Holidays

Jan 1	New Years Day	Apr 24	Take our Daughters & Sons To Work Day
Jan 19	Martin Luther King, Jr Day	Apr 25	Arbor Day
Jan 22	Chinese New Year	May 5	Cinco De Mayo
Feb 1	Eid ul-Adha	May 11	Mother's Day
Feb 2	Groundhog Day	May 17	Armed Forces Day
Feb 14	Valentine's Day	May 18	Malcolm X Day
Feb 16	President's Day	May 26	Memorial Day
Feb 22	Ma'al Hijrah	June 14	Flag Day
March 4	Mardi Gras	July 4	Independence Day
March 5	Ash Wednesday	Aug 26	Women's Equality Day
March 8	International Women's Day	Sept 1	Labor Day
March 10	Harriet Tubman Day	Sept 7	Grandparent's Day
March 17	St. Patrick's Day	Sept 28	Rosh Hashanah
March 19	Las Fallas de Valencia	Oct 6	Yom Kippur
March 19	St. Joseph's Day	Oct 13	Columbus Day
March 21	Vernal Equinox	Oct 16	National Boss's Day
April 1	April Fool's Day	Oct 25	Diwali
April 6	Daylight Savings Time	Oct 27	Ramadan
April 13	Palm Sunday	Oct 31	Halloween
April 15	Tax Day (U.S.)	Nov 11	Veteran's Day
April 17	Passover	Nov 27	Thanksgiving
April 18	Good Friday	Dec 20-27	Hanukkah
April 20	Easter	Dec 22	Yule
April 22	Earth Day	Dec 25	Christmas
Apr 23	Administrative Professionals Day	Dec 26-Jan 1	Kwanzaa

The date of the "new year" varies from society to society. For instance, the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, is celebrated in the fall, while the Chinese New Year begins on the second new moon after winter solstice (late January to mid-February). Until 1753, England and its colonies rang in the new year on March 25, which coincided with a Christian holiday called Lady Day (the Feast of the Annunciation). They made the switch to January 1 when they converted from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian.

If you're making any difficult new year's resolutions this year, take heart: people have been struggling with them ever since the early Babylonians started the tradition. (Their most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment, in case you were wondering.)

Born in 1929 in Atlanta, GA, Martin Luther King earned a doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University in 1955. Shortly thereafter, Dr. King was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which orchestrated the Montgomery Bus Boycott in response to Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus. From then until his assassination on April 4, 1968, King organized marches and protests, met with leaders from around the world, and published numerous books and papers promoting equality and civil rights. In August, 1963, King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, in December 1964.

First celebrated as a national holiday on January 20, 1986, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was created to "serve as a time for Americans to reflect on the principles of racial equality and nonviolent social change espoused by Martin Luther King, Jr."

The Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, traditionally lasts 15 days. To prepare for the coming of spring, people clean their houses, repay their debts, cut their hair, buy new clothes, and decorate their doors with vertical scrolls of characters on red paper. Large family dinners are served on New Year's Eve, and fireworks are lit at midnight to drive away evil spirits.

Eid ul-Adha is the most important Islamic feast of the year. At the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Muslims commemorate the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son by sacrificing a lamb, goat, or other animal. The meat from the Feast of Sacrifice is distributed to relatives and the poor.

A German tradition holds that if the sun comes out on Candlemas, the hedgehog will see its shadow and six more weeks of winter will follow. When German settlers came to Pennsylvania they continued this tradition, using groundhogs instead of hedgehogs to predict the weather. The first official Groundhog Day was celebrated in 1886 in Punxsutawney, PA.

Despite occasional grumblings that it was invented by the greeting card industry, Valentine's Day actually has a long, rich history. Its earliest origins derive from a pagan festival called Lupercalia, in which Romans called upon the god Lupercus to keep the wolves away. As part of the festivities, Roman girls wrote their names on a slip of paper and placed them in a jar for the boys to draw from. The matches were supposed to be sweethearts until the next Lupercalia.

Lupercalia evolved into Valentine's Day after Emperor Claudius II, believing married men would prefer staying with their families to fighting his wars, decreed that Roman soldiers were forbidden to wed. According to legend, a priest named Valentine conducted secret marriage ceremonies in defiance of the edict. On February 14, the eve of Lupercalia, he was beheaded for his crime.

After Valentine was sanctified, Christian priests adapted the pagan holiday, moving it back a day to honor him.

