Some things you may not know about holidays.

Hey, I’ve been out for a while. Was down sick for a week, which ended up being from a parasite. The parasite had a name approximately 6000 times bigger than it was, so don’t ask. Anyway, I do feel better now.  There are some photos of all this on the pictures page under family and scroll down. now read my rant about the holidays.

We also had our fall festival and halloween stuff to do. Then I had training in Midland most of this week. So been running around.

I just wanted to share my opinion on some things. Most of all Holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc. I find it a bit ridiculous and some what extreme the way some people take the holidays. Some are all out for it and some all out against them. Usually the ones against it, from what I see, will name it something different to keep from celebrating a holiday. For instance “Fall Festival” instead of Halloween.

This I find is stupid. Most people that grow up dressing as a ghost, goblin, spider man, or a witch….do not grow up to cast spells, rule the dark side, or kill people. It does not condemn them to hell, or keep them from salvation. Changing the name of the holiday will not dismiss the meaning of the holiday.

Lets look at some Holidays and their meaning: Sources from Wikipedia

Halloween – Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [?s?aun?]; from the Old Irish samain).^[2] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of theharvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes^[3] regarded as the “Celtic New Year.”^[4] Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient Celtic pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to copy the evil spirits or placate them.^[5][6]

[edit]Origin of name

The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows’ Even (both “even” and “eve” are abbreviations of “evening,” but “Halloween” gets its “n” from “even”) as it is the eve of “All Hallows’ Day,”^[7] which is now also known as All Saints’ Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,^[8] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints’ Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints’ Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

 

Christmas – Christmas (IPA: /kr?sm?s/), also referred to as Christmas Day or Christmastide, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25^[2] that marks and honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.^[3][4][5] His birth, which is the basis for the Anno Domini system of dating, has been determined by modern historians as having occurred between 7 and 2 BC. The date of celebration is not thought to be Jesus’ actual date of birth, and may have been chosen to coincide with ancient Roman solar festivals that were held on December 25.^[6]

Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of various decorations—including the Christmas tree,lights, mistletoe, nativity scenes and holly. Santa Claus (also referred to as Father Christmas, although the two figures have different origins) is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas. Santa is generally believed to be the result of a syncretizationbetween St. Nicholas of Myra and elements from pagan Nordic and Christian mythology, and his modern appearance is believed to have originated in 19th century media.

Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. The holiday is widely celebrated around the world, including in the United States, where it is celebrated by 96% of the population.^[7]

A Christmas tree, Yule tree, holiday tree or Tannenbaum (German: fir tree) is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration ofChristmas. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colorful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story.

 

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply “Santa“, is the figure who, in Western cultures, is described as bringing gifts on Christmas Eve, December 24^[1] or on his Feast Day, December 6.^[2] The legend may have its basis inhagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of Saint Nicholas.

The modern depiction of Santa Claus as a fat, jolly man (or gnome) wearing a red coat and trousers with white cuffs and collar, and black leather belt and boots, became popular in the United States in the 19th century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast.^[3] This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, and films. In the United Kingdom and Europe, his depiction is often identical to the American Santa, but he is commonly called Father Christmas.

One legend associated with Santa says that he lives in the far north, in a land of perpetual snow. The American version of Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, while Father Christmas is said to reside in Lapland. Other details include: that he is married and lives with Mrs. Claus; that he makes a list of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior; that he delivers presents, including toys, candy, and other presents to all of the good boys and girls in the world, and sometimes coal or sticks to the naughty children, in one night; and that he accomplishes this feat with the aid of magical elves who make the toys, and eight or nine flying reindeer who pull his sleigh.^[4][5]

There has long been opposition to teaching children to believe in Santa Claus. Some Christians say the Santa tradition detracts from thereligious origins and purpose of Christmas. Other critics feel that Santa Claus is an elaborate lie, and that it is unethical for parents to teach their children to believe in his existence.^[6] Still others oppose Santa Claus as a symbol of the commercialization of the Christmas holiday, or as an intrusion upon their own national traditions.^[7]

 

 

Easter – The modern English term Easter developed from the Old English word ?astre or ?ostre, which itself developed prior to 899. The name refers to theEostur-monath, a month of the Germanic calendar which may have been named for the goddess ?ostre in Anglo-Saxon paganism, attested by Bede.^[5]Bede describes the pagan worship of ?ostre among the Anglo-Saxons as having died out before the time he was writing. In 1835, Jacob Grimmproposed an equivalent Old High German name, *Ostara, in his work Deutsche Mythologie. An amount of scholarly theory and speculation surrounds the figure. 

 

Easter (Greek: ?????, Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year.^[1] Christians believe that Jesuswas resurrected from the dead two days^[2] after his crucifixion, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Sunday, two days after Good Friday. The year of this resurrection is variously estimated between the years 26 and 36 AD (see also Chronology of Jesus). Many non-sectarian cultural elements, such as the Easter Bunny, have become part of the holiday’s modern celebrations, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike.

Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season of prayer and penance.

 

 

If you read this far then you can see that most of the “famous” holidays are both linked to very good Christian values and pagan rituals. So, this is my thought. 

I grew up believeing in Santa Claus….did not know that much about him and did not really care except the old guy would usually bring me something once a year….good or not. I feel it is safe to say that a child growing up believeing in santa is not permantly harmed in any way. If they grow up dressing up and something scarey or watching horor films when they are teenagers…does not harm them permanatly in anyway….(except me when I watch the original exorsist the first time…still scares me).  

It is all about when those children get older and they ask the questions or when you, as the parent, decided they are ready to know (while remembering they are the kids). I feel it is not as bad as some make it out to be. For goodness sake they are kids. If you have one that has an imagination, if don’t then get worried. If your child starts shooting imaginary indians, or space creatures….I am almost certain he can still be saved by the grace of God and can graduate to a PHD in due time. 

 

Anyway….if you don’t like the holidays or try to find the evil in them…do me a favor…do it at your house with your kids and do not ruin the occasion for my family. I got a better thing for you to do also, so you don’t sit on your dead butt for 90% of the year. Find the evil in going out to eat or tv, or blaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!