Make something special out of every holiday

Seasons come and go, and they bring seasonal vacations. These holidays have been celebrated for years and help us open and close each temperament period. Whatever happens, there is always a holiday to look forward to in the coming season.

Christmas

According to early Roman history, the first time the birth of Jesus Christ was attributed to the date was December 25 in the 4th century. The early Christmas celebrations are said to come from Roman and other European festivals that marked the end of the harvest and the winter solstice.

Christmas developed further with the legend of St. Nicholas. While much of his history is unconfirmed, the man now called Saint Nicholas lived in the 4th century and is believed to have been a bishop in Asia Minor.

In his honor, the feast of St. Nicholas was celebrated on December 6, and gifts were given the night before. The tradition was well established in many European countries by the 12th century. Ultimately, because St. Nicholas Day and Christmas Day are so close together, their traditions were generally combined.

St. Nicholas took on different personas in different countries. The Netherlands, for example, has Sinter Klaas; Santa Gives Gifts in Britain; Père Noël does the same in France; and in Germany, Sint-Nicolaas has had many names, including Klaasbuur, Burklaas, Rauklas, Bullerklaas and Sunnercla, although Santa Claus is growing in popularity. In the United States, Sinter Klaas evolved from the Dutch settlers to Santa Claus.

Halloween

Most scholars agree that Halloween as we know it started some 2,000 years ago when Celtic people in Europe celebrated the end of the harvest and the start of a new year at a festival called Samhain (pronounced "sow-win ").

In addition to honoring the dead, the Celts also believed that the spiritual presence on Samhain, according to history, made it easier for Celtic priests to predict the future. They built bonfires and burned crops and animals as offerings to the Celtic gods. Villagers attended the campfire in costumes made of animal heads and skins.

Several Christian popes tried to replace "pagan" holidays such as Samhain with the celebration of their own saints. By 1000 AD. All Souls' Day served on November 2 as a time for the living to pray for the souls of the dead. All Saints' Day, assigned November 1, was clearly a tribute to saints, but it was also called All Hallows. That made October 31 All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.