Category: Information about Other Religions
Kwanzaa – History Traditions and More December 26th to January 1st
Kwanzaa
First Fruits
Kwanzaa is a time for families and communities to come together to remember the past and to celebrate African American culture.
Created in 1966 by Maulana Ron Karenga, Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates history, values, family, community and culture. The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are expressed in the Swahili language, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa. The seven principles which form its core were drawn from communitarian values found throughout the African continent. These principles are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Kwanzaa gets its name from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya kwanza” and is rooted in first fruit celebrations which are found in cultures throughout Africa both in ancient and modern times.
The History of Kwanzaa…
Click here to read the rest of this article and to watch videos from Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
Where did the idea of Santa Claus come from?
Santa Claus—otherwise known as Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle—has a long history steeped in Christmas traditions. Today, he is thought of mainly as the jolly man in red who brings toys to good girls and boys on Christmas Eve, but his story stretches all the way back to the 3rd century, when Saint Nicholas walked the earth and became the patron saint of children. Find out more about the history of Santa Claus from his earliest origins to the shopping mall Santas of today, and discover how two New Yorkers—Clement Clark Moore and Thomas Nast—were major influences on the Santa Claus millions of children wait for each Christmas Eve.
The Legend of St. Nicholas: The Real Santa Claus
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. One of the best-known St. Nicholas stories is the time he saved three poor sisters from… Click here to read more of this article on history.com
CONTENTS
The Legend of St. Nicholas: The Real Santa Claus
Sinter Klaas Comes to New York
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
In Keeping With Honoring Other Spiritual Paths Holidays – History of Christmas
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. December 25—Christmas Day—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.
WATCH: Christmas Documentaries on HISTORY Vault
How Did Christmas Start?
The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.
In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until… Click here to read the rest of this article on history.com
CONTENTS
Is Christmas Really the Day Jesus Was Born?
Honoring Other Religions/Spiritual Paths Holy Days and Holidays
Warning this article has not been proofread. I wrote it while listening to my Spirit Guides, Ancestors, and to me most important my heart. So I decided to leave the words stand as they came to me to be typed.
We as Pagans and witches would like to be accepted openly by society as other more mainstream religions are. Do be able to wear our pentacle, ankh, or other pagan pendants and amulets proudly displayed outside of our shirt, blouse, or dress as other people proudly display a symbol of the spiritual belief.
Granted, being a solitary witch is more the norm for us than belonging to a coven or other pagan groups. Have you ever asked yourself why this is? Or why is it so hard to find a coven, especially a face to face one? Putting it bluntly our spiritual paths are very misunderstood because of the horrible way movies, television shows, books, history, and word to ear stories are told. If people of other spiritual paths would read just one non-fiction book about witchcraft and ask a real, practicing witch about their lifestyle and beliefs public opinion would start to change for the better.
As pagans and witches I feel and think we should set the example of tolerance for other people’s religious beliefs. So, I have decided to further this train of thought by doing posts, starting this December, that will qgive us some insight into other spiritual paths/religions holy and holidays. My hope is that even those of us that have come to some type of pagan spiritual tradition from a “main stream” religion can lose some of the nasty taste leftover from our former spiritual walk while learning things about different religions worldwide. Just as ignorance about Paganism gives us a bad reputation throughout most of today’s cultures and societies, our ignorance of other religions can tend to make us think badly of those that follow them.
I ask you to please read the short definition I will post about each holy or holiday a day or two before it takes place to widen your knowledge of the many different spitual paths people walk and their traditions. Yes, just as there are witches who turn The Craft into something dark to fit their own needs and beliefs there are those of all religions that do the same. Just like we do not want to be judge as a whole by those few please do not judge everyone who follows another religion by the ones that twist it into something it is not.
Do not judge others unless you enjoy someone judging you.
Shalom To Our Jewish Friends as You Celebrate Hanukkah December 18th to 26th,
In 2022, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Sunday, Dec. 18 and lasts until sundown on Monday, Dec. 26.
Find a Hanukkah prep checklist here.
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah, which is Hebrew for “dedication,” is the Festival of Lights.
It commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greek army, and the subsequent miracle of rededicating the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and restoring its menorah, or lamp.
The miracle of Hanukkah is that only one vial of oil was found with just enough oil to illuminate the Temple lamp for one day, and yet it lasted for eight full days.
To read more about this interesting holiday, please copy and paste this link into your browser:
Https,://www.google.com/amp/s/www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hanukkah-2022/amp/
Religious Holidays August 2022
Monday | Lammas | Christian Holidays | Aug 1, 2022 | Yesterday |
Tuesday | Naga Panchami | Hindu Holidays | Aug 2, 2022 | Today |
Saturday | Tisha B’Av | Jewish Holidays | Aug 6, 2022 | in 4 days |
Monday | Ashura | Muslim Holidays | Aug 8, 2022 | in 6 days |
Monday | Ashura Eve | Muslim Holidays | Aug 8, 2022 | in 6 days |
Thursday | Raksha Bandhan | Hindu Holidays | Aug 11, 2022 | in 9 days |
Friday | Varalakshmi Vrata | Hindu Holidays | Aug 12, 2022 | in 10 days |
Saturday | Bon Festival | Buddhist Holidays | Aug 13, 2022 | in 11 days |
Monday | The Assumption of Mary | Christian Holidays | Aug 15, 2022 | in 13 days |
Thursday | Krishna Janmashtami | Hindu Holidays | Aug 18, 2022 | in 16 days |
Wednesday | Ganesh Chaturthi | Hindu Holidays | Aug 31, 2022 | in 29 days |
Satanic Holiday Display in Illinois State Capital USA
Here are 12 religious holidays believers celebrate in December
From deseret.com
Note: This article has been updated to reflect this year’s dates for these holidays.
