Religious Holidays
Since the beginning of time, people have set aside certain days for giving thanks to a divine being for the good things in their lives. The earliest peoples held feasts and festivals in honor of events that were important to them in their daily lives.
The change of seasons, the planting time and harvest, and the summer and winter solstices were celebrated with joyful ceremonies. Offerings were made to the gods for the first fruits and grains of the harvest. As civilizations advanced, some of
the pagan customs were taken over by the church and given new religious meanings. The word “holiday” really means “holy day.”
Each of the world’s religions has its important holidays. Often these holidays celebrate the same event, but at different times and in different ways. Many countries and religions use the Gregorian calendar, in which the year begins in January
and ends in December. The Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian. Thus, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the New Year on January 14. The Jewish people begin their religious year in the Hebrew month
of Tishri. Tishri starts in September or October on the Gregorian calendar. In Asia and Africa some people use the lunar calendar, which is based on the movements of the moon.
Holidays that fall at different times each year, such as Easter, are called movable holidays. Holidays that always fall on the same date, such as Christmas, All Saints’ Day, and Candlemas, are called immovable holidays.
In many countries each little town and village has its own special festivals and saints’ days. They may be unknown in the next village. Among the saints who occupy a high place in the Christian Church everywhere is Saint John the Baptist.
His birthday, June 24, is widely celebrated with special church services and processions. Bonfires are lighted on the eve of the feast. With the exception of Saint John’s, all saints’ days celebrate the anniversary of the death of the saints.
The day of death is thought of as the time the saints are born again to glory.
The first day of the week, Sunday, is a holy day for most Christians. It was the day of Christ’s Resurrection. Churches hold services, and most people rest from their usual work. It is generally a legal holiday throughout the United States.
The Seventh-Day Adventists, a Christian sect, observe the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as their sabbath.
The Jewish sabbath also falls on Saturday. It begins at sunset on Friday and lasts until sunset on Saturday. Shabath is Hebrew for “to rest.”
The Mohammedans keep Friday as their day for special services. They are not expected to rest from work except during midday prayer.
Ember Days are periods of fasting and special prayers in the calendars of the Roman Catholic and Protestant Episcopal churches. Ember Days come at the beginning of each quarter of the church year—in the spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Long ago, ministers could be admitted to holy orders only during Ember Days, but this is no longer so. Nor are the exact dates and observance of Ember Days firmly established. The decision as to when and if Ember Days are to be observed is left to the
discretion of the conference of bishops in each locality.
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Spring and Summer Holidays
Easter is the most important movable feast of the Christian Church. Its date fixes the dates of the holidays connected with it—Lent, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Palm Sunday, and others. Shrove Tuesday falls on the day
before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. At one time people confessed their sins before Lent. They were pardoned, or “shriven.” The day has many other names. In England it is sometimes called Pancake Tuesday. In France and
in some southern cities of the United States it is called Mardi Gras. “Mardi Gras” is French for “Fat Tuesday.” This name came from the custom of housewives’ cleaning their cupboards of the fats, eggs, and other foods
that are not eaten during the fast days that follow. They used up the forbidden ingredients in pancakes, doughnuts, and other rich foods. Since Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the fast, it is a time for feasting and fun.
Ascension Day, also called Ear of Wheat Thursday, falls on the 40th day after Easter—always on Thursday. It is considered the oldest feast of the Christian Church. It commemorates Jesus’ Ascension, or rising, from earth into
heaven. Some churches call the day Holy Thursday, but it is not to be confused with the Holy Thursday that falls just before Easter.
Ten days after Ascension Day, or 50 days after Easter, is Pentecost, or Whitsunday. Pentecost comes from the Greek word pentekoste, meaning “50th day.” Many new Christians were baptized at Pentecost. They dressed in white
clothing for the ceremony. For this reason the day came to be called White Sunday in England. It was later shortened to Whitsunday. Pentecost ranks with Christmas and Easter among the great feasts of Christianity, for it marks the birthday of the
Christian Church. It commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit with his gift of faith to the Apostles and Disciples. Some European countries observe the Monday following Whitsunday as a legal holiday.
