Christmas - December 25

Christmas is the most important holiday in the Western Christian community. On this day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the father of Christianity.

The holiday was set in 354, by Pope Liberius, who declared December 25 to be the birthday of Jesus.

The story of the birth of Jesus has two versions in the New Testament: one appears in the Gospel according to Matthew, and the other in the Gospel according to Luke.

According to Luke the Virgin Mary revealed that she was pregnant by an angel, and that she was conceived by the Holy Spirit, without sexual contact. The emperor Augustus who ruled the Roman Empire at that time ordered registration in the census, so Miriam and her husband Joseph left their home in Nazareth and went to sleep with Joseph's family in Bethlehem. They could not find a vacant room in the inn to sleep in, so they spent the night in the family's stable. That night a girl picks up Jesus in a manger. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the city of David's origin, was the fulfillment of the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah.

According to Matthew, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem (the book does not detail his parents' journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem), the three ancient sages came to visit the family. After the visit they came to Jerusalem and told King Herod that they had seen a star, which tells of the birth of a great king. They followed the star to Bethlehem, arriving at the place where Mary and Joseph were staying. They gave Jesus gifts - gold, myrrh and frankincense, and warned his parents against Herod's intentions to murder all the children in Bethlehem who were under the age of two, because of his fear of the birth of a child to compete for his chair. The family fled to Egypt and returned to Israel after Herod died. They settled in Nazareth because they feared Herod's son, Archelaus.

Nativity Scene: a Christmas custom is to design the scene of Jesus' birth in a barn with sculpted figures of Christ, His parents and possibly also with the ancient sages.

Among the main customs of the holiday:

Christmas tree decoration - a fir tree decorated with lights and ornaments.

Home decoration with green vegetation and mistletoe, many houses in North and South America also decorate the houses and courtyards from the outside.

Giving presents in the name of Santa Claus who arrives in a sleigh at night mounted on reindeer and places the presents under the fir tree.

Sancta Nicolas car in Haifa, near Santa Claus house

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Animated gifs of Christmas

Merry Christmas Greeting cards

Christmas Coloring pages

Happy St. Patrick's day greeting cards

Happy Saint Patrick's day! 

Here are some Happy Saint Patrick's day greeting cards you can share with friends and family.

National Religious Freedom Day- January 16

Religions and religious organizations are responsible for a great many good things done in the world, from founding charities all over the world that care about simple people and inspiring them to be better and better on a daily basis, to caring for people in the community who are in distress. Unfortunately, religious organizations often show loyalty only to their members and try to get others to convert or strengthen their faith and change their secular lifestyle.

The consequences can be severe. In ancient times there were persecutions of the Christians by the Romans, in Spain there was the infamous Inquisition, and in Puritan America the witch hunt took place. Today there is the Islamic Jihad that is responsible for terrorist attacks around the world and in Israel there are endless disputes between religious and secular, between Jews and Muslims and more.

Freedom of religion is the right of everyone to live according to his religion and to have equal protection and rights. Freedom of religion is among the universal human rights recognized in liberal and humanist thought and in the hands of the United Nations.

The history of Freedom of Religious Day

On January 16, 1786, shortly after the founding of the United States of America, the General Assembly of Virginia adopted the Virginia Constitution of the Thomas Jefferson Religious Constitution. This law became the basis for what we know today as the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of religion to all persons residing in the United States. On that day, the President of the United States issued an official declaration that this day is now freedom of religion.

How to celebrate Religious Freedom Day?

A good way to celebrate Freedom Day is to do some research on what life was like before freedom of religion was enshrined in law. This can be done by reading books or watching movies. "Name Downloaded", the book and film is a great example of describing life during the Inquisition, and about how much the Inquisitors were willing to go looking for and punish people suspected of witchcraft.

Movies and books on the subject of the Holocaust, such as "The Diary of Anne Frank," also point to the Nazi persecution of Jews in Europe.

Salman Rushdie's works are very interesting insights, as the author has received death threats for years, following the publication of his famous book "Satan's Verses", in which he wrote a critique of Islam.

Another idea to celebrate Freedom Day is to meet with friends from other religions and talk about the topic and discuss how freedom of religion allows you to live together in peace without persecuting each other.

