Italy is a modern, industrialized, Roman Catholic country. Many rites of passage that young people experience are religious sacraments such as baptism, first communion, and confirmation. In many families, a student's progress through the education system is celebrated with parties. 8...
Altogether, over one hundred different festivals—pagan, Christian, and patriotic—are celebrated in Switzerland. The most famous celebration is Basel's Fastnacht, or carnival. Marking the final days before Lent, it is similar to the Mardi Gras festivities held in New Orleans. For three days, ...
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, is a major two-day holiday celebrated in the fall. It includes a service in thesynagoguethat begins with the sounding of theshofar, an instrument made from the horn of a ram or another animal. Attendees repent of their mistakes in the past year and res...
Christmas began to be widely celebrated with a specific liturgy in the 9th century but did not attain the liturgical importance of eitherGood FridayorEaster, the other two major Christian holidays.Roman Catholicchurches celebrate the first Christmasmassat midnight, andProtestantchurches have increasingly...