At about the same time, the Jewish people celebrate Shabuoth, or Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks. It, too, is called Pentecost, because it falls on the 50th day after the second day of Passover. It is a time for giving
thanks for the spring harvest and the Ten Commandments. Boys and girls are confirmed on this holiday. The Christian Church had its beginning on the feast of Shabuoth.
Trinity Sunday is the Sunday after Whitsunday, 57 days after Easter. The Feast of Corpus Christi (the feast of “the body of Christ”) is celebrated the following Thursday. Catholics in many countries hold colorful religious
processions on this day. Priests in beautiful robes carry the Blessed Eucharist through streets that have been strewn with flowers.
Annunciation Day, also known as Lady Day, March 25, usually falls during Lent. This church feast commemorates the angel Gabriel’s message to the Virgin Mary that she was to become the mother of Jesus.
The Jewish Arbor Day, Hamishah Asar B’Shevat, is celebrated on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. Shevat marks the beginning of spring in Israel and falls in January or February on the Gregorian calendar. The children in Israel plant
trees on this day.
The Hindu fire festival, known as Holi or Basant, is celebrated in India in March or April. In Bengal the Holi festival honors Krishna, a Hindu god. Thailand honors its Lord Buddha in a 3-day religious festival called Visakha Puja.
Wesak, in Sri Lanka, is like the Christian Easter and Christmas. This great festival in honor of Buddha takes place at the time of the full moon. Homes are decorated with lanterns, and thousands of people go to the temples to pray. Id-al-Adha
is a Muslim festival commemorating the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son at God’s command.
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Fall and Winter Holidays
The most sacred period in the Jewish religious calendar, the High Holy Days, begins with Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, and ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Rosh Hashanah falls on the first day of the month of Tishri in the Hebrew
calendar. Orthodox Jews observe Rosh Hashanah for 2 days. Tishri may come anytime between about September 5 and October 5. According to Jewish belief it is during this period that God remembers the good and evil deeds of men and decides on rewards and
punishments. Yom Kippur, 10 days after Rosh Hashanah, is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. The Jewish people fast from sundown on the eve of Yom Kippur until sundown the next day. Yom Kippur eve and the day of Yom Kippur are spent in prayer in
the synagogues.
The Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles, or Sukkoth, comes in September or October. In many places boys and girls build small huts or tabernacles of branches. This is in memory of the huts in which the Jews lived during their years of wandering
through the wilderness. The festival lasts 8 or 9 days and is a thanksgiving for the fall harvest.
Feast of All Saints, November 1, also known as All Hallows or Hallowmas, is an important feast of the Roman Catholic Church. It honors all the saints—particularly those who do not have a day of their own.
All Souls’ Day, November 2, is observed by the Roman Catholic Church. Requiem masses are said for the souls of the faithful.
Martinmas, on November 11, honors Saint Martin and is a harvest feast in many European countries. It was the Thanksgiving Day of the Middle Ages. Harvest foods and roast goose are eaten. Often the new wine is tasted.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, on December 8, is a time of great celebration in Spain. It is also Mother’s Day in that country.
The Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, is Mexico’s greatest religious holiday. It commemorates the Virgin Mary’s appearance before a humble Mexican peasant. A church was built on the spot where she appeared. Thousands of people
visit the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Advent (from the Latin adventus, meaning “a coming”) is observed by Christian churches in honor of the coming of Christ. It covers a period that includes the four Sundays before Christmas. It is marked by solemn observances, prayer,
and fasting.
Epiphany, on January 6, marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas. “Epiphany” is from the Greek word for “manifestation.” It is the day when Jesus manifested, or showed, himself to the Magi. Epiphany was a church festival
before Christmas was observed. It is also known as Twelfth Night, Three Kings’ Day, Little Christmas, and Festival of the Kings, and by other names. It commemorates the visit by the Magi, or three kings, to the manger at Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
In many countries it is a day for presenting gifts.
Id-al-Fitr marks the end of the Mohammedan month of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Id-al-Fitr is like the Christian’s Christmas. Dressed in new clothes, people go to the mosques to pray. They then visit with family
and friends.
Candlemas, on February 2, is also known as the Purification of the Virgin Mary. It celebrates the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple 40 days after his birth, and the purification of his mother. On this day the year’s supply
of candles for the church is blessed.
Reviewed by Lavinia Dobler
Author, Customs and Holidays Around the World
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