Histories Of Holidays

Histories Of Holidays

The word ‘holiday’ comes from an Old English word meaning ‘holy day’. In non-American English, being ‘on holiday’ means traveling, or ‘vacation’.

In the United States, a federal holiday is one that has been officially designated by the government. Any employee of a governmental agency, such as a library or post office, has a paid day off work. Non-government employers are not required to close their offices, but many do because of tradition and/or patriotism.

Below is a list of common (and not-so-common) holidays with an American focus, along with their purposes, origins, trivia, and perhaps some snarky comments.

An asterisk (*) in front of a holiday’s name indicates that it’s a federal one.

Enjoy!

*NEW YEAR’S DAY
(January 1^st)

What it represents or honors
The beginning of a new year, according to the Gregorian calendar.

How people observe
Being hungover, making resolutions (about 8% of which are kept).

Notes
Julius Caesar inadvertently introduced New Year’s Day in 45 _B.C.E., when he reformed the Roman calendar to honor the god Janus, the namesake of January who had two faces, enabling him to look back and forward at the same time.

Known as the Julian calendar, it remained for about 1627 years but was replaced with the Gregorian calendar, which has been in use since Pope Gregory XIII introduced it in 1582 _C.E.

Many other calendars have been implemented throughout history but this system is the most-utilized one worldwide, largely because of European colonization.

The Hebrew calendar places us in 5779, the number of years since Creation. In this system, there are no set day lengths but Sun-up for day, Sun-down for night. Nice idea, though Jews close to the north and south poles must have some pretty funky days to contend with.

The Islamic version begins when Muhammad and his followers established the first Muslim community in what is now Medina, Saudi Arabia. This occurred in Gregorian year 622, but the Islamic calendar has about ten less days, so their current year is 1440.

The Chinese do not keep track of years but employ a cycle of 12 animals. According to legend, Emperor Huangdi invented the calendar in 2637 _B.C.E. (Gregorian). Writing this in June of 2024 (Gregorian), the Chinese are currently in the Year Of The Dragon and celebrate their new year for a week in late January (again, Gregorian).

Opinion
The Gregorian New Year's Day is indirectly a religious holiday. How else would we have gotten to the number 2024?

Before the use of Common Era (_C.E.) got popular, years were known as _A.D., which was an abbreviation for the Latin phrase Anno Domini, the year of our lord. The year in question was however many had passed since Jesus of Nazareth was born. Throw a few popes into the mix and you've absolutely got a religious holiday, with Jesus rarely being mentioned.

*MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
(third Monday in January)

What it represents or honors
The life and accomplishments of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Junior.

How people observe
Parades, marches, learning and/or teaching about civil rights.

Notes
Some states resisted Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so it took 15 years to become official, was first celebrated in 1986, and was not observed nation-wide until 2000.

King non-violently opposed racial inequality, was the youngest person (at the time) to receive a Nobel Peace Prize, and made his famous “I Have A Dream” speech during 1963’s March On Washington, which he helped organize. He was assassinated in 1968 while planning a movement in support of the poor.

King’s birthday was January 15^th but is observed on the third Monday in January because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved some holidays from exact dates to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. The act was passed before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day existed but its precedent was used once the holiday was established.

VALENTINE’S DAY
(February 14^th)

What it represents or honors
Love, friendship, family, and/or general appreciation.

How people observe
Sending messages and/or gifts to lovers, friends, family members, and co-workers.

Notes
The ancient Pagan fertility festival called Lupercalia honored Romulus and Remus, the twins who were raised by wolves (the Latin word for ‘wolf’ is ‘lupus’) and founded Rome. The celebration ended with bachelors being paired with women.

In the 400s, the tradition was out-lawed and replaced by Christians (though the association with love came centuries later) to revere Saint Valentine, whose true identity is unknown. One hypothesis claims he was a priest who performed secret weddings during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. A similar idea points at Saint Valentine of Terni, who did the same. (Both were beheaded for defying the ruler.) The third thought is of another man named Valentine who helped Christians escape brutal treatment in Roman jails.

