Holiday

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. A few of them are:. Referring to the original meaning of the term, Henny Youngman included this joke among his vast catalog of one-liners:. As with films, the Devil (or some nearly identical character) has appeared in numerous video games. Christopher Columbus, who has arrived in the New World just moments earlier, tells a Native American that he wants to cash a check... Among these are:. 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. Many films and television programs have portrayed the Devil in one form or another.

Some holidays that were once widely celebrated are less so today, for various reasons. The Devil is a common theme in an extreme form of underground music known as Black Metal. 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. A few songs that make reference to the Devil are:. These are holidays celebrated by various groups and individuals. Among the most famous are:. Other secular holidays not observed internationally:. Many writers have incorporated the character of Satan into their works.

Many other days are marked to celebrate events or people, but are not strictly holidays as time off work is rarely given. Moreover, research into Ugaritic texts revealed that the names of the Jewish god were the same as separate gods worshipped in the same region; Yahweh is cognate to Ugaritic Yaw who is there the god of chaos, evil, and world domination. They are:. Early Gnostics called the Demiurge Yao, the Aramaic cognate to the Tetragrammaton, YHWH (Yahweh). With the winter holidays, come various different greetings appropriate for each holiday or the entire season. The medieval Cathars believed that the Old Testament Yahweh was, in fact, the devil, based partially on ethical interpretations of the Bible and partially on the beliefs of earlier gnostic sects (such as the Marcionists) who regarded the god of the Old Testament as evil or as an imperfect demiurge. 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. Prince of Darkness and Lord of Darkness are also folkloric names, although they tend to be incorporated to Christian tradition.

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. It should be noted that the name Mephistopheles is used by some people to refer to the Devil, but it is a mere folkloric custom, and has nothing to do with Christian demonology and Christian tradition. 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. Christian demonology, in contrast, does not have several nicknames for Satan. In many Western countries, the winter holiday season is a period of time surrounding Christmas. Belial is held by many to be another name for the Devil. The Catholic fiestas patronales are celebrated in each place's patron saint's day, according to the Calendar of saints. The Enemy, The Evil One and The Tempter are other elliptic forms to name the Devil.

In the order of the Wheel of the Year:. Christian tradition differs from that of Christian demonology in that Satan, Lucifer, Leviathan and Beelzebub all are names that refer to "the Devil", and Prince of this World, The Beast and Dragon (and rarely Serpent or The Old Serpent) use to be elliptic forms to refer to him. Well-known consecutive holidays include:. One hypothesis is that this might have been an attempt to establish a hellish trinity with the same person, akin to the Christian Trinity of Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, but most demonologists do not carry this view. 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. Later, for unknown reasons, Christian demonologists appeared to designate "Satan", "Lucifer", and "Beelzebub" as different entities, each with a different rank in the hellish hierarchy. They tend to be considered a good chance to take short trips. Though this word, Heilel, has come to be translated as "morning-star" from the Septuagint's translation of the Scriptures, the letter ה in Hebrew often indicates singularity, much as the English "the," in which case the translation would be ה "the" ילל "yell," or "the wailing yell.".

Consecutive holidays are a string of holidays taken together without working days in between. The Hebrew Bible word which was later translated to "Lucifer" in English is הילל (transliterated HYLL). "Legal holiday" is not a term used outside the United States. Lucifer became another name for Satan and has remained so due to Christian dogma and popular tradition. "Public Holiday" is the term used in Australia and "Bank Holiday" in the UK, although some industries in the UK work through Bank Holidays. Thus, early Christian tradition interpreted the passage as a reference to the moment Satan was thrown from Heaven. 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. While this information is available to scholars today via translated Babylonian cuneiform text taken from clay tablets, it was not as readily available at the time of the Latin translation of the Bible.

