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Even if the blustery winds of March carry a chill, they are the harbingers of spring and sunny days to come. Clouds skittering across the sky may still scatter a few showers, but they’ll coax the daffodils to bloom and the fruit trees to blossom. And as every spring, fluffy lambs and cute little bunnies will be born while chirping chicks will emerge from their eggs.
Next Thursday is February 14th, Valentine’s Day. And while this is a day dedicated to people in love, it is also a day we all can celebrate friends and family with heart shaped cookies, candies and greeting cards. Whether you make your own cards or pick one from the hundreds you’ll find at the store, you’ll be continuing an age-old tradition.
Cupid…
If you’ve seen the little angel with a bow and arrow flitting around Valentine’s Day cards and decorations then you are familiar with Cupid. In Roman mythology, Cupid is the mischievous, winged child of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. He is armed with a bow and quiver of arrows. According to myth, the victims of his arrows fall deeply in love.
Whew! Holidays galore! Whether you celebrated Hanukkah, Eid ul-Fitr, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or your own special holiday, December usually is a whirlwind of activity! And then comes the New Year! With the old year behind us we are perched at the edge of a brand spanking new set of the standard 12 months. We can start 2002 or 2008 fresh and sparkling!
If you think the holidays are over, you are in for a surprise. There are always new holidays around the corner. Based on ancient African celebrations, Kwanzaa is a 7-day festival that begins December 26th and lasts till January 1st.
The New Year is a time for celebration all over the world. However, not everyone celebrates the same way as Americans do.
In Spain, for instance, it is a tradition to serve everyone twelve grapes just before midnight on New Year’s Eve. When the clock starts to chime everyone puts a grape in their mouth, and then another grape with each chime until all twelve chimes have struck and all 12 grapes are eaten. The New Year can’t start until everyone has finished his or her grapes!
How many ways can you say Happy New Years? Almost every culture has some sort of New Year to celebrate, for different reasons, because of different traditions and often at different dates.
So it should come as no surprise that there are many different ways to communicate this most familiar - and positive - of greetings. Nearly everyone seems to look forward to the New Year as something to look forward to.
This coming Tuesday is Christmas Day, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Born over 2000 years ago, Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. And even though no one can be certain that Jesus was born exactly on December 25th, that’s the day the Roman Catholic Church picked in the 3rd century A.D. as his birthday. And it stuck.
Many traditions grew up around the Christmas celebration. If you just look around at this time of year, you’ll recognize quite a few of them; Santa Claus, poinsettias, gingerbread men, candy canes, presents, angels and Christmas trees, just to name a few.
Candy Canes are a fun holiday tradition that taste good too. Their pretty red and white stripes make them perfect Christmas tree ornaments while the crook at the top makes them easy to hang.
It is said that the first candy canes were created in 1670. The choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany noticed that his youthful singers became restless during the long holiday ceremonies.
This is a magical time of year when families share special holidays of all kinds. Earlier we looked at the annual Jewish holiday known as Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights. Another annual festival is the Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Fitr.
During the special month of Ramadan, (which started on November 17th in 2001 and comes roughly 15 days earlier each year because of the lunar calendar), Muslims study their holy book called the Koran. It is a time for inner reflection, prayer and good deeds.
The United States Post Office issued a stamp on September 1, 2001 that is a new addition to the Holiday Celebrations series of stamps. Joining the list that includes Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Cinco de Mayo and Thanksgiving, is the new Eid stamp.
The EID stamp was reissued by the USPS in October 2002 at the newer 37-cent first class rate, and the USPS says they plan to reissue the EID stamp again in a 39-cent denomination on October 6, 2006.
This Sunday marks the beginning of the 8-day Jewish holiday called Hanukkah. Hanukkah commemorates the day in 165 BC that the Jewish peoples recaptured their holy Temple in Jerusalem from the foreign forces that had taken it. The statues of the foreign gods were removed and the Temple was returned to its original state. A rededication was called for. Hanukkah means “dedication” and this holiday celebrates the rededication of the Temple.
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