Freedom of religion is a wonderful and not a matter of course. For many years it did not exist and should be maintained even today. He deserves a day of appreciation and appreciation.

 

January 16 is also Nothing Day and Appreciate A Dragon Day

All Souls' Day - November 2

Along with the holidays of Halloween, and the day after that, the Day of the Dead, there is another day that is celebrated in honor of the dead and it is called "All Souls' Day". All Souls' Day is a holiday that Catholic Christians celebrate every year, on November 2, in honor of their deceased loved ones.

The holiday is celebrated in many places in the world where there are Catholic communities and the celebration lasts more often than two days.

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The holiday is celebrated with meals in memory of the dead and ceremonies in cemeteries with lit candles, marigold flowers (known in Spanish: Flor de Muerto - the flowers of death, which they believe call the spirits of the dead), incense, pictures or other souvenirs from the dead. Some people decorate with skulls that are made of paper or make and eat sugar skulls. There are also spectacular processions of skeletons and spirits, and cardboard coffins from which fake skeletons jump at random times.

In South America this day celebration is given special importance and has a special character. The traditional purpose of the holiday is to help, through prayer, the souls of loved ones who desire to be cleansed from their sins and come out of the addict to heaven.

The crucible is the place that is after death, between the world of life and heaven, where the soul of the one who has not sinned in his life sins of death is carried out. He who has committed the sins of death for which there is no atonement cannot pass purification and is condemned to hell.

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 November 2 is also Cookie Monster's birthday and  Look for Circles Day

Day of the Dead - November 1

Despite the scary and perhaps also depressing name, Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos, Día de los Difuntos or, Día de Muertos) is a day of happy and cheerful celebration celebrated with costumes, carnivals and dances.

Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday dedicated to the memory of the fathers who passed away. It is celebrated on the first and second days of November, the day Christians celebrate Halloween (which comes after Halloween) and the day before all the souls of the Catholic Church.

The holiday is celebrated with a cheerful and happy carnival in Mexico and other places where there are large Mexican communities.

During the day it is customary to go to cemeteries and churches and bring the dead gifts such as bottles of tequila, candles and flowers. People come to the carnival in skeleton and mask costumes or make-up of creative skulls, walking around with dolls of the dead and dancing.

In the photo: a grave with gifts and candles

Other countries that celebrate the Day of the Dead are the Philippines, Brazil and other countries in Latin America.

The origin of the holiday is the cultures of the original natives of the American continent (mistakenly referred to as "Indians") - the Aztec culture, the Mayan culture, the Porfercha, the Nahuel and the Totonak.

Painting: Large electric skull, by Mexican painter Jose Guadeloupe Posada

In Aztec culture the Day of the Dead is celebrated in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, starting in early August, for an entire month. The holiday is considered the feast of the goddess Miktakakiwadel, "Goddess of the Dead," during which ceremonies were held for the souls of the dead relatives.

When Mexico was conquered by the Spaniards in the 15th century, Christian missionaries worked to eradicate the pagan holiday, and did so by postponing the holiday and uniting it with the Catholic holiday, All Saints' Day, which was held on the first day of November.

November 1 is also World Vegan Day and Go Cook For Your Pets Day

World Religion Day - the third Sunday in January

In our world there are hundreds of countries with thousands of cultures whose traditions began in very ancient times in history and they have adopted many religions that have risen to greatness. Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Shinto and many other currents within the religions themselves are all part of the cultural fabric of our world and World Religion Day is an opportunity to share cultures with each other and learn about others.

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The history of World Religion Day

World Religion Day was first celebrated in Portland, Maine, USA, under the title "World Peace through World Religion." Social leaders, educators and philosophers talk about the importance of religions in the world.

Sri Lanka issued a postage stamp dedicated to World Religion Day, followed by the Republic of Congo. The focus of this holiday is to spread awareness and knowledge about the religions that exist in the world today, and to share tolerance and understanding between people of all religions.

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How to celebrate World Religion Day?

World Religion Day is recommended to be celebrated by learning and observing other religions, with an open mind. The goal of this day is not for people to convert, but to learn about other religions and the impact of this difference on our world.