In Greek mythology, Eros shot people with arrows of gold or lead, to incite love or revulsion. The Romans adopted the story and re-named him Cupid (both mean ‘desire’). This god of love toyed with people’s emotions and became the arrow-shooter we know today.

*WASHINGTON’S DAY
(third Monday in February)

What it represents or honors
George Washington, commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and the unanimously-elected first president of the United States (1789).

How people observe
Aside from not working, there really are no traditions except for History enthusiasts, who read about or re-enact Washington’s deeds. This kind of makes sense, since he reportedly didn’t do much to celebrate his own birthday.

Notes
Washington’s Day became a federal holiday in 1879, though it’ll never be celebrated on his actual birthday, February 22^nd_, due to how the calendar works. Many places have combined it with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, February 12^th, and refer to it as Presidents’ Day to honor everybody who has served in the office.

Like all the federal holidays that take place on seemingly-random Mondays, the timing of this one was established by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

Also, Washington did not have wooden teeth. That myth likely came from the staining of his dentures, which were made of ivory and other materials. And he never chopped down a cherry tree nor confessed to doing so. The story was invented by one of his biographers because the public wanted interesting anecdotes about the leader.

LEAP DAY
(every four years on February 29^th)

What it represents or honors
An extra day added to the calendar because Earth’s orbit is actually about 365.24 days long, thus keeping the seasons accurate.

How people observe
Some places (like Anthony, Texas) have a festival honoring people who were born on Leap Day because they only get to truly celebrate their birthday every four years.

Notes
Due to some complicated math, Leap Day does not happen every hundred years, unless the year is also evenly divisible by 400. If the day happened every four years, the calendar would be slow after 100. By the time 400 comes around, things are just right. It was skipped in 1900 but not in 2000 and will be omitted again in 2100. (These years are all according to the Gregorian calendar.)

The extra day is added to February simply because it’s the shortest month. When January and February were added to the calendar, Roman king Numa Pompilius selected February as the “short” month because that was when Romans honored the dead.

ASH WEDNESDAY
(six weeks before Easter, starting in February or March)

What it represents or honors
The first day of Lent, a 40-day period (actually 46, but Sundays are reserved for celebration) that commemorates the time Jesus fasted in the wilderness before his ministry began.

How people observe
Praying, fasting, not eating meat on Fridays, having a priest put ash on one’s forehead as a sign of repentance.

Notes
Ash Wednesday happens on the day after Mardi Gras, which means ‘Fat Tuesday’ in French.

Recipients of the ashes usually hear something like, ‘Remember you are dust and to dust you will return’. Though not required to do so, some churches make ashes by burning palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.

Ash Wednesday probably began in the 1000s but didn’t become a mainstream holiday until the 1970s.

SAINT PATRICK’S DAY
(March 17^th)

What it represents or honors
The anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death in 461.

How people observe
Wearing green, marching in parades, eating and drinking Irish products.

Notes
Saint Patrick, who was born in Scotland, is the patron saint of Ireland. (A patron saint is one who represents something important, such as a country or cause, in Heaven.) He is credited with bringing Christianity to the country and explaining the Holy Trinity (father, son, holy spirit) using the three leaves of a shamrock. Though the latter part may be true, it is not known for sure and is therefore part of the day’s legend.

The saint’s color was actually a shade of blue but green has been adopted because of the Irish landscape. It’s also been said that wearing green makes one invisible to mischievous leprechauns.

Saint Patrick’s Day has been celebrated since at least the 900s and its first parade took place in the Spanish colony of Florida in 1601.

PALM SUNDAY
(the Sunday before Easter)

What it represents or honors
Jesus’s entry to Jerusalem and the beginning of the holy week leading to Easter.

How people observe
Re-enactment parades, telling the story of Jesus’s Passion (the events leading to his crucifixion), decorating buildings with palm fronds.

