New Year’s Eve However, in a literal translation, it means “Passage from the Old to the New Year”. It is a common belief among Vietnamese people that there are 12 Sacred Animals from the Zodiac taking turn monitoring and controlling the affairs of the earth. Thus, Giao Thua (New Year’s Eve)is the moment of seeing the old chief end his ruling term and pass his power to the new chief .Giao Thua is also the time for Ong Tao (Kitchen God) to return to earth after making the report to the Jade Emperor. Every single family should offer an open-air ceremony to welcome him back to their kitchen. 5.
In certain parts of Germany, Advent begins on the 11th November, on Saint Martin's Day. Depending on the country, various saints (Saint Martin, Saint Catherine, Saint Eligius, Saint Barbe, Saint Nicholas or Saint Lucia) are honoured in a meaningful way during this period. These celebrations sometimes become more important than Christmas itself. • The Advent Crown The Advent Crown, made of woven fir branches and four candles, representing the four seasons of the year, appeared quite late in the Protestant regions of Germany. It reached Scandinavia before spreading to various other countries.
Amanda Michel Explanatory Essay 3 October 22, 2012 The History of Thanksgiving and Football: An American Tradition All over the world, people celebrate holidays. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “Holiday” this way: A day free from work that one may spend at leisure, especially a day on which custom or the law dictates a halting of general business activity to commemorate or celebrate a particular event, or, “A religious feast day, a holy day”. We look at our holidays today and think of the first definition. Thanksgiving was one of those holidays. When the colonists, or pilgrims as we call them, landed at Plymouth Massachusetts, it was the beginning of winter and they had very little time to prepare anything
THE TWELFTH NIGHT Twelfth night is a name commonly given to the Christian Feast of the Epiphany, which is celebrated on the 6th of January and which commemorates the coming of the Magi- the 3 wise men to where Christ was born. They brought with them the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, which were appropriate for an infant king. Winter festivals Almost all societies and cultures find it necessary to have some kind of holiday in the middle of winter. The ancient Romans used to hold an annual ‘Saturnalia’ for about a week in the middle of December. During this period all forms of public order were suspended, the law courts and schools were closed, trading ceased and no criminals were executed.
However some other people believe that Christmas is not a celebration of Christ as even though Historians doe believe he was born on the 25th they are unsure of which month and it is likely it is a summer month. The Church may have chosen the 25th of December so as to compete with pagan rituals. It is also suggested that Christmas is actually the celebration of Greek God Mithra rather than the birth of Jesus. Many Christmas customs that we have today began long before the birth of Jesus and originated from earlier festivals which were nothing to do with the Christian Church. Christmas today may be based on Christian beliefs but they are no longer practised by the majority in Britain.
Samhain dates back to the ancient Celts who lived 2,000 years ago. “On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth (“Halloween”). Samhain, the Pagan holiday, in on November 1st but their celebrations did and still do start at sunset on October 31st. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes and danced around the bonfire. In addition to celebrations and dance, it was believed that the thin veil between the physical world and the other world provided extra energy for communications between the living and the dead.
Some such surroundings include the parades, the drinking aspect of the holiday, public schools, and how everyone celebrates as Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day has primarily been a religious event. “Until the 1970’s, pubs were required by law to close on March 17th.” (Religion Facts). After all, the day is set aside to celebrate the death of a saint. “In Dublin, it is a weeklong event called St. Patrick’s Festival.” (Religion Facts).
Over the past century in society, a new social climate has made its imprint on religious traditions, ceremonies, and holidays. Through the examination of Christmas, it has become apparent that tradition has taken a back seat to the age of materialism, and that Christmas, which may be based on tradition, is driven by consumerism. The origin of Christmas is an issue that floats around many different answers. According to David C. Pack, president of the Restored Church of God - a church founded in the early 20th century in Tennessee- and writer of the article, The True Origin of Christmas, nearly “all aspects of Christmas observance have their roots in Roman custom and religion”. He goes on to say that the “earliest reference to Christmas being marked as December 25th comes from the 2nd century after Jesus’ birth”.
Halloween started with the festival of Samhain. It was celebrated by the Celtics of Ireland on November 1st and was considered the end of summer; the date on which the herds were returned from pasture. It was also believed to be a time when the souls of those who had died would return to visit their homes. Villages lit bonfires on hilltops for the lighting of their hearth fires, which kept their houses warm in the winter, but also to frighten away evil spirits. They sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the ghosts thought to be present.
There were several attempts early in the 17th century to colonize New England by France, England and other countries who were in often in contention for lands in the New World. French nobleman Pierre Dugua de Monts (Sieur de Monts) established a settlement on Saint Croix Island, Maine in June 1604 under the authority of the King of France. The small St. Croiz River Island is located on the northern boundary of present-day Maine. After nearly half the settlers perished due to a harsh winter and scurvy, they moved out of New England north to Port-Royal of Nova Scotia (see symbol "R" on map to the right) in the spring of 1605. [3] King James I of England, recognizing the need for a permanent settlement in New England, granted competing royal charters to the Plymouth Company and the London Company.