First observed in 1971, Presidents' Day falls between the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (born February 12, 1809) and George Washington (born February 22, 1732). Though created to honor all American presidents, many associate the holiday with these two famous leaders.

Ma'al Hijrah, The Islamic New Year, commemorates the 622 A.D. Hijrah (migration) from Mecca. Faced with increasing persecution at the hands of an idolatrous populace that was unresponsive to the Prophet Muhammad's teachings, the Muslims were invited to settle in a city called Yathrib. Muhammad supervised the flight from Mecca, staying behind until the last disciple departed, then started on his journey across the desert with Abu Bakar.

To evade the assassins pursuing them, the companions hid in a cave. They escaped discovery when a spider wove its web at the cave's entrance, giving the impression that no one had passed through it. Once safely in Yathrib, Muhammad built the first mosque. Islam grew and thrived in this city, renamed "Medinah," enabling the Prophet's triumphant return to Mecca years later.

The Hijrah was such an important turning point for the Muslim community that they set their calendar by it.

Translated as "Fat Tuesday," Mardi Gras is historically the last chance at revelry and indulgence before the 40-day fast of Lent, which begins the following day on Ash Wednesday. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, a 40-day period of penitence. In the Roman Catholic church, a priest places burnt palm ashes from the previous Palm Sunday on the foreheads of his congregation, reciting, "Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return."

The first Women's Day took place on the last Sunday in February, 1908. Initiated by socialist women in the United States, the occasion was inspired by a number of issues -- the right to vote, equal wages, and better working conditions for female employees among them. A year later, the second International Conference of Socialist Women approved an International Women's Day, which was held for the first time in 1911.

On March 8 (February 23 on the Gregorian calendar), 1917, thousands of Russian women observed this holiday by protesting food shortages, high prices, the war, and the general suffering they had endured under the Czarist regime. (The Czar was forced to abdicate four days later as a result of that and other strikes.) In 1921, March 8 became the official date for International Women's Day.

No longer an exclusively socialist holiday, International Women's Day is now a time to rally support for women's rights around the world, commemorate the progress we've made, and honor the efforts of individual women who have helped bring about greater equality for all.

After her escape from slavery in 1849, Harriet Tubman (c.1820–1913) successfully led more than 300 slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. While she is most famous for her role as "conductor," risking her own life and liberty 19 times over a period of 10 years, she also served the Union as a scout for raiding parties, spy behind Confederate lines, nurse, and laundress during the Civil War. She remained active after the war as well, working as a supporter for women's suffrage and raising money for clothing and schools for African American children. In 1908, she established a home for elderly and indigent Black women and men.

In 1990, to honor her courage, dedication, and commitment to freedom, President George Bush proclaimed March 10 -- the anniversary of her death -- Harriet Tubman Day.

Saint Patrick, also known as Maewyn Succat, was born in Scotland around 373 A.D. After he was sold into slavery at 16, he began to have religious visions. He was ordained as a deacon, then priest, then bishop before Pope Celestine sent him to Ireland to spread the gospel -- it is thought that his "driving out of the snakes" is a reference to his appropriating of the pagan culture, as serpents were pagan symbols.

While not the first to bring Christianity to Ireland, it was Patrick who encountered the Druids at Tara, converted the warrior chiefs, and baptized them in the Holy Wells which still bear his name. Shamrocks are significant to Saint Patrick's Day because Patrick used its three leaves to teach about the holy trinity; four-leaf clovers, being harder to find than the three-leaf variety, were seen as "special" and became symbols of good luck.

First observed in America in 1737, "St. Paddy's Day" has lost most of its religious significance. Today, many spend the holiday celebrating Irish culture.

Commemorating St. Joseph's Day, Las Fallas de Valencia is a rowdy celebration of fire that spans several days. Fallas (huge papier-mache people and scenes, usually bawdy and satirical in nature, ranging from a few feet to several stories high) are placed all over the city. In addition to bonfires and randomly lit fireworks, events include parades, bullfights, beauty pageants, and paella contests. On the night of March 19, the fallas are stuffed with fireworks and set aflame.

The current incarnation of this festival became popular in the 1900s, but its roots probably lie in a pagan ritual dating back to the Middle Ages. In the 1500s, Valencia streetlamps were hung on parots (wooden structures) and used only during winter. On St. Joseph's Day, the people of this city celebrated the coming of spring by burning the unneeded parots.

