the Anglo-Saxon goddess ofspringandfertility. This view presumes—as does the view associating the origin ofChristmason December 25 with pagan celebrations of thewinter solstice—that Christians appropriated pagan names andholidaysfor their highest festivals. Given the determination with which Christians...
Today, denominational groups such as the Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Evangelists, Presbyterians and Pentecostals exist. The Christian faith celebrates holidays such as the Advent, Christmas, Lent, Epiphany, Easter Sunday, and All Saint’s Day. Rituals such as the holy communion, baptism,...
When pilgrim Edward Winslow described these thanksgiving celebrations, his description included the following Biblical themes: Acts 14:17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and glad...
In 1621, asmall groupof Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared a feast celebrating the autumn harvest. This is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. However, Thanksgiving is much more than this. Thanksgiving is a day when Americans thank their...
and retail marketing for these celebrations contribute to their popularity. Seasonally appropriate gifts and decorations start lining the shelves weeks in advance, andillumination eventsare held. Note that while commonly celebrated by the populace, Valentine's Day and Christmas are notnational holidaysin...
They have little use for Israel, and manydonot see merit inJewish celebrations, holidays,orsymbols. Occasionallyonecan hear such evangelicals expressingunfavorable views onJudaism andJewsas well as on their fellow evangelicals who have been enchanted withJewsand Israel. However,the most open and ...
However, time off for the holidays is an expected thing. Besides, the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day is usually filled with media-generated ‘retrospectives’ and one more or less would hardly be noticed by readers. A FEW THOUGHTS ON CHRISTMAS ...
“I push the salvation message and push [the congregation] out of the gift giving and the celebrations,” said Chito Sanchez. When Pastor Chad Williams of the Union Church of Manila moved to the Philippines two and a half years ago, he was “blown away” by the openness to ...
Under Soviet rule, the communist regime suppressed religion and marginalized Christmas, instead focusing on the New Year as the main holiday of the year. After the fall of communism, Christian celebrations and the Christian Orthodox religion came back into favor, as many Russians turned to the Chu...