Religious Holidays

Christmas. Christianity, the major religious faith in the U.S., the Western Hemisphere, and the world, is based upon the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. There are about 2 billion Christians worldwide. They believe in Jesus's ideas of equality, caring for the weak and needy, generosity, forgiveness, and love and kindness to all. They also believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born to the Virgin Mary, and that he was sent to Earth to save the human race.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in ancient Judea. The year A.D. 1, from which most modern calendars are dated, is supposed to be the year of his birth. However, Jesus was ac­tually born several years earlier. No one knows the exact year or day, but Christians have celebrated his birth on December 25 since the fourth century. This date was probably se­lected so that Christmas would replace pagan celebrations of the beginning of winter.

In the U.S., the spirit of Christmas arrives at least a month before the holiday itself. Starting in November, street lights and store windows begin to display the traditional Christmas colors, red and green. Santa Claus, shepherds, angels, and Nativity scenes appear in shop windows. Winter scenes with snowmen, sleds, skaters, and skiers deco­rate greeting cards and store windows.

December 25 is both a religious and a legal holiday. Most businesses are closed on Christmas Day. Although all Americans can enjoy the commercialaspects of Christmas, for Christians, the most meaningful parts of the holiday occur at home and in church. Many families go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. After services, they gather around the tree and open their gifts. Then they enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner-turkey or ham, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and cranberry sauce. Dessert is usually fruit cake, plum pudding, or mince pie.

Easter. On Easter, American Christians, together with Christians around the world, celebrate the Resurrection (the coming to life again) of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity and, according to Christian beliefs, the Son of God. Easter is always on a Sunday, but the date varies from year to year. Symbols of rebirth, new life, and fertility are common Easter decorations. These include the Easter bunny and colored, elabo­rately decorated eggs. It's also traditional to wear new spring clothes on Easter, and many communities have an Easter parade. Easter has also become a very popular time for vacations, since many schools close for several days or more.

Passover. American Jews join Jews everywhere in celebrating this important holiday. It celebrates freedom and is based upon a story from the Old Testament of the Bible. In the story, Jews who were once slaves in Egypt were led to freedom by a great Jewish hero, Moses. Most Jews celebrate Passover for eight days, but for Reform Jews and Is­raeli Jews it's a seven-day holiday. The date of Passover is determined by the Jewish cal­endar, but it always begins between March 27 and April 24, and is often the same week as Easter. The holiday begins with a special feast called a seder, at which the story of the escape from Egypt is retold. During the holiday, observant Jews eat no bread or other products made with yeast. Instead, they eat flat bread called matzos.

Saint Patrick`s Day. On March 17, Americans of Irish descent-who number about 37 million! - honor their patron saint, who brought Christianity to a pagan nation. The holiday is celebrated by church services, parades, banquets, and "the wearing of the green," a color in the flag of Ireland, a country commonly called The Emerald Isle.

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