Called a just and righteous man in the Gospels, Joseph was the Virgin Mary's husband and Jesus' adoptive father. He is the patron saint of a great multitude of people and things, including carpenters, cabinetmakers, engineers, people in doubt, social justice, pregnant women, and emigrants.

During the Middle Ages, the people of Sicily promised to prepare a great feast in Saint Joseph's honor if he ended a severe drought. According to legend, the rain came shortly after Joseph heard their pleas. The townspeople, true to their word, set up huge banquet tables and invited the poor to sit and eat as much as they wished. Now known as St. Joseph's Day, this tradition is still celebrated by many Italians and Italian-Americans.

The vernal ("spring") equinox ("equal night") occurs on or around March 21, when the sun is directly over the equator. Marking the beginning of spring, this day has inspired many rituals celebrating the return of warmth, sunshine, and new life.

One ancient holiday associated with the vernal equinox was Ostara, a celebration honoring the Saxon lunar goddess Eostre. According to myth, Eostre once rescued a wounded bird, whose wings had become frozen by the cold, by changing her into a hare who could more easily survive the winter. In keeping with her avian origins, the transformed creature was still able to lay eggs; she expressed her gratitude to the goddess by decorating those eggs and giving them to her. Starting to sound familiar? It should. Missionaries adapted some of these Ostara traditions for Easter in the hopes of converting pagans to Christianity.

To coincide with the vernal equinox and other agriculturally significant events, New Year's Day used to be celebrated in many societies around the first of April. Though Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world in 1562 -- with the new year beginning on January 1 -- there were some people who did not hear of the change (or refused to believe it) until much later, and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Others called these traditionalists "April fools" and played tricks on them, sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to make them believe that something false was true.

In France today, April first is called Poisson d'Avril. French children fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends' backs; when the "young fools" discover this trick, the prankster yells "Poisson d'Avril!" (April Fish!) Even though April Fool's Day is not an official American holiday, it is still recognized by many. Most of us are "taken in" at some time or another on April 1.

Daylight Saving Time was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin in 1784. Parodying his own passion for thrift, he wrote a letter to the Journal de Paris proposing that people save money on candles and oil by setting the clocks forward to "conserve" daylight.

Though satirical, Franklin's essay captured the imagination of many, and his idea was put into effect during World War I to save electricity. Due to its great unpopularity in the United States (we got up earlier back then), it was repealed shortly after the war ended. The experiment was repeated from 1942–1945, when Americans observed a year-round Daylight Saving Time, but after World War II different states and localities observed it if and when they wished.

In 1966, the Uniform Time Act was enacted, establishing a consistent Daylight Saving Time within each time zone during the spring and summer months. Under this law, only states that opted to remain on standard time all year were exempt.

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April in the United States and 1 a.m. (Greenwich Mean Time) on the last Sunday in March in Europe. It ends at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October.

The first day of Holy Week, Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, where his disciples lay palm branches before him. Christians observe the holiday by attending church, listening to a special sermon, and in some cases watching a reenactment of the event.

It's the day most Americans dread more than root canal surgery, a visit from the in-laws, or mucking out the barn: tax returns are due, and must usually be accompanied by a check payable to the IRS.

The Constitution had originally prohibited a direct tax on citizens, but the United States enacted the country's first income tax in 1862 to help finance the Civil War. Once the war-related debts were paid, the tax was repealed. However, it resurfaced again in the 19th century when citizens demanded a new federal revenue generation system; the existing system (which relied heavily on tariffs, excise taxes, and property taxes) was thought to put a disproportionate burden on farmers and other producers, which in turn raised the price of goods. A progressive income tax was seen as more desirable because it put a larger share of the tax burden on wealthier citizens.

In 1894 the U.S. Congress passed an income tax law and in 1913 the states ratified the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, which authorized Congress to tax the incomes of citizens. Non illegitimatum te carborundum.

On Pesach, or Passover, Jewish people commemorate their flight from slavery in Egypt. Its name comes from the events chronicled in Exodus XII: God, angry with the pharaoh for not agreeing to let his people go, afflicted the Egyptians with 10 plagues. The Jews escaped his final plague -- death of the firstborn son -- by sacrificing a lamb and placing its blood on their doorposts. The angel of death "passed over" any dwelling with this mark.

In observance this holiday, Jewish people hold a Seder (the ceremonial evening meal), read from the Haggadah (Exodus), and eat dishes that symbolize their hardships in and deliverance from Egypt.

