Miriam

The cup contains water in memory of Miriam's well, which accompanied the Israelites on their journey through the desert. Although Youngman's jest suggests that the list of holidays for a non-believer would necessarily be the "empty set", many non-believers honor various holidays and "holy" days, and those of one faith often honor holidays of other faiths. Some place a "Cup of Miriam," filled with water, beside the customary "Cup of Elijah" (filled with wine) during the Passover Seder. Referring to the original meaning of the term, Henny Youngman included this joke among his vast catalog of one-liners:. Miriam is a popular figure among some Jewish feminists. Christopher Columbus, who has arrived in the New World just moments earlier, tells a Native American that he wants to cash a check... (Numbers 12). One example of this fact is revealed by the assumption inherent in this bit of dialogue from the 1961 musical-comedy album, Stan Freberg Presents The United States of America, Volume One.

After Aaron asked Moses to intercede for her, Moses uttered a five-word prayer: El nah refa nah-la — "O Lord, make her well," and she recovered within seven days. Some holidays that were once widely celebrated are less so today, for various reasons. black) woman, possibly Zipporah, which made her guilty of speaking Lashon hara (gossiping, or speaking negatively about someone), for which she was struck with tzaraas, often mistranslated as leprosy. Some are designed to promote a cause, others recognize historical events not recognized officially, and others are "funny" holidays are generally intended as humorous distractions and excuses to share laughs among friends. Miriam is called a prophetess, and composed a victory song after Pharaoh's army was drowned in the Red Sea (Exodus 15:20-21) Later, she objected to the marriage of Moses to a Cushite (i.e. These are holidays celebrated by various groups and individuals. Miriam then suggested that the princess take on a nurse for the child, and suggested Jochebed; as a result, Moses was raised to be familiar with his background as a Hebrew. Other secular holidays not observed internationally:.

She watched as the Pharaoh's daughter discovered the infant and decided to adopt him. Many other days are marked to celebrate events or people, but are not strictly holidays as time off work is rarely given. It was Miriam who, at Jochebed's request, hid Moses (then a baby) by the side of a river to evade the Pharaoh's order that newborn Hebrew boys be killed. They are:. Her Hebrew name (מִרְיָם, Standard Hebrew Miryam, Tiberian Hebrew Miryām) means either "wished for child", "bitter" or "rebellious". With the winter holidays, come various different greetings appropriate for each holiday or the entire season. She appears first in the book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible. In some Christian countries, the end of the festive season is considered to be after the feast of Epiphany, although this has only symbolic value.

Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron, and the daughter of Amram and Jochebed. Usually, this festive period begins near the end of November and ends with New Year's Day on January 1, reflecting traditional pagan celebrations of the period around the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. Except in North America, the phrases "holiday season" and "holiday period" usually mean the summer months when most people take their annual holiday ("vacation" in North American English), and phrases such as the "festive period" are used to describe the period around Christmas and New Year. In many Western countries, the winter holiday season is a period of time surrounding Christmas. The Catholic fiestas patronales are celebrated in each place's patron saint's day, according to the Calendar of saints.

In the order of the Wheel of the Year:. Well-known consecutive holidays include:. In late 1990s, the Japanese government passed a law that increased the likelihood of consecutive holidays by moving holidays from fixed days to a relative position in a month, such as the second Monday. They tend to be considered a good chance to take short trips.

Consecutive holidays are a string of holidays taken together without working days in between. "Legal holiday" is not a term used outside the United States. "Public Holiday" is the term used in Australia and "Bank Holiday" in the UK, although some industries in the UK work through Bank Holidays. Public holidays can be either religious, in which case they reflect the dominant religion in a country, or secular, in which case they are usually political or historical in character.

A public holiday or legal holiday is a holiday endorsed by the state. .
. A holiday can also be a special day on which school and/or offices are closed, such as Labor Day.

In Canada and the United States, a Holiday is a day set aside by a nation or culture (in some cases, multiple nations and cultures) typically for celebration but sometimes for some other kind of special culture-wide (or national) observation or activity. However, some Canadians (especially those of English or Irish decent) will use both the terms vacation and holiday interchangeably when referring to a trip away from home or time off work. "I'm going on holiday to Malta next week"), the North American equivalent being "vacation". In most of the English-speaking world a holiday is also a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation (e.g.

The word has evolved in general usage to mean any special day. Based on the words holy and day -, holidays originally represented special religious days. The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. Native: "Columbus Day!".

Columbus: "Oh? Why?". Banks closed.". Native: "You out of luck today. Tax Freedom Day (calculated by dividing the tally of all taxes collected in each year by a tally of all income, and applying it to the calendar).

Sinkie Day (The Day After Thanksgiving). Flying Spaghetti Monsterism Holy Day (every Friday). Blame Someone Else Day (first Friday the 13th of the year). Christmahanukwanzakah (the holiday season in general, a holiday made out of a marketing campaign invented by Virgin Mobile during the 2004 holiday season.).