Notes
Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem by people waving palm leaves, which represented victory. In modern times, leaves are sometimes burned to provide ashes for the following year’s Ash Wednesday.

GOOD FRIDAY
(the Friday before Easter)

What it represents or honors
The crucifixion of Jesus and his death, which came approximately six hours after.

How people observe
Praying, attending religious services, not eating meat.

Notes
Although it commemorates negative events, Christians call it ‘Good’ Friday because they believe it was the day Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of humanity’s sins.

EASTER
(a Sunday between March 22^nd & April 20^th)

What it represents or honors
The resurrection of Jesus three days after his death.

How people observe
Church services, family gatherings, looking for eggs.

Notes
Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after a full Moon that’s on or after the vernal (Spring) equinox.

The word ‘Easter’ (probably) comes from the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, who symbolized fertility and Spring-time.

Eostre’s animal figure was a rabbit, which (again, probably) evolved into the Easter Bunny. Much like that creature itself, eggs have origins in Pagan traditions, as they represented new beginnings. They were colored to differentiate them from “regular” eggs and hidden for well-behaved children to find as a reward.

Easter Island, a territory of Chile called Rapa Nui by its natives and home to mysterious statues, is called that because Europeans found it on Easter. (Same with Christmas Island in Oceania.)

EID AL-FITR
(usually late March, though the date can vary)

What it represents or honors
The end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of dawn-to-dusk fasting.

How people observe
Mosque services, donating to charities that help the poor, sharing meals with family and friends.

Notes
Eid al-Fitr is Arabic for ‘festival of breaking the fast’.

Ramadan is important to Islam because it is believed that Muhammad began receiving the first verses of the Quran during this period around the year 609.

The appropriate way to address someone celebrating this is ‘Eid Mubarak’, which means ‘blessed feast/festival’ in Arabic and is pronounced Eed Moo-barak.

PASSOVER
(seven days in Israel, eight in the rest of the world in March and/or April)

What it represents or honors
The Israelites escaping slavery in Egypt.

How people observe
Consuming unleavened food, eating at least one celebratory meal (called a ‘seder’), telling the story that led to the holiday.

Notes
Always observed during the Hebrew month of Nisan.

Passover lasts seven days in Israel, a majority-Jewish country, because the first and final days require celebrants to abstain from working. The world outside of Israel uses the Gregorian calendar, so Passover was changed to eight days to accommodate.

When God sent angels to kill the first-born sons of Egyptians (the tenth plague), Jews put lamb’s blood on their doors so they would know to *pass over* their houses.

Unleavened bread (which has not grown due to lack of a rising agent like yeast) is eaten because the Jews left Egypt so quickly that their baked goods did not have time to develop.

CINCO DE MAYO
(May 5^th)

What it represents or honors
The unlikely Mexican victory over the French Empire (who successfully tried again the following year) at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

How people observe
In Puebla, parades, re-enactment ceremonies, dancing. In the rest of Mexico, it largely gets ignored since it is not a national holiday. In the United States, listening to Mexican music while eating and drinking Mexican products.

Notes
The Battle of Puebla saw French troops heading for Mexico City stopped in the small town of Puebla, even though the French had more experience and a greater amount of soldiers. This halt inadvertently prevented the French (under Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte) from aiding the Confederacy and potentially winning the U.S. Civil War.

People in the U.S. “celebrate” the day because it was begun by Mexicans in California in 1863. Over 100 years later, food and beverage companies have promoted its importance to sell more of their goods.

This is not Mexican Independence Day, which happens on September 16^th.

MOTHER’S DAY
(second Sunday in May)

What it represents or honors
All mothers, whether your own or otherwise.

How people observe
Sending cards, giving gifts, going to brunch.

Notes
Mother’s Day was created by the child-less social activist Anna Jarvis in 1908 and was made an official holiday six years later. After decades of promotion, Jarvis became disgusted by the holiday’s commercialization and (unsuccessfully) tried to get it cancelled.

Most countries celebrate mothers in some form on various days throughout the year.

