Ancient May Day Rituals

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The ancient Pagans celebrated May 1 as the day that divided the year in half.  Among other rituals, they set new fires on this day for luck and purification.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

World Interfaith Calendar

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In looking up which day this weekend is St. Patrick's Day, I stumbled on a fabulous calendar, InterFaithCalendar.org, that has dates of religious observances for many faiths, definitions for the observances, and much more.  You can access calendars from 2009 through 2019, and an archive that dates from 2001.  For more information click here.  This would be very useful for teachers and business owners, and others, too.

Click here to find out why 2008 had two unique dates in religious history.  What did you learn today?

History of New Year's Good Luck Traditions

Photo of Dutch oliebol, which is only baked during the days between Christmas and New Year.
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An old New Year's belief is that how you spend the first day of the new year will influence the rest of the year.  So, people will do things that they believe will give them good luck such as eating certain foods, and will spend the day with people whom they wish to be with during the coming year.

For some cultures, using something in the form of a ring on New Year's Day symbolizes completing the year uninterrupted by misfortune.  This is why the Dutch believe that eating doughnuts on New Year's Day will bring good luck all year.  For more information click here.

What New Year's traditions do you and your family observe?

History of New Year's Eve Fireworks

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The use of fireworks and other noise-making such as cheering and horn-blowing at midnight on the cusp of the New Year is an old semi-religious tradition.  People used to think that evil spirits were drawn to these particular celebrations, and the bright flashes of light and very loud noise-making would scare the evil spirits away.  For more information click here.

How do you spend your New Year's Eve?

Christmas in the Ukraine

Photo of Ukranian child in traditional clothing, next to Christmas tree, courtesy 123rf.com

Although there are some secular Christmas celebrations on December 25, most in the Ukraine observe the religious Christmas celebration on January 7 according to the Julian calendar.  Some ancient pagan rituals are also observed, such as a mock battle between citizens and people dressed as monsters, representing a battle between good and evil in which the citizens are victorious.  For more information click here and click here.

What rituals do you and your family observe during this season?

History of Christmas Carols

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Carol or carole is a medieval word that meant "a celebratory religious dance with song".  Originally pagans in Europe celebrated with carols on the winter solstice, and gradually the singing of carols merged with the Christmas celebration.  Some believe that the earliest Christmas carols were written in the 14th century.  The general consensus is that at least the singing of Christmas carols became popular in the 14th century.  For more information click here and click here.

What is your favorite Christmas carole, and why?