A Comparative Analysis of Near East Religious Holidays

It is no wonder, then, that the most celebrated holidays are from the world’s religions. Most religions each have their own special festivals and special days, and many of these have similar themes and traditions. Many holidays are a time of family, fraternity and celebration while others are a time of penitence and self-reproach. Families gather together to share stories of holidays past, and pass the traditions of their faith along to younger generations. What better time to share stories of their beliefs than these holy days,

From a secular point of view , holidays are usually a time of leisure, i.e. work holidays. However, most American holidays are in fact historical holidays and not religious. Out of the federal holidays only , Christmas and Good Friday are religious, In many cultures, America included, holidays have become highly commercialized. You can now walk into any department store at any time of year and likely see some type of holiday decorations, foods, clothing, etc. It comes as no surprise that during the winter holidays revenue increases up to 6 percent at retail stores—higher than at any other time

Around 325 CE, the current dating system was decided to choose the date that Jesus Christ’s resurrection was celebrated. From www.factmonster.com, “Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the paschal full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox . . .” the Christians adopted the tradition of the egg, symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus Christ from his tomb. The Roman Catholics observed Lent around this time, and often the end of lent coincided with Easter. Catholics also celebrate the Feast of Annunciation, which celebrates the day that the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was to give birth to the son of God. approximately nine months before Christmas, Since eggs were forbidden during this holiday, they were a special treat in the days following their fast.

Many religious holidays carry similar themes. The first theme we will look at is “birth”. Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the personification of God, on December 25, as was discussed earlier. Those of the Baha’i faith celebrate the Birth of Bab and the Birth of the Bahallah, prophets and founders of their religion, respectively. Zen Buddhists celebrate Buddha’s birthday, or Vesak, around April 8th. In pagan traditions, the winter solstice marks the birth of the sun, while other ancient beliefs declare the rebirth of the sun at this time. Rebirth is another theme prevalent in religious holidays. Easter is the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, while the Jewish “New Year’s day”, Yom Kippur, encourages the rebirth of the self during the upcoming year. In Buddhist traditions, the enlightenment of Buddha is celebrated. Birth and rebirth holidays are for the most part joyful celebrations. Many include gift giving, feasts and worship. These are often times of gratefulness, for where would they be without their god?

Some topics in this essay:
, Pagans Celts, Ancient Scandinavians, Goddess Garden, Christ’s Birthday, Yom Kippur, Hallow’s Eve, Yule Log, Vesak April, Feast Annunciation, winter solstice, religious holidays, holiday halloween, equinox solstice, solstice marks, summer solstice, celebrate birth, yom kippur, share stories, living world,