Jews, Catholics, Af-Am's And Islams
I almost got hurt tripping over all the holi- and holy-days at this time of year. A person can break something if they’re not careful.
The Christian New Year was observed on November 30 (the First Sunday of Advent), while the Jewish people had theirs back at the end of September. Hanukkah, the feast of the Rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, occurs this year the same week as the Christian feast of Christ’s birth and the secular celebration of Christmas.
Kwanzaa, a relatively new observance in the African-American community, consists of seven principles of life, family and community. It is a time of preparation which starts on December 26 and ends on January 1. Despite what others may think, it is not a “Black Christmas,” and its founders are trying mightily to keep it as a time of reflection and principles and not something commercial.
The Islamic New Year is on December 28 in 2008 and marks year 1430.
The annual Feast of Times Square is the evening of December 31, with people wearing funny glasses in Manhattan waiting for a glass ball to drop. Others watch mostly pre-recorded celebrations on tv. Many people get drunk, some die driving home.
The civil New Year is January 1; for Catholics, it used to be a holy day commemorating a minor infant male surgical procedure. Ouch.
The Christian New Year was observed on November 30 (the First Sunday of Advent), while the Jewish people had theirs back at the end of September. Hanukkah, the feast of the Rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, occurs this year the same week as the Christian feast of Christ’s birth and the secular celebration of Christmas.
Kwanzaa, a relatively new observance in the African-American community, consists of seven principles of life, family and community. It is a time of preparation which starts on December 26 and ends on January 1. Despite what others may think, it is not a “Black Christmas,” and its founders are trying mightily to keep it as a time of reflection and principles and not something commercial.
The Islamic New Year is on December 28 in 2008 and marks year 1430.
The annual Feast of Times Square is the evening of December 31, with people wearing funny glasses in Manhattan waiting for a glass ball to drop. Others watch mostly pre-recorded celebrations on tv. Many people get drunk, some die driving home.
The civil New Year is January 1; for Catholics, it used to be a holy day commemorating a minor infant male surgical procedure. Ouch.
posted by Tom Carten at 11:41 PM
2 Comments:
Aaagh, I forgot to wish everybody a happy Eid al-Adha two weeks ago!
With holidays slipping backwards eleven days each year, it's hard to keep track.
We have been on a bender for a month.......''Our Family'' should make a great sitcom.....Christians, Muslims, an Inter-racial relationship, a vegetarian, a soldier in Afghanistan,trilingual ( English, French & Arabic), living in two countries. It would be fitting if my son would find a jewish girl to sort of round out the festivities.
CJV
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