Does Christianity have any true Holy Days left?
 

I didn't want to hijack the "Is Santa really good for the kids?" thread in the Sigma Gamma Rho forum anymore than I think I already have, but the thread has got me pondering some questions. While I am not a religious woman I just don't think Christianity has any pure holy days, where other major religions do.

A lot of Christian holidays/holy days/religious celebrations are mixed with many pagan traditions. Also, a lot of these days have turned into Hallmark holidays and are nothing more than ways to make money.

What are everyone's thoughts on this? Does Christianity have any pure holy days left?

Keep it civil everyone.

Yes. You don't have to commercialize Christmas or Easter. You can observe them in a religiously pure manner.

Only the days that are holy (whose true meaning is "set apart") for you. The days we tend to call Holy Days are pagan holidays "christianized" during the spread of Christianity.

I think that there are a couple Old Testament Holy Days that can legitimately celebrated by Christians, ie: The Feast of Tabernacles ("ye shall keep it until the end of the age").

Good Friday is a day off from work and school in Canada and that's religious. Of course, at least half the population doesn't bother to go to church and just take the day off to sleep. Otherwise, I don't think I can think of anything else other than Christian days that one doesn't get off.

Orthodox Christmas and Easter are still religious, IMHO.

Yes! But if I didn't get presents I would be mad. But I am a BAD Catholic.

But how many people actually DO this? Even the most religious families I know buy into the material side of Christmas as well. And let's not get started on the pagan part of it. In order to celebrate a Christmas tradition that had nothing to do with paganism, you would have to get rid of the Christmas tree, the gift-giving, and the mistletoe to start with -- oh, and you would be celebrating Jesus's birth sometime in the spring.

I think a lot more people do it than advertise.

I also think it's a little ridiculous to judge whether someone is "truly" observing a Holy Day when you yourself aren't religious.

I was interested in your last sentence, Jesus's birth being sometime in the spring. Do you mind my asking your thoughts on that?

According to my brother (who makes me feel like a pagan at times!), any census of the Jews would have more probably been taken at the time between Rosh Hoshannah to the Feast of Tabernacles, probably closer to the Feast of Tabernacles. These are all in the September or October months. That's why I was curious about the spring timing.

Oh, and my brother & his wife do not have a tree, mistletoe, etc, etc - but they do the gifts. I won't even go into the other parts of paganism they avoid. They would have enjoyed the company of Cotton Mather & his merry band!

I don't think that there is anything wrong with Christmas trees with presents and Santa Claus and Easter with bunnies and eggs. I think that you can have a religious holiday and enjoy the fun/commercial aspect of it as long as the fun/commercial isn't the entire celebration and the reason for the Holy Day is remembered.


I think that the Catholic Holy Days of Obligation are still true holy days for people who practice the faith. Holy Days of Obligation include:
Sundays
January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God;
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension;
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints;
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception;
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

You know what's interesting? The chapel at my high school has two huge ever green trees that lights up during a scene in our annual Nativity performances.

I would also add Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday for Catholics.

There are other days within the church calendar that may not be considered High Holy days but that are still very important days of the year:

Pentecost
Ascension
Epiphany
Transfiguration

Now, I realize those aren't the same as Catholic Days of Obligation or Jewish High Holy days, but they are still important, at least in my denomination.

I agree with Cream. You can have the fun side as long as that doesn't overshadow the true reason for celebration.

For our denominations Reformation Sunday is a big one. Though you posted the others I was thinking of.

Well December 25th was taked directly from the worship of Mithras, an old zorastrian God.

In fact a lot of Christian Ritual may have been taken from the worship of Mithras, given that he predated the Christ Figure by 500 years or more.

http://www.taivaansusi.net/historia/mithraism.html

Maybe you are all actually Mithras worshippers and just don't know it? Names change . . .

I had Reformation up there but then figured noone else would know what it is, so I took it off.

You know you want your own personal copy of Luther for Christmas. Even Family Video has it!