Passover is a significant holiday for Christians as well. It was just before the feast of the Passover in Jerusalem that Jesus, a Jew, was crucified. The root "pasch," from which so many other names for Easter are derived, is from the Hebrew pesach.

Good Friday commemorates the anniversary of Jesus Christ's death on the cross. Christians, who believe that Jesus died for our sins, remember his sacrifice by spending the day in mourning and penitence.

Easter, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the holiest Christian holiday of the year. Believers celebrate the rebirth of their lord by attending special worship services.

Easter egg hunts, in which children search for dyed eggs hidden by the "Easter Bunny," originate from pagan festivals honoring Eostre, the goddess of spring. Early Christian missionaries incorporated aspects of these festivals in the hopes of converting those who celebrated them.

The first holiday called "Earth Day" was held on March 21, 1970 in San Francisco. This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations, where it is observed each year.

At around the same time, disturbed that the environment was a nonissue in American politics (and perhaps unaware of San Francisco's plans for the first day of spring), Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed that a national environmental teach-in be held on April 22, 1970. Also dubbed "Earth Day," the event was an enormous success: 20 million people participated in demonstrations, and more than 500 members of Congress made speeches about the environment or attended teach-ins.

Today, the United States officially celebrates Earth Day on April 22 while other countries celebrate it on the first day of spring. Whatever date it is observed, however, this holiday is a good time to consider how we might better care for the planet that sustains us.

You may be the head of the company (department, division, what-have-you), but don't forget to pay your respects to the neck and shoulders: the secretaries, office managers, customer service reps, etc. who work just as hard to keep your office running smoothly and keep you smelling like a rose. Today's the day to give these indispensables the recognition they deserve.

Formerly "Secretaries Day," the name of this holiday was changed in 2000 to reflect the growing number of job titles and responsibilities held by administrative professionals.

Take Our Daughters to Work Day was created by the Ms. Foundation for Women in 1993. Reacting to studies indicating that girls suffer significant drops in confidence and self-esteem during adolescence, this organization wished to strengthen girls' career aspirations and encourage them to focus on their abilities. They also hoped to expose them to different work environments, and enable them to meet successful women in non-traditional roles.

After concluding that boys must be encouraged to participate in family and the community if girls are to achieve their full potential, the Ms. Foundation changed the name of this event to Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. The new program is geared towards helping children envision not only career opportunities, but the kind of environments in which they wish to work. In particular, they want girls and boys to think about how they might combine a rewarding career with a rewarding family life.

Though the unofficial date varies from workplace to workplace, the Ms. Foundation chose the fourth Thursday in April as the official day for this program so that kids could apply their experiences to the classroom on the following Friday.

In 1872, Nebraska editor J. Sterling Morton proposed that a day be set aside for the planting of trees. The idea was popular among settlers of the territory, who recognized the need for the building materials, fuel, windbreaks, shade, and beauty that trees provide. On the first Arbor Day -- April 10, 1972 -- Nebraskans planted around one million trees.

Today, Arbor Day is observed throughout the U.S. and many other countries. Though it falls on the last Friday in April in most states, others celebrate at different times to coincide with the best tree-planting weather in the region.

Cinco de Mayo marks the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Although the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to symbolize Mexican unity and patriotism. With this victory, the nation demonstrated to the world that Mexico and all of Latin America were willing to defend themselves against any foreign intervention, especially from imperialist states bent on world conquest.

Contrary to popular belief, Mother's Day was not instigated by the greeting card industry or the florists' union. The first celebrations honoring mothers, held in ancient Greece during the spring, paid tribute to Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. The 17th century English celebrated "Mothering Sunday" on the fourth Sunday of Lent; servants had the day off and were encouraged to visit their mothers.

In 1907, an American named Anna Jarvis pushed to establish a national Mother's Day, persuading her church to celebrate it on the second Sunday in May (the anniversary of her mother's death). In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Though Jarvis was bitter about the subsequent commercialization of the holiday, it became an international phenomenon; many other countries now celebrate Mother's Day on the same day as the United States.

Prior to 1950 the United States honored different military leagues separately, observing an Army Day, Navy Day, and Air Force Day. Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson consolidated the three holidays on August 31, 1949, after these branches of the Armed Forces were unified under the Department of Defense. (The Marines haven't dropped Marine Corps Day, but they support Armed Forces Day too.)