A public holiday or legal holiday is a holiday endorsed by the state. This is because the Babylonian king was considered to be of godly status and of symbolic divine parentage (Bel and Ishtar, associated with the planet Venus). . Isaiah 14:1-23 is a passage largely concerned with the plight of Babylon, and its king is referred to as "morning star, son of the dawn".
. When the Bible was translated into Latin (the Vulgate), the name Lucifer appeared as a translation of "Morning Star", or the planet Venus, in Isaiah 14:12. A holiday can also be a special day on which school and/or offices are closed, such as Labor Day. Both claims are false, as the words are etymologically derived from pre-existing languages.

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. There are some who erroneously claim that the word 'devil' is from 'd'evil' -'of evil.' Some also believe that because the word 'evil' itself is 'live' spelt backward, the word originated through the nature of evil being "against living things," or the antithesis of life itself. 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. However, the actual Abaddon mentioned in the Book of Revelation is the name of an angel "holding the key to the Abyss", so the original text does not originally point to Satan. "I'm going on holiday to Malta next week"), the North American equivalent being "vacation". Abaddon or Apollyon: Referred to in Revelation 9:11, commonly interpreted as the name of Satan in Hebrew and Greek respectively. 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 Beast (Book of Revelation 13:1-18) is a term John the Evangelist used to refer to a "puppet" of the dragon's (Satan); this name appears several times in the book of Revelation, and it became another nickname for Satan.

The word has evolved in general usage to mean any special day. The Dragon or The Old Serpent: These epithets are used extensively in the Book of Revelation. Based on the words holy and day -, holidays originally represented special religious days. 12:9). The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. The Devil, diabolos: This name is ascribed to Satan at least 33 times in the Christian scriptures and indicates that Satan is an accuser or slanderer (Rev. Native: "Columbus Day!". In the Christian worldview, Satan is the adversary of both God and humanity.

Columbus: "Oh? Why?". 1 Peter 5:8--"Your adversary the devil." By adversary is meant one who takes a stand against another. Banks closed.". "What agreement does Christ have with Belial?". Native: "You out of luck today. In 2 Corinthians 6:15 the Devil is referred as Belial. 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). In John 12:31 and 14:30 Satan is called Prince of this World (Rex Mundi); this became a nickname for him.

Sinkie Day (The Day After Thanksgiving). Abrahamic religions generally regarded sin as a physical manifestation of opposition to God, and therefore evil; dissent only comes from the topic of 'where does sin come from?'. Flying Spaghetti Monsterism Holy Day (every Friday). This title suggests that Satan is one who is wicked himself. Blame Someone Else Day (first Friday the 13th of the year). 6:13; 1 John 5:19. Christmahanukwanzakah (the holiday season in general, a holiday made out of a marketing campaign invented by Virgin Mobile during the 2004 holiday season.). 13:19--"Then cometh the wicked one." Matt.

Festivus (23 December). The wicked one: Matt. Mole Day (23 October). "Lord of the Flies") has now come to be analogous to Satan. Brick Day (15 October). In Matthew 10:25 and 12:24, Mark 3:22, and openly in Luke 11:18-19 there is an implied connection between Satan and Beelzebub (originally a Semitic deity called Baal-zebul, one of the Baals.) Beelzebub (lit. October Fool's Day (1 October) (Southern Hemisphere version of April Fool's Day). He is continually soliciting men to sin.

Ask a Stupid Question Day (28 September). The tempter: Matthew 4:3--"And when the tempter came to him." None escape his temptations. International Talk Like a Pirate Day (19 September). The Hebrew Bible views ha-satan as an angel ministering to the desires of God, acting as Chief Prosecutor. National Underwear Day (11 August). Zechariah 3:1--"And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and ha-satan standing at his right hand to resist him." This reading has since been erroneously interpreted by some to mean Satan, "the Devil", but such is not the case. National Talk In Elevators Day (last Friday of July). There is no unambiguous basis for the Devil in the Torah, the Prophets, or the Writings.

