angel who told her she had
been chosen to bear the Son of God and his name was to be Jesus.
One
day the emperor sent notice that all persons were to register for a new tax.
They were instructed to return to the towns of their birth. Joseph and Mary
left Nazareth for Bethlehem. Mary who was with child, and close to the birth,
rode on a donkey while Joseph walked beside her. They traveled for many days
and only rested at night.
When
they reached Bethlehem it was night. They looked for a place to rest but
there were no empty rooms when they reached the inn. As they were being turned
away Joseph mentioned his wife was with child and close to birth. The inn
keeper took pity on them and told them of some caves in the nearby hills
that shepherds would stay with their cows and sheep.
So
Joseph and Mary went up into the hills and found the caves. In one cave was
a stable room. Joseph cleaned it and made beds of fresh hay. He found a feeding
trough which he cleaned and filled with hay to use as a crib. The next night
Mary gave birth to a son and they named him Jesus, as the angle had
said.
When
the child was born a great star appeared over Bethlehem that could be seen
for miles around. In the fields nearby shepards were tending their flocks.
An angel appeared to them surrounded by bright light. The shepherds were
frightened and tried to run.
"Fear
Not," said the angel, "For I bring you tidings of great joy. For unto you
is born this day in Bethlehem - a Saviour who is Christ the Lord."
"And
this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes and lying in a manger."
Suddenly
the sky was filled with angels, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in
the Highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men."
After
the angels departed the shepards set out for Bethlehem. When they reached
the cave they found the stable and inside was the child wrapped in swaddling
clothes.
As
the star shined over Bethlehem, in the east three kings would see it. They
knew it was a sign and they set off to follow the star. There was Caspar
- the young King of Tarsus, Melchior - a long bearded old man and leader
of Arabia, and Balthazar - the king from Ethiopia. They traveled on camels
for many days over the mountains, and through the deserts, and plains. Always
following the bright star.
When
they finally arrived in Bethlehem they found the child in the manger. The
3 kings bowed to their knees and offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh. They would stay the night in the cave and the next day returned to
their lands to spread the news.
Long ago in the land of Judea there was a Syrian king,
Antiochus. The king ordered the Jewish people to reject their G-d, their
religion, their customs and their beliefs and to worship the Greek gods.
There were some who did as they were told, but many refused. One who refused
was Judah Maccabee
Judah and his four brothers formed an army and chose as
their name the word "Maccabee", which means hammer. After three years of
fighting, the Maccabees were finally successful in driving the Syrians out
of Israel and reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. The Maccabees wanted to
clean the building and to remove the hated Greek symbols and statues. On
the 25th day of the month of Kislev, the job was finished and the temple
was rededicated
When Judah and his followers finished cleaning the temple,
they wanted to light the eternal light, known as the N'er Tamid, which is
present in every Jewish house of worship. Once lit, the oil lamp should never
be extinguished
Only a tiny jug of oil was found with only enough for a
single day. The oil lamp was filled and lit. Then a miracle occurred as the
tiny amount of oil stayed lit not for one day, but for eight days
Jews celebrate Chanukah to mark the victory over the Syrians
and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. The Festival of the Lights,
Chanukah, lasts for eight days to commemorate the miracle of the oil. The
word Chanukah means "rededication"
In America, families celebrate Chanukah at home. They give
and receive gifts, decorate the house, entertain friends and family, eat
special foods, and light the holiday menorah
SHIN, HEY,
GIMEL, NUN
SAINT
PATRICK'S
DAY
Patrick,
Saint (389-461), called the Apostle of Ireland, Christian prelate. His birthplace
is uncertain, but it was probably in northwestern Italy; his British name
was Succat. At 16 years of age he was carried off by Irish raiders and passed
his captivity as a herdsman near the mountain Slemish in county Antrim (according
to tradition) or in county Connacht (Connaught). The young herdsman saw visions
in which he was urged to escape, and after six years of slavery he did so,
to the northern coast of Gaul. Ordained a priest, possibly by Saint Germanus,
at Auxerre, he returned to Ireland. Sometime after 431, Patrick was appointed
successor to St. Palladius, first bishop of Ireland. Patrick put his efforts
into on the west and north of Ireland, establishing his parish at Armagh.
Patrick's two surviving works are written in Latin and show his knowledge
of the Vulgate(Latin) translation of the Bible. In one of these works, the
Confessions, Patrick portrays himself as an simple man in an unequal contest
with the powerful and learned followers of church doctrine during his time.
His reported use of the shamrock as an example of the Trinity led to its
being regarded as the Irish national symbol.
THE
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
MARY
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
APRIL FOOL'S
DAY
New Year's Eve
COLUMBUS
DAY
![[Columbus Portrait]](ccport2.jpg)
This continent was not even named after Columbus, but an
Italian explorer named Amerigo Vespucci. In 1792, a ceremony was held in
New York honoring Columbus, and a monument was dedicated to him. Soon after
that, the city of Washington was officially named the District of Columbia
and became the capital of the United States. In 1892, a statue of Columbus
was raised at the beginning of Columbus Avenue in New York City. At the Columbian
Exposition held in Chicago that year, replicas of Columbus's three ships
were displayed.
PRESIDENT'S
DAY
Saint Isadore of
Seville
All Saint's
Day
![[IMAGE]](misc54.gif)
Ash
Wednesday
OF THIS
PAGE