In addition to celebrating the unification of the military, Armed Forces Day was designed to educate civilians about the Armed Forces. The government wished to expand the public's understanding of their role, and to honor all of the Americans who serve.

Born Malcolm Little, Malcolm X (1925–1965) was one of the most influential Black leaders of the 1960s. His career in activism began in 1946, when he joined the Nation of Islam while serving a prison term for burglary. Upon his release he became the primary spokesman for the Nation, advocating Black pride, personal responsibility, and separatism. He broke with the Black Muslims in 1963, and converted to orthodox Islam in 1964.

Following his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964 (this journey is known as the Hajj to followers of Islam), Malcolm X changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. Deeply moved by the spirit of brotherhood and unity displayed by Muslims of many different races, he also re-evaluated his separatist views, stating that American whites who accepted the "Oneness of God" could accept the "Oneness of Man." He was assassinated the following year.

Between the American Revolution and Gulf War, more than 26 million men and women have served our country in wartime. Nearly 900,000 never came home. Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have died in our nation's service.

This holiday traces its origins to the days following the Civil War, when many people from the North and South decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. Decoration Day was first observed officially on May 30, 1868, and in 1882 its name was changed to Memorial Day. In 1971, President Nixon declared it a national holiday.

On June 14, 1777, Congress adopted a resolution, proposed by John Adams, for a new flag. The 13 stars, white on a blue field, represented a new constellation: "We take," said George Washington, "the star from Heaven, the red from our mother country [Britain], separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty." In 1818 Congress enacted a statute finally fixing the style and pattern of the "Star-Spangled Banner" as we know it today.

The idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have originated in 1885. Flag Day -- the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 -- was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916.

After enduring draconian trade restrictions, tax levies, and other intolerable acts imposed on the American Colonies by Great Britain's King George III, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, thus establishing the United States as a nation independent of British rule.

The American Revolutionary War had already started in April, 1775, when British troops fired on the colonists who gathered to warn the American citizens that the British were coming to seize John Hancock, John Adams, and their munitions. The war ended in October of 1781, six years later, when British General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown.

The idea for Grandparents Day was conceived by Marian McQuade of West Virginia. Hoping to encourage people to tap the wisdom of the older generations and give them a reason to visit their elderly friends and relatives in nursing homes, she spearheaded a campaign to set aside a special day just for grandparents. In 1973, Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) introduced a resolution in the United States Senate and in 1978, Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents' Day. The holiday was set in September to signify the "autumn years" of life.

The Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, occurs on the first day of the month of Tishrei (September and October in the Gregorian calendar), the first month of the year according to the Jewish calendar. Throughout the long history of the Jewish people Rosh Hashanah has been regarded as one of the most sacred and profound festivals, celebrating the anniversary of creation. It is on this day that God opens the Book of Life and observes his creatures, deciding their fate for the coming year. Rosh Hashanah starts the Ten Days of Repentance, during which every Jew examines her/his deeds, repents, and makes efforts to improve her-/himself. These Ten Days culminate on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the day upon which God "seals" the Book of Life.

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the most sacred of the Jewish holidays, the "Sabbath of Sabbaths." On Rosh Hashanah, God has judged most of mankind and recorded his judgement in the Book of Life, but he has given a ten-day reprieve during which we can repent. Then, on the tenth day of Tishri (Yom Kippur), the Book of Life is closed and sealed: those who have repented for their sins are granted a good, happy, and safe New Year. Yom Kippur is the day to ask forgiveness for promises broken to God, and the days before are for asking forgiveness for broken promises between people. No work is done on this day, and fasting is the rule: it is believed that to fast on Yom Kippur is to imitate the angels in heaven.

While he may not have actually discovered America, Christopher Columbus was a determined sailor who battled great political odds before finally securing the funding necessary to embark on a voyage across the Atlantic. His establishment of new trading routes between Europe and the "New World" accelerated the exchange of ideas between cultures and led to the Spanish colonization of much of the "New World."

National Boss's Day gives workers the opportunity to show their appreciation for (or suck up to) the people who supervise them. The idea originated with Patricia Bays Haroski, a secretary who worked for her father at State Farm Insurance. Believing that young people frequently don't understand the challenges bosses face when they run a business, and hoping to improve employer-employee relations, she registered the holiday with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958. She picked October 16 for the date because it was her father's birthday.

Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights. Observed over a period of five days, the holiday marks the beginning of the new year and the renewal of life. Hindus from all over the world celebrate by wearing new clothes, exchanging sweets, setting off fireworks, and placing many diyas (small oil lamps), candles, or neon lights around their homes. The religious significance of Diwali varies regionally. In Gujarat, for instance, the festival honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, while in northern India it commemorates Rama's homecoming and coronation.

Ramadan, the month in which Allah revealed the first verses of the Koran to Mohammed, is the holiest time of the year for people of the Islamic faith. During this period, Muslims fast and refrain from marital relations from sunrise to sunset; their abstinance helps them more deeply appreciate the abundance Allah provides throughout the year, and remember their obligation to help others who are less fortunate.

In addition to fasting during Ramadan, Muslims read the Koran in its entirety, spend more time with family and friends, and take extra care to engage in acts of kindness and charity.

Halloween has its origins in the holiday Samhain, the pagan new year. Traditionally a celebration of the year's final harvest, it was also a recognition of the symbolic end of the life cycle, and the coming renewal or rebirth. It was a harvesting of the earth and a harvesting of the souls of people who had died during the year (hence the continuing presence of ghosts, goblins, and other "otherworldly" creatures in contemporary celebration). When the Roman Empire expanded its boundaries, it merged Samhain and other autumnal harvest celebrations with All Saints Eve (now Halloween).

Formerly Armistice Day, commemorating the close of World War I, Veterans Day's scope was expanded to recognize the sacrifices made by those who fought all of our wars and defended our ideals worldwide. Too many paid the ultimate price, and none should be forgotten.

After barely surviving their first winter in the "New World," the Europeans who settled in Plymouth in 1620 signed a peace treaty with Massasoit, leader of the Wampanoag tribe. With their help, the settlers planted and harvested a bountiful crop; Governor William Bradford decreed a celebration, in the tradition of European harvest festivals, to give thanks for the abundant blessings they had received.

In 168 B.C.E. the Syrians seized the Jews' holy Temple, and King Antiochus IV ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods, decreeing that anyone caught practicing Jewish rites would be put to death. In response, the Jews waged the first rebellion in recorded history for religious freedom.

Exactly three years after the Temple was defiled, Judah Maccabee and his followers reclaimed, cleaned, and rededicated it. When they were ready to light the menorah that was always to be kept burning, however, they could find only one small flask of oil -- enough for a day. According to legend, that oil burned for eight days, the amount of time they needed to get more.

To commemorate this miracle, Jews everywhere celebrate Hanukkah (Hebrew for "dedication") by lighting menorah candles for eight nights. The celebration begins on the 25th of Kislev.

Celebrated by Wiccans worldwide, Yule occurs on the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year. After Yule, the days grow longer as Earth tilts back toward the sun.

The ancient Romans referred to this day as Dies Natalis Invicte Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The Roman Saturnalia festival occurred at this time, during which riotous merrymaking took place: schools were closed, the army rested, no executions were conducted, masters and slaves feasted at the same table, and people donned costumes and danced through the streets.

Many European celebrations have involved holly and mistletoe (which ward off evil spirits), evergreen trees (a reminder that the growing season is coming soon), and ceremonial fires (lit to incite the return of sunlight and honor the rebirth of the Sun God). The highlight of the festivals, the Yule log, traditionally burns throughout the longest night of the year, then smolders for 12 days before it is ceremonially extinguished.

Christmas has its roots not only in Christianity, but also in traditional winter solstice celebrations. In northern Europe, people brought live evergreens into their homes to remind themselves that the growing season was approaching. On Yule, the shortest day of the year, they lit the Yule log to welcome the sun back into their lives. Other celebrations similarly revolved around fire, the return of light, and revelry in general.

In the fourth century AD, Pope Julius I declared that Christmas would be observed on December 25. His choice of date made it easier for pagan converts to commemorate the birth of their lord without entirely giving up their own traditions. Today, Christians all over the world regard Christmas as one of the holiest days of the year, celebrating by attending Mass, exchanging cards and gifts, and spending time with family.

Founded in 1966 by Dr. Mauland Karenga, Kwanzaa is based on the first harvest celebrations of various African cultures. Its name is derived from the Kiswahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza," or "the first fruit of the harvest."

In addition to reaffirming rootedness in African culture and celebrating the bonds between Black people, Dr. Karenga wished to introduce and reinforce the Nguzo Saba, or Seven Principles: Umoja (unity), Kugichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). Each day of the holiday celebrates one principle.