Pi Approximation Day (22 July). The article was lost and this title became a proper name: Satan. Evoloterra (20 July celebrates the first manned Moon Landing). Originally, only the epithet of "the satan" or "the adversary" was used to denote the character in the Hebrew deity's court that later became known as "the Devil". X-Day (5 July in the Church of the SubGenius). A Devil-like figure in Buddhism is Mara. Bloomsday (16 June based on James Joyce's novel Ulysses). Kroni, the spirit of Kali Yuga is said to be omnipresent in this age and that is why one of the reasons, followers of Ayya Vazhi, like some Hindus, believe that the current yuga, Kali Yuga is so degraded.

No Pants Day (first Friday of May). Eventually, the Ekam with the spirit (the spirit taken by Narayana only for incarnating in the world) of Narayana incarnates in the world as Ayya Vaikundar to destroy the final manifestaion of Kroni, Kaliyan. 24-hour Comics Day (24 April). In response to such manifestation of evil, believers, in Ayya-Vazhi religion believe that God, as Vishnu manifests in His avatars, Rama, Krishna, to destroy evil. Towel Day (25 May) (a tribute to the late Douglas Adams). Kroni, according to Ayyavazhi is the primordial manifestation of evil and manifests in various forms of evil, i.e., Ravana, Duryodhana, etc., in different ages or yugas. International Cannabis Day (20 April). Ayyavazhi, officially an offshoot of Hinduism, in Tamil Nadu, believes in a Satan-like figure, Kroni.

Pi Day (14 March). The Hebrew word for evil used above is usually translated as 'calamity', 'disaster' or 'chaos'. 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). In fact, the Book of Isaiah, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Deuteronomy all have passages which God is credited for creating both the good and the evil of this world. Wintereenmas (25 January through 31 January). There is no evidence in Torah, or in the books of the Prophets and other writings, to suggest that God created an evil being. Paper Hat Day (4 January). In the epilogue Job's possessions are restored and he has a second family to "replace" the one that died.

Holidays originating in ancient Latvia. At the conclusion of this book God appears as a whirlwind, explaining to all that divine justice is inscrutable with human intellect. Sweetest Day (third Saturday in October, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan in the United States). The righteous man is afflicted with loss of family, property, and later, health, but he still stays faithful to God. Queen's Day (30 March in the Netherlands). After God points out Job's piety, ha-satan asks for permission to test the faith of Job. Pioneer Day (24 July in Utah, United States). In essence ha-satan has no power unless humans do evil things.

Patriot's Day (third Monday in April in Massachusetts and Maine, United States). In Judaism ha-satan does not make evil, rather points out to God the evil inclinations and actions of humankind. Mother-in-Law's Day (fourth Sunday in October, where?). In the book of Job (Iyov), ha-satan is the title, not the proper name, of an angel submitted to God; he is the divine court's chief prosecutor. Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January in the United States). In Hebrew, the biblical word ha-satan means adversary or obstacle, or even "the prosecutor" (recognizing that God is viewed as the ultimate Judge). Loyalty Day (1 May in the United States). (For a more detailed account, see (Iblis or Shaitan.).

Lee-Jackson-King Day (20 January) Combined holiday celebrated in the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1984 to 2000. Allah gave them a strong warning about Iblis and the fires of Hell and asked them and their children (humankind) to stay away from the deceptions of their senses caused by the Devil. Independence day (observed by many different countries at different dates). Initially, the Devil was successful in deceiving Adam, but once his intentions became clear, Adam and Eve repented to Allah and were freed from their misdeeds and forgiven. Labour Day (Many European countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1). This caused him to be expelled by Allah, a fact that Iblis blamed on humanity. Labor Day (a United States federal holiday that takes place on the first Monday of September). However, Iblis, adamant in his view that man is a worthless being, never bowed his head before any other than Allah.

Groundhog Day (2 February in United States and Canada). Even the other angels showed a degree of suspicion when Allah informed them about the creation of man as the regent (caliph) of all things on Earth, but they ultimately prostrated before Adam to show their homage. Grandparent's Day (Sunday after September Labor Day - proclaimed in the United States by Jimmy Carter in 1978). He claimed to be superior to Adam, on the grounds that man was created of earth unlike himself. Flag Day (14 June in the United States). He was expelled from the grace of Allah when he failed to pay homage to Adam, the father of all mankind. Boxing Day (26 December in the Commonwealth of Nations). The ones who succeed in this are rewarded with Paradise (jannath ul firdaus), attainable only by righteous conduct.