*MEMORIAL DAY
(last Monday in May)

What it represents or honors
People who have died while serving in the U.S. military.

How people observe
Visiting military cemeteries, parades, buying mattresses and cars at a discount.

Notes
Made into a federal holiday in 1971 and originally called Decoration Day, the concept had Americans all over the country decorating soldiers’ graves with flowers and flags. Inspired by this, Waterloo, New York, claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day because residents were the first to decorate annually.

Memorial Day first honored those who died during the Civil War but expanded to all military exploits when World War One came about.

For many people, this day and its preceding weekend mark the unofficial beginning of Summer, prompting some to visit a beach.

Like all federal holidays that take place on seemingly-random Mondays, the timing of this one was established by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

Trivia
Arlington National Cemetery was built on Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s former plantation.

Some southern states celebrate Confederate Memorial Day, even though the federal holiday honors all who perished, including Confederate soldiers.

EID AL-ADHA
(usually in June)

What it represents or honors
Last day of Hajj (Arabic for ‘pilgrimage’), the ritualistic journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where Muhammad was born.

How people observe
Sacrificing animals to then divide the meat amongst families, praying, feasting.

Notes
This celebration has no effect on Hajj directly and falls on the 10^th day of 12^th month of the Muslim calendar.

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam (the other four being declaration of Muslim faith, praying toward Mecca five times daily, giving charity to those in need, and fasting during Ramadan) and is therefore required of every person over 12 years of age, if they are physically and financially able to make it. If not, a proxy may perform the task in the believer’s place.

An average of 1.5-2.5 million people perform the pilgrimage each year (excluding COVID restrictions), some dying from extreme heat, unauthorized entry, stampedes, and/or other causes.

FATHER’S DAY
(third Sunday in June)

What it represents or honors
All fathers, whether your own or otherwise.

How people observe
Giving gifts, hosting barbecues, spending time with family.

Notes
Father’s Day was first celebrated in 1910, though it wasn’t officially enacted until 1972. It was founded by Sonora Dodd, who was raised by a single father.

It did not have the same commercial success as Mother’s Day because receiving gifts was not seen as a “manly” endeavor. Those opposed to it unsuccessfully promoted a Parents’ Day to honor both at the same time.

Most countries celebrate fathers in some form on various days throughout the year.

*JUNETEENTH
(June 19^th)

What it represents or honors
The end of slavery in the United States in 1865, when the last slaves learned about their freedom. This occurred two years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

How people observe
Family gatherings, attending religious services, learning about the day’s history.

Notes
Juneteenth was made a federal holiday in 2021. It’s also known as Emancipation Day.

Celebrations began in Texas (because Galveston was the site of the last slaves hearing about their independence) in 1866 and quickly spread to other states.

*INDEPENDENCE DAY
(July 4^th)

What it represents or honors
The 13 American colonies declaring independence from England in 1776.

How people observe
Fireworks shows, barbecues, flying American flags.

Notes
Independence Day was declared a federal holiday in 1941, though it had been an unpaid holiday since 1870 and was first celebrated on July 8^th, 1776.

John Hancock was the first of 56 men to sign the Declaration Of Independence and the only one to do so on the 4^th. Everybody else added their signatures by August 2^nd.

If July 4^th falls on a weekend, the following Monday is declared a public holiday, which is why you sometimes see (observed) after holidays on calendars.

Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson co-wrote the Declaration Of Independence and both died on July 4^th, 1826 – exactly 50 years after the document’s adoption.

*LABOR DAY
(first Monday in September)

What it represents or honors
The accomplishments and contributions of American laborers.

How people observe
Barbecues, parades, sales on automobiles.

Notes
Labor Day was first observed in 1882 but was not an official federal holiday until 1894.

The person who proposed Labor Day is not known for sure but it was first planned by the Central Labor Union in New York City.

As people call Memorial Day the unofficial start of Summer, Labor Day is often referred to as the unofficial end.

