Passover

Passover is a Jewish holiday and feast. It celebrates the story of Exodus, where the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar, which is spring in the Northern Hemisphere and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most observed Jewish holiday.

In the Exodus narrative, the Bible says that God helped the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, causing the ten plagues, the Egyptian Pharaoh to free his slaves and the Israelites tenth plague was the worst massacre of the firstborn. The Israelis called character doorposts of their houses with the blood of the lamb, and spring, the sight of the spirit of the Lord, to ignore these houses, an easy way to remember the holiday. There is some debate about where the term is actually derived from from.When Pharaoh freed the Israelites are said to have left as fast as he can not wait for bread dough to rise (yeast). I remember the Easter period can not eat leavened bread, which is why it is called "Feast of Unleavened Bread." Matzo (unleavened flat bread) is the symbol of a holiday.

Together with Shavuot ("Pentecost") and Sukkot ("Tabernacles"), Easter is one of the three pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim) during which the entire Jewish population historically made a pilgrimage to the Temple of Jerusalem.Samaritans always do pilgrimage to Mount Gerizim, but only men participate in public worship.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels (Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19).

In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshipers. The difficulty of procuring palms for that day's ceremonies in unfavorable climates for palms led to the substitution of boughs of box, yew, willow or other native trees. The Sunday was often designated by the names of these trees, as Yew Sunday or by the general term Branch Sunday.

Saint Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day (Irish: Pádraig The Fhéile) is a religious festival celebrated internationally on 17 March. It celebrates St. Patrick (ca. 387-461 AD), the most widely recognized of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.It observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Orthodox Church and the Lutheran Church. Day of St. Patrick was made an official holiday in the early 17th century and became a secular celebration of Irish culture in general.

The day is generally characterized by the presence of religious services, wearing a green dress (especially Shamrocks), and the repeal of restrictions on Lent eating and drinking alcohol, which is often prohibited in the rest of the season.

St. Patrick's Day is a holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Montserrat. It 'also widely celebrated in the Irish diaspora, especially in places like Britain, Canada, United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, for example.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

Last Wednesday, the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. You must move fast, they belong to a different day every year, as it depends on the date of Easter. It could happen as early as February 4 or later than March 10.

According to the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent forty days fasting in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry, during which he endured temptation Satan.Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this forty-day period liturgical prayer and fasting.

Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes are usually used in combination after the palm of Palm in the previous year were burned on Sunday.

This practice is widespread in large parts of Christianity that is celebrated by Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Anglicans.

Mardi Gras

The words "Mardi Gras" "Mardi Gras season," and "Carnival", in English, refers to the events of Carnival, beginning on or after the Epiphany and ends on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" (in English, ethnic tradition, the carnival), which refers to the practice of the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before the ritual fast of Lent, which begins on Wednesday Ash. Related popular practice is associated with celebrations before Lent and the religious obligations related to the penance of Lent. Popular practices include wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dances, sports competitions, parades, etc. expressions similar to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages ​​share the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, which is associated with the religious requirement of confession before Lent begins.

In many areas, the term "Mardi Gras" has come to mean the entire period of activity associated with festive events beyond the first day. In some U.S. cities, now called "Shrove Tuesday" or "Fat Tuesday". The festival season varies from city to city, as some believe Mardi Gras traditions throughout the period between Epiphany or Three Kings Day and for the treatment of ashes Wednesday.Others last three days before Ash Wednesday that the phone Tuesday Gras . In, Alabama, Mardi Gras associated social events will begin in November, followed by the dance company of mystics Thanksgiving and New Year, followed by parades and dances in January and February, to celebrate until midnight before Ash Wednesday. In the early days of parades were held in cities famous for Mardi Gras celebrations include New Year Day.Other Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Barranquilla, Colombia, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Quebec, Canada, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico and New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

The Carnival is an important celebration in the Catholic nations of Europe. United Kingdom and Ireland, a week before Wednesday is called "Carnival", which ends on Mardi Gras. This is an aspect of popular theater as well. Traditional pancakes. Pancakes and their freshly baked bread and cakes made of sugar, fat and eggs are traditionally eaten at the time in different parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Washington's Birthday

Washington's Birthday federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of George Washington, first president of the United States. It 'also commonly known as Presidents Day (sometimes wrote on Presidents' Day or President's). How Washington's Birthday or Presidents Day, is also the official name, at the same time the holiday was celebrated on the same day in many states.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, Valentine's commonly abbreviated, is held annually to commemorate February 14 celebrates the love and affection between intimate companions.The day takes its name from one or more of the early Christian martyrs named Valentine, and was founded by Pope Gelasius I, 496 AD. It 'was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969, the saints by Pope Paul VI. It 'a traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other, presenting flowers, offering sweet, and send cards (known as "Valentine"). Day became associated with romantic love in the first circle of Geoffrey Chaucer's Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped day schedule, pigeons, and the figure of Cupid with wings. Since the 19th century, manuscripts Valentine gave way to mass production of greeting cards.