Festivus (23 December). Mole Day (23 October). Brick Day (15 October). October Fool's Day (1 October) (Southern Hemisphere version of April Fool's Day).

Ask a Stupid Question Day (28 September). International Talk Like a Pirate Day (19 September). National Underwear Day (11 August). National Talk In Elevators Day (last Friday of July).

Pi Approximation Day (22 July). Evoloterra (20 July celebrates the first manned Moon Landing). X-Day (5 July in the Church of the SubGenius). Bloomsday (16 June based on James Joyce's novel Ulysses).

No Pants Day (first Friday of May). 24-hour Comics Day (24 April). Towel Day (25 May) (a tribute to the late Douglas Adams). International Cannabis Day (20 April).

Pi Day (14 March). International Dadaism Month (4 February, 1 April, 28 March, 15 July, 2 August, 7 August, 16 August, 26 August, 18 September, 22 September, 1 October, 17 October, 26 October). Wintereenmas (25 January through 31 January). Paper Hat Day (4 January).

Holidays originating in ancient Latvia. Sweetest Day (third Saturday in October, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan in the United States). Queen's Day (30 March in the Netherlands). Pioneer Day (24 July in Utah, United States).

Patriot's Day (third Monday in April in Massachusetts and Maine, United States). Mother-in-Law's Day (fourth Sunday in October, where?). Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January in the United States). Loyalty Day (1 May in the United States).

Lee-Jackson-King Day (20 January) Combined holiday celebrated in the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1984 to 2000. Independence day (observed by many different countries at different dates). Labour Day (Many European countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1). Labor Day (a United States federal holiday that takes place on the first Monday of September).

Groundhog Day (2 February in United States and Canada). Grandparent's Day (Sunday after September Labor Day - proclaimed in the United States by Jimmy Carter in 1978). Flag Day (14 June in the United States). Boxing Day (26 December in the Commonwealth of Nations).

International Women's Day (8th of March, particularly in Eastern European Countries). United Nations holidays. Halloween (31 October). Father's Day (third Sunday in June; 19 March, others; 8 August, Republic of China).

World Ocean Day (8 June). Mother's Day (second Sunday in May in North America, fourth Sunday in Lent in UK). Labour Day, Worker's Day or May Day (1 May, most countries - United States and Canada are prominent exceptions). Earth Day (22 April).

April Fool's Day (1 April). Astronomy Day (date varies depending on cycle of Moon). Leap Day (29 February, every four years). Valentine's Day (14 February).

Perihelion (3-6 January, depending on year and location). Happy Winter. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Solstice.

Happy New Year. Happy Kwanzaa. Joyous Yule. Happy Holiday(s).

Season's Greetings. Happy Hanukkah. Merry Christmas (sometimes referenced in Spanish or French as Feliz Navidad and Joyeux Noel). Preceded by New Year's Eve on 31 December, which is celebrated with festivities in anticipation of New Year's Day.

New Year's Day - (1 January) — Holiday observing the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. In many European countries it is also a holiday, called St Stephen's Day or the second day of Christmas. Boxing Day (26 December) — Holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on 26 December. It was created in 1966.

Kwanzaa (USA) - (26 December - 1 January) — Holiday observance held from December 26 to January 1 honoring African-American heritage, primarily in the United States. Christmas is also celebrated as a secular gift-giving holiday; other observances include the decoration of trees and houses. Christmas Day - (25 December) — Christian holiday commemorating the traditional birth-date of Jesus. Hanukkah - (26 Kislev - 2/3 Tevet - almost always in December) — Jewish holiday celebrating the defeat of Seleucid forces who had tried to prevent Israel from practising Judaism, and also celebrating the miracle of the Menorah lights burning for eight days with only enough (olive) oil for one day.

It is celebrated by many as a secular holiday, and marks the beginning of the American "holiday season". It is traditionally celebrated with a meal shared among friends and family in which turkey is eaten. Thanksgiving - (fourth Thursday in November in USA, second Monday in October in Canada) — Holiday generally observed as an expression of gratitude, traditionally to God, for the autumn harvest. Birth of Bahá'u'lláh.

Birth of the Báb. Martyrdom of the Báb. Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh. Declaration of the Báb.

12th Day of Ridvan. 9th Day of Ridvan. 1st Day of Ridván. Naw Ruz (Bahá'í New Year).

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Tu Bishvat (New year of the trees). Tisha B'Av. Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles).

Shavuot (Pentecost). Rosh Hashanah (New Year). Purim (Based on the events in the Biblical book of Esther). Passover.

Lag Ba'omer. Hanukkah (also: Chanukah; the Festival of Lights). Ramadan. Festival of Muharram.

Eid ul-Adha, Greater Bairam. Eid ul-Fitr, Lesser Bairam