The expression about not wearing white after Labor Day has to do with wealthy people putting light-colored clothes away after Summer vacation. Those who could not afford such a retreat would pretend to be rich by not wearing white. The notion was part of a list made by high-society women so they would not associate with people of “lesser” classes.

Although Labor Day happens on a seemingly random Monday, the day was approved when it was made a federal holiday and not decades later by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

ROSH HASHANAH
(two days in September and/or October)

What it represents or honors
The Jewish new year.

How people observe
Attending service at a synagogue, playing a trumpet-like instrument made from a ram’s horn (called a shofar), abstaining from work, eating traditional food such as apple honey and challah (a sweet bread).

Notes
Rosh Hashanah begins on the first day of the Hebrew month Tishri.

YOM KIPPUR
(one day in September or October)

What it represents or honors
A day of atonement, when Jews seek God’s forgiveness.

How people observe
Self-reflection, praying, reading from the Torah, fasting. Some also abstain from bathing and wearing leather.

Notes
Yom Kippur occurs on the 10^th day of Tishri and concludes the ten days of repentance.

*COLUMBUS DAY
(second Monday in October)

What it represents or honors
Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer credited with “discovering” America in 1492.

How people observe
Church services, parades, events in the Italian-American community.

Notes
Columbus Day was made a federal holiday in 1937 and has created controversy ever since because at least one group of Europeans found the “New World” centuries earlier and Natives had already been living on the continent for millennia.

Though all federal employees do not have work, Columbus Day is not recognized in 14 states. Four call it Indigenous People’s Day, one Native American Day, and it is known as Discoverer’s Day in Hawaii. The rest of the states simply ignore the holiday and who it represents.

There is a movement to instead honor Leif Erikson, the peaceful Norse explorer who was actually the first European to settle in the region. The United States honored Erikson by giving a statue of him to Iceland, which is in front of their famous Hallgrímskirkja church in the capital city of Reykjavík. The day in October, however, still endorses the Italian.

The goal of Columbus’s voyage was to find a trade route between Europe and Asia. Europeans at the time did not know continental land masses and the Pacific Ocean were in the way, though Vikings established colonies in what are now Greenland and Canada more than 500 years earlier.

For some mean-sounding but factual things about Columbus, he missed being the first European in the New World by hundreds of years, he never set foot in what would become the United States, Italy (and England and Portugal and France) did not support his exploration and Spain did only after his second appeal, he (perhaps accidentally) began the Atlantic slave trade, and he enslaved the Taino people of Hispaniola (now the island containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic), killing them off with brutal treatment, disease, or both. That last bit resulted in his arrest and title of Governor being stripped. He also referred to the natives as Indians even after it was known he did not land in India.

Columbus undoubtedly contributed to civilization by bridging Europe and the New World. Too bad he chose to be a selfish murderer instead of the heroic adventurer many have been taught to believe he was.

HALLOWEEN
(October 31^st)

What it represents or honors
All Hallows’ Eve, the day before All Saints’ Day, which celebrates saints who have entered Heaven.

How people observe
Carving pumpkins, watching scary movies, costumed children going door-to-door threatening to cause damage if they are not given candy.

Notes
Halloween began as Samhain (pronounced Sowin), a Gaelic festival marking the end of Summer. The Celts believed that ghosts took over Earth on the day, so they wore costumes to trick the spirits into not attacking them. Irish immigrants brought the practice to the U.S.

Trick-or-treating (probably) comes from an English tradition called Souling, which saw poor people going through their community to ask for donations. Sometimes, a performance (or ‘trick’) of some kind was requested by the gift-givers. How exactly it became what it is today is unknown.

DIWALI
(five days in October and/or November)

What it represents or honors
In northern India, Lord Rama’s return from a 14-year exile, imposed by his step-mother, who wanted her son to be King instead of him. Southern India celebrates Krishna’s annihilation of the demon Naraka, who stole lots of gold and women.

How people observe
Feasting, praying, watching fireworks, drawing rangoli (colorful flowers).