International Women's Day (8th of March, particularly in Eastern European Countries). Thus, humankind is warned to struggle (jihad) against the mischiefs of the Shaitan and temptations he puts them in. United Nations holidays. He intends to discourage humans from obeying God. Halloween (31 October). Shaitan's single enemy is humanity. Father's Day (third Sunday in June; 19 March, others; 8 August, Republic of China). Unlike the Zoroastrian beliefs, all good and bad deeds are from Allah himself and only he can save humanity from the evils of his universe and his creations.

World Ocean Day (8 June). The Qur'an does not depict Shaitan as the enemy of Allah, for Allah is supreme over all his creations and Iblis is just one of his creations. Mother's Day (second Sunday in May in North America, fourth Sunday in Lent in UK). The Devil is also referred to as one of the Djinns (genies), as they are all created from the smokeless fires. Labour Day, Worker's Day or May Day (1 May, most countries - United States and Canada are prominent exceptions). After that, he will be put into the fires of Hell along with those whom he has deceived. Earth Day (22 April). According to the verses of the Qur’an, the Devil's mission until the Qiyamah or Resurrection Day (yaum-ul-qiyama) is to deceive Adam's children (mankind).

April Fool's Day (1 April). The primary characteristic of the Devil, besides hubris, is that he has no power other than the power to cast evil suggestions into the heart of men. Astronomy Day (date varies depending on cycle of Moon). According to the Qur'an, God (called Allah in Islam) created the Devil out of "smokeless fire", while he created man out of clay. Leap Day (29 February, every four years). In Islam the Devil is referred to as Iblis, also called the Shaitan (a word referring to evil devil-like beings). Valentine's Day (14 February). Tolkien characters Melkor and Sauron.

Perihelion (3-6 January, depending on year and location). R. Happy Winter. R. Happy Thanksgiving. Lewis (The Screwtape Letters and Space Trilogy), and the J. Happy Solstice. S.

Happy New Year. The epic poem by John Milton, Paradise Lost, has a stylized depiction of the devil that influenced C. Happy Kwanzaa. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him." (Revelation 12:7-9). Joyous Yule. The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. Happy Holiday(s). But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.

Season's Greetings. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. Happy Hanukkah. "And there was war in heaven. Merry Christmas (sometimes referenced in Spanish or French as Feliz Navidad and Joyeux Noel). Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?" (Isaiah 14:9-17 - this is commonly held to be a dual prophecy about the King of Babylon and Satan). Preceded by New Year's Eve on 31 December, which is celebrated with festivities in anticipation of New Year's Day. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.

New Year's Day - (1 January) — Holiday observing the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. In many European countries it is also a holiday, called St Stephen's Day or the second day of Christmas. They will all respond, they will say to you, "You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us." All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. Boxing Day (26 December) — Holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on 26 December. The grave below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you — all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones — all those who were kings over the nations. It was created in 1966. Commonly-quoted Bible-texts are:.

Kwanzaa (USA) - (26 December - 1 January) — Holiday observance held from December 26 to January 1 honoring African-American heritage, primarily in the United States. Were the craftsman's hand the rule itself engraving, he could not engrave the wood otherwise than rightly; but if the rightness of engraving be judged by another rule, then the engraving may be right or faulty." (ST I.63.1, italics added). Christmas is also celebrated as a secular gift-giving holiday; other observances include the decoration of trees and houses. That act alone, the rule of which is the very virtue of the agent, can never fall short of rectitude. Christmas Day - (25 December) — Christian holiday commemorating the traditional birth-date of Jesus. The reason of this is, because sinning is nothing else than a deviation from that rectitude which an act ought to have; whether we speak of sin in nature, art, or morals. 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. "An angel or any other rational creature considered in his own nature, can sin; and to whatever creature it belongs not to sin, such creature has it as a gift of grace, and not from the condition of nature.

