The staff and crew at www.GreggMasters.com are taking the next few days off, so I thought I’d leave you with this…
Many of us might say the words but lack on some basic details. I’m not a theologian but I thought I’d take a shot at explaining a few of the celebrations during the”Season of Love” as best I can.
Happy Hanukkah!
This year, Hanukkah begins on December the 24th. Here is a very simple explanation of what happened and why it is celebrated…
In the second century BC, the Jews rededicated the Holy Temple during the revolt against the Seleucid Empire. The Jews found only a single container of olive oil to burn in their lanterns. That was just a one day supply for them to burn. Miraculously, that one-day supply burned for eight days!
So today, families and friends gather around their Menorah and offer praise and thanksgiving. There are many prayers offered and rituals celebrated. Hanukkah will be celebrated from sunset on December 24th to January 1st.
Merry Christmas!
The story of Christmas is widely known, but…
Christmas Eve (24th) and Christmas Day (25th) are centered around the birth of Jesus. All around the world people celebrate Christmas Day, but Christmas Eve is a bit different. Lights, trees, and other decorations, wrapping gifts, even exchanging gifts happen on Christmas Eve, leading many towards a midnight Mass or services to celebrate Christmas Day.
Families gather, gifts exchanged, church services, the celebration and commemoration of Jesus’s birth are among the activities on Christmas.
Happy Boxing Day
Boxing Day is on December 26th. It’s a national holiday in the UK and is observed in Canada, Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Scotland, and other countries.
I’ve always heard Boxing Day can be traced back to the Middle Ages when churches put a box for donations to the poor. The day evolved in the 1600s to Christmas boxes for tradespeople to collect money for good service throughout the year, since they worked on Christmas Day for their employers. Boxing Day used to be a day to relax and enjoy but is now has become a day for soccer and hockey games and SALES!
(Even though the United States doesn’t celebrate Boxing Day, they certainly do share this aspect of it!) The sales used to start in after the new year but not now.
If you want any more information about these holidays or any others, REACH OUT to someone who celebrates them and ask! I’m guessing they would feel honored by your questions. If you observe any of these traditions or have a different traditional celebration in the next few days, I simply want to wish you Happiness, Peace, Love and Kindness. Too often these days, it seems we forget this is what the Season and its celebrations and traditions are all about. I often hear people say we’re in the “Season of Love.” Well, I appreciate what they’re saying, but shouldn’t every season we’re in, every day we’re alive, be the “Season of Love?
Enjoy your days, be Thankful, Loving and Kind. (And have patience at those family gatherings when “Old Uncle Horace” starts telling you why you’re wrong…)
Peace…
Gregg