New Year’s Around the World: How Different Religions Celebrate
In America, the “holiday season” consists of all the major holidays beginning with Halloween and ending with New Year’s Day. However, in today’s diverse society, it’s worth noting that not everybody celebrates ...
Category: Holidays and Observances
Celebrating During This Most Wonderful Time of the Year — Part III
We’re almost there! Part III of our series takes us the rest of the way through December. December 16–24, Posadas Navideñas: Hispanic Catholic, Protestant The Spanish word posada translates to &ldquo ...
Category: Holidays and Observances
Celebrating During This Most Wonderful Time of the Year — Part II
Continuing on with the holidays occurring during “the most wonderful time of the year,” we now get to the month of December. December 1–24, Advent: Catholic, Protestant, Secular The dictionary defines ...
Category: Holidays and Observances
Celebrating During This Most Wonderful Time of the Year — Part I
Back in the day, crooner Andy Williams had a mega-hit record called “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” In this upbeat Christmas song filled with warm fuzzies, he sang about all the joys of the ...
Category: Holidays and Observances Religion
Trending Styles for Your Second Wedding
Years ago, Frank Sinatra had one of his major hits with the song “The Second Time Around.” Its lyrics begin as follows: Love is lovelier the second time around, Just as wonderful with both feet on the ground ...
Category: Ceremonies Weddings
The Growing Trend of Humanist Funerals
As Americans become ever less religious, so too have our celebrated life milestones such as births, weddings, and funerals. Many of these celebrations are no longer held in a church, synagogue, or mosque, presided over b ...
Category: Ceremonies Funerals freedom from religion
Religion on the Wall Calendar
While human societies throughout history have marked time by the passage of the sun and the change of the seasons, modern global society has come to agree on a civil calendar by which nearly all people in the world are u ...
Category: Holidays and Observances Religion
More Than New Year’s Day
Here in the United States, we think of January 1 as New Year's Day. You might watch the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl while enjoying Hoppin' John, a traditional dish of black-eyed peas and rice. Maybe you have your own ...
Category: Holidays and Observances
What You Should Do Instead of New Year’s Resolutions
It's the end of the year again, the time when many people sit down and reflect on the events of the last year. Of course, some things were good and some were bad, and you have probably drawn your own conclusion as to whe ...
Category: Holidays and Observances
Understanding Advent Season
If you've been in the church for a long time, you know that the Christmas season is also called Advent, but you may not truly understand why it's called that. It's important to know the history of Advent to be able to e ...
Category: Holidays and Observances Religion