Notes
Known as the festival of lights, Diwali sees celebrants displaying rows of clay lamps to honor good’s victory over evil.

Many people buy gold and/or gamble during Diwali, hoping positive fortune will come their way in the new financial year.

Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists also commemorate Diwali with their own stories and traditions.

*VETERANS DAY
(November 11^th)

What it represents or honors
All who have ever served in the military.

How people observe
Thanking former soldiers, moments of silence, displaying American flags at half-mast.

Notes
Veterans Day was recognized as the end of World War One (then known as The Great War) in 1926 and made a federal holiday in 1938. It is observed on the date WW1 ended, at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month.

It was formerly called Armistice Day, which meant the day of a war-ending truce.

Canada, Belgium, Australia, and the United Kingdom (allies of the U.S. in WW1) honor their veterans on or around November 11^th and call it Remembrance Day. France (also an ally) still refers to it as Armistice Day.

No apostrophe is used in the name because officials felt the day should honor all who served, not any specific person or group.

*THANKSGIVING
(fourth Thursday in November)

What it represents or honors
Expressing gratitude for blessings from the past year.

How people observe
Family gatherings, over-eating, NFL football games. The American president (and some governors) also dedicate time to “pardoning” one turkey each year, saving it from being killed for dinner and instead getting sent to a farm or university.

Notes
Thanksgiving has been celebrated since the 1621 meal shared by Pilgrims and Natives in Massachusetts but was not made a federal holiday until 1863 by Abraham Lincoln.

There is no record of what was eaten during the 3-day period in 1621, but foods likely included ducks, shellfish, and berries. The current tradition of turkey was brought about by a movement promoting the bird because it lives exclusively in North America. Other foods often consumed include stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.

Some people of Native American heritage refer to Thanksgiving as a day of mourning because traditional stories show Europeans and Natives getting along while omitting years of bloody conflicts.

Canada has celebrated Thanksgiving, which is on a Monday in early October, since 1578. The American version of the holiday represents Pilgrims and religion while Canadians focus on being thankful for a good harvest.

The day after Thanksgiving has come to be called Black Friday. Many retailers offer big discounts at their stores, beginning early in the morning or, more recently, the night before.

HANUKKAH
(eight days beginning in late November or December)

What it represents or honors
The re-building and subsequent re-dedication of a holy Temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed in 168 _BCE by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who wanted everybody to worship Zeus and the other Greek gods.

How people observe
Lighting candles on a candelabrum called a menorah, playing games (such as Dreidel), eating traditional food like potato pancakes and doughnuts containing jam.

Notes
Hannukah starts on the 25^th day of the Hebrew month Kislev.

Originally, a menorah (Hebrew for ‘lamp’) had seven spaces for candles, symbolizing the seven days of Creation. These are still used, but modern menorahs have nine chambers. Candles must be added in a certain order and lit from the ninth one in the center, called a shamash, Hebrew for ‘helper’.

According to the Talmud (Judaism’s holiest book), a menorah was lit after the Temple was re-built. There was only enough oil to keep the candles aflame for one day, but they burned for eight, which was seen as a miracle.

Some Christians celebrate Hanukkah to connect with Jesus, who was Jewish and attended at least one Feast Of Dedication.

KRAMPUSNACHT
(December 5^th)

What it represents or honors
Krampus, a goat-like creature that punishes naughty children.

How people observe
Parades featuring people dressed like Krampus, complete with bells, whips, and sacks for kidnapping the wicked, who will be brought to a lair to be tortured and/or eaten.

Notes
This southern-German tradition falls on the eve of Feast of Saint Nicholas, the inspiration for Santa Claus, who wants to know which children have been good or bad.

There have been at least two attempts to get Krampus eliminated because of his resemblance to Satan.

Krampus’s name comes from an Old German word meaning ‘claw’ and is thought to be a child of Hel, Loki’s daughter and goddess of the underworld in Norse mythology.