December has finally arrived, and with it comes an abundance of colorful lights, vibrant wreaths and a bunch of family parties.
Most of these celebrations are inspired by Christmas and Hanukkah, the two major religious holidays celebrated by Christians and Jewish believers, respectively, in America.
But, with an increasing amount of interfaith marriages, many American families have had to figure out how to celebrate both holidays, according to InterfaithFamily, a support website for interfaith families.
“Though the character of Christmas has changed significantly in modern times, Christmas has never been, forgive the expression, a small potatoes holiday like Hanukkah. As Jews are increasingly accepted into the mainstream of majority-Christian cultures, and marry into Christian families, there is no avoiding the primacy of Christmas.”
But those aren’t the only religious holidays this month that some families may have to celebrate together. In fact, the Interfaith Calendar organization lists a number of religious holidays for the month of December. Here are 12 holidays with a little explanation on each.
Dec. 6: Saint Nicholas Day — Christian
This holiday honors the birth of Saint Nicholas, the saint who serves as a role model for gift-giving and is commonly known as Santa Claus, according to Interfaith Calendar.
Dec. 8: Rohatsu (Bodhi Day) — Buddhist
This holiday celebrates the historical Buddha’s decision and vow to sit under the Bodhi tree until he reached spiritual enlightenment. It’s celebrated through meditation and is embraced similar to how Christians celebrate Christmas to honor Jesus Christ.
Dec. 8: Immaculate Conception — Catholic
In the lead-up to Jesus’ birthday celebration on Christmas, Catholics celebrate the day of Immaculate Conception to honor his mother Mary, who they say was preserved from original sin for her entire life.
Dec. 10 to 18: Hanukkah — Judaism
This is the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, which celebrates the Maccabean revolt in Egypt. Eight candles are lit with a menorah to honor the holiday.
Dec. 12: Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe — Catholic
This is a primarily Catholic holiday celebrated by Mexicans and Americans of Mexican descent that honors the reported appearance of the Virgin Mary in Mexico City, according to Interfaith Calendar.
Dec. 16: Posadas Navidenas — Christian
This is a primarily Hispanic Christian holiday that commends Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem to give birth to Jesus, according to Interfaith Calendar.
Dec. 21: Solstice — Wicca/Pagan
Solstice is the point in the year “when the earth is most inclined away from the sun. It is the most southern or northern point depending on the hemisphere,” according to Interfaith Calendar. Pagans and Wicca believers will celebrate that event through Yule, in which believers also honor “the winter-born king, symbolized by the rebirth of the sun,” Interfaith Calendar explained.
Dec. 25: Christmas — Christian
Christmas is a primarily Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Many will attend church, have family parties and exchange gifts, according to Interfaith Calendar.
Dec. 26: Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathustra) — Zoroastrian
Unlike many of the other holidays in the month, Zoroastrians honor the death of their prophet, Zarathustra, who founded Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions.
Dec. 27: Feast of the Holy Family — Catholic
Catholics use this day to honor Jesus, Mary and Joseph, according to Interfaith Calendar.
Dec. 28: Holy Innocents Day — Christian
Christians solemnly honor the deaths of children killed by King Herod, who was attempting to kill Jesus, according to Interfaith Calendar.
Dec. 31: Watch Night — Christian
For Watch Night, Christians will thank God for the safety they received during the year, according to Interfaith Calendar.
For more on world religious holidays, head to Princeton University’s website.
Information About Some of the Gods and Goddesses
Sun Gods
Cat Gods
Roman Gods and Goddesses
Water Gods and Gods of the Sea
Japanese Gods and Mythology: The Shinto Religion
10 Gods of Death and the Underworld From Around the World
Celtic Gods and Goddesses: Exploring the Pantheon and Mythology of the Ancient Celt
41 Greek Gods and Goddesses: Family Tree and Fun Facts
Norse Gods and Goddesses Pantheon: The Mythology of the Nordic Viking Deities
Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses Pantheon: The Mythology of the Nubian Deities
From HistoryCooperative.org – To read the rest of the article about Gods and Goddesses
National Education Day – India
India marks National Education Day on November 11 to memorialize the birthday of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Minister for Education in India. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s exemplary contributions to the field of education and institution building paved the way for the country’s modern system. Reputed as the main architect of education, he served as India’s first Vice President as well as the first education Minister from 1947 to 1958. Now, all educational institutions in the country mark the day with seminars, essay-writing, workshops and rallies with slogans on the importance of literacy and India’s commitment to education.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION DAY
In September of 2008, India’s Ministry of Human Resource Development declared the birthday of ‘the great son of India’ — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad — to be nationally recognized as Education Day. The day is also seen as an occasion to remember Abul Kalam’s contribution in laying the foundations of the education system …
Click here to read the rest about India’s National Education Day
All Religious Holidays for November 2021
I will start posting all religious holidays by month starting now in November. If you know of a holiday or holy day I have missed please write it in the comment section below so I can include in its proper place by date. I feel and think that if we as witches and/or pagans recognize, not celebrate, other important religions dates that hopefully our Sabbath will be seen in a better light and help rid the world of the stereotypical witch. I will do a separate post with the proper way of wishing those of other religions a blessed holiday/holy day (look for this post latter today or tomorrow)
November 1 All Saints Day Christian
November 2 All Soul’s Day Christian
November 4 Diwali Hindu/Sikh/Jain
November 6 Birthday of Báb Baha’I
November 7 Birthday of Baha’u’llah Baha’i
November 24 Martyrdom of Guru Bahadur Sikh
November 28 – December 6 Hanukkah Judaism
November 28 – January 6 Christmas Fast for Christian
November 28 – December 24 Advent Christian
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