HOLIDAYS

Celebrating Holidays

Should Christians celebrate holidays? Does God mind if we set aside a day to celebrate events not mentioned in Scripture? What about celebrating events that did happen in the Bible?

Day One: New Year's Resolutions
The practice of making New Year's resolutions goes back over 3,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a new year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning...
Read More

Day Two: Birthdays
There is no specific prohibition against celebrating birthdays in Scripture, nor is there anything to indicate we should celebrate them. Scripturally speaking, it is a non-issue...
Read More

Day Three: Valentine's Day
The first Valentine was posted around 1806. Almost one billion Valentine's Day cards are sent each year on or near February 14 with females purchasing 85% of the cards. This is second only to the number of Christmas cards sent...
Read More

Day Four: Mother's Day
Mother's Day—called Mothering Day in the U.K.—can be traced back to ancient pagan practices, but it has gone through a lot of changes and names to get to what we know today...
Read More

Day Five: Memorial Day
Memorial Day is not about barbecues, parties, days off of work, or parades. It's not about who mowed the lawn, who brought the potato salad, or who forgot the ice...
Read More

Day Six: Father's Day
Father's Day is a day set apart to celebrate fatherhood, recognize the influence of fathers in our homes and society, and foster paternal bonds. It is also celebrated to honor and commemorate our fathers and forefathers...
Read More

Day Seven: Veterans' Day
One of the strangest parts of life is the way appreciation lags so far behind experience. There are moments where the mind knows important things are happening, but the spirit doesn't feel it. It's not until later, sometimes years later, when we fully grasp what we were involved in..
Read More

Day Eight: Thanksgiving
The original thanksgiving celebration was held by the Pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts during their second winter in America in December, 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists...
Read More

Day Nine: Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chair of African Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January 1...
Read More

Image Credit: Dirk Duckhorn; "Love on a tree"; Creative Commons