It is celebrated by many as a secular holiday, and marks the beginning of the American "holiday season".
Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologiae, said:. It is traditionally celebrated with a meal shared among friends and family in which turkey is eaten. The key fact in understanding the devil is that he was originally a holy being who was corrupted by pride. 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. He was Lucifer, an angel in authority before the Creation (theology) who fell because of pride and because he waged a war against God. Birth of Bahá'u'lláh. Unlike Manichaeism which teaches a coeval dualism, Christians see the devil as a corrupted or fallen angel.

Birth of the Báb. Christianity understands the Devil in the context of the Old Testament. Martyrdom of the Báb. . Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh. All strikingly similar to the story of Ahriman. Declaration of the Báb. Christianity views Satan as an angel cast from heaven by God, whom was prideful, deceitful, and the temptor.

12th Day of Ridvan. Accordingly, humans are urged to align themselves with Ohrmazd and his Yazata's ("angels") and to shun His adversary whom is the ruler of darkness and his demons, so that they may facilitate the final renovation (Frashō-kereti). 9th Day of Ridvan. In a final battle between the forces of good and evil, human souls will be judged in a fiery ordeal of molten metal where the good will pass through as if it were warm milk and those who chose evil will be purified and all will be reunited in the new perfected world. 1st Day of Ridván. Ahura Mazda ("Wise Lord"), also later known as Ohrmazd in Middle Persian, is the God of light, or Truth, and Angra Mainyu ("Evil Spirit"), also later known as Ahriman in Middle Persian, is the primeval Spirit of darkness, or the Lie. Naw Ruz (Bahá'í New Year). Much like classical monotheism, Zoroastrianism has one supreme God, and an evil spirit whom chose to be evil, locked in a cosmic struggle where both are more or less evenly matched, though from the beginning Ahura Mazda's triumph is foretold; making Zoroastrianism an ethical dualism.

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Some scholars believe that the notion of a central supernatural embodiment of evil, as well as the notion of angels, first arose in Western monotheism when Judaism came into contact with the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism. Tu Bishvat (New year of the trees). However, a "diva" is not a devil. Tisha B'Av. In other languages devil may be derived from the same Indo-European root word for deva, which roughly translates as "angel". Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles). The term devil can refer to a greater demon in the hierarchy of Hell.

Shavuot (Pentecost). The English word devil derives from the Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Latin Diábolus, from Late Greek Diabolos, meaning, slanderer, from diaballein, to slander: dia-, dia- + ballein, to hurl. Rosh Hashanah (New Year). In classic demonology, however, each of these alternate names refers to a specific supernatural entity, and there is significant disagreement as to whether any of these specific entities is actually evil. Purim (Based on the events in the Biblical book of Esther). This entity is commonly referred to by a variety of other names, including Satan, Asmodai, Beelzebub, Lucifer and/or Mephistopheles. Passover. The Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity, who, in most Western religions, is the central embodiment of evil.

Lag Ba'omer. Engaging, wide-ranging and good-humored (and out-of-print for thirty years), this "classic" was re-printed in 1989. Hanukkah (also: Chanukah; the Festival of Lights). The Devil in Legend and Literature, by Maximilian Rudwin (Open Court, La Salle, Illinois, 1931, 1959) is a compendium of "the secular and sacred adventures of Satan". Ramadan. The following volumes are, Satan: The Early Christian Tradition, Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages, and Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World. Festival of Muharram. Accessible and engaging, full of photographs illustrating the text, this is the first of a four volume series on the history of the concept of the Devil.

Eid ul-Adha, Greater Bairam. The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity, by Jeffrey Burton Russell (Meridian, New York 1977) is "a history of the personification of evil" which, to make things clear, he calls "the Devil". Eid ul-Fitr, Lesser Bairam