*CHRISTMAS
(December 25^th)

What it represents or honors
The birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a.k.a. Jesus Christ, which was not his surname but a word from Greek meaning ‘messiah’.

How people observe
Family gatherings, decorating houses with lights, giving presents, drinking eggnog.

Notes
Christmas is celebrated worldwide and has been a federal holiday in the U.S. since 1870.

Jesus’s birth was not originally given attention (since celebrating birthdays was considered a Pagan idea) until the 300s, when Pope Julius I dedicated December 25^th to honor that event. Religious and secular scholars have said this was likely not the actual birthday of Jesus because the Bible does not give a date but *does* mention livestock being herded, which is not normally done in Winter.

There are many hypotheses about the date but it was likely chosen to divert the public’s attention from centuries-old holidays around that time of year.

Before Jesus’s time, Scandinavians observed Yule, which celebrated more Sunlight on Winter days beginning on December 21^st, the Winter solstice. They would burn logs while feasting, which is where the term ‘Yule log’ comes from.

In ancient Rome, Saturnalia – a period of hedonism (pleasure and chaos) to honor the agricultural god Saturn – was celebrated for a month starting the week before Winter solstice. During this time, the birth of the Sun-god Mithra was observed on December 25^th. Though celebrating Saturnalia was outlawed when Christianity became popular, many places promoted hedonism by having the wealthy cater to “lower” classes of society around the same time period, which is now observed on the day after Christmas, Boxing Day.

Americans rejected English ways of celebrating Christmas and adopted a family-centered model, often credited to author Washington Irving of Rip Van Winkle and Sleepy Hollow fame. At the same time, children were becoming more important parts of society, so the idea of giving them presents on Christmas became a new tradition.

Santa Claus was likely inspired by Saint Nicholas, a Turkish man who gave away his wealth and helped people however he could. In Dutch, he is known as Sinter Klaas, which became the English-language name Santa Claus. A poem from 1822 describes Saint Nicholas as a jolly man who flies around the world giving toys to children, and an 1881 cartoon by Thomas Nast gives the first image of Santa with a big beard wearing red. The poem also mentions flying reindeer, though the sad story about Rudolph’s creation is probably for another time.

Christmas has been banned in the past, notably by Protestant Puritans and in Nazi Germany.

Controversy has happened recently in the U.S. because there are plenty of people who celebrate something other than Christmas or nothing at all. Some favor the more-inclusive expression ‘Happy Holidays’ while traditionalists find that idea offensive.

BOXING DAY
(December 26^th)

What it represents or honors
Appreciation for servants.

How people observe
Since the day’s initial meaning has been lost, people tend to watch sports and shop for post-Christmas bargains.

Notes
In the British Empire, wealthy families would give gifts to the less-fortunate, usually in boxes. One hypothesis suggests that this was a form of Christmas for servants, since they were required to work on the actual holiday.

Boxing Day is observed by Commonwealth countries that have officially declared allegiance to the United Kingdom, such as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

KWANZAA
(December 26^th – January 1^st)

What it represents or honors
This secular (non-religious) holiday celebrates African culture, mostly in the United States but also in some other countries, such as Jamaica and Brazil, that have a large population of African descendants.

How people observe
Family gatherings and meals, hanging African artwork, lighting the kinara (a candle-holder similar to the Jewish menorah).

Notes
Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by American activist Maulana Karenga as an alternative to Christmas, focusing on African life and history.

The Swahili word ‘kwanza’ means ‘first’. Another ‘a’ was added to make seven letters because that number is an important part of the holiday. Each day and candle in the kinara represents one of the seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Kwanzaa is not observed in Africa, though the roots of it come from that continent, specifically in first fruits celebrations of the Nguni tribe.

NEW YEAR’S EVE
(December 31^st)

How people observe
Getting ready to do it all over again.

  

SOURCES:
google.com, nmaahc.si.edu, history.com, britannica.com, wikipedia.org, chabad.org, myjewishlearning.com, npr.org, nationalgeographic.com