We often celebrate them every year without knowing what they stand for. The holidays. Or what the names of these holidays stand for. But many holidays have special meanings or celebrate things that most people have no idea about.
Three important facts are celebrated on Epiphany
Epiphany falls on January 6. But not one thing is celebrated on that day, but three things. These are:
- The birthday of the Three Wise Men (who first visited Jesus)
- The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan
- The wedding at Cana. This was the first mystery of the Son of God
- Epiphany was therefore for a long time much more important in the eyes of the church than December 25, the day of the physical birth of Jesus
Valentine’s Day, named after a priest who married couples anyway
According to some, Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine. He disobeyed a law issued by Emperor Claudius II Gothicus. This law stated that young men were not allowed. Single men would make much better soldiers. Saint Valentine, a priest, disagreed and married couples anyway. But he did that in secret.
Candlemas: a pagan festival
Candlemas was originally a pagan sun festival. It is claimed that because it had to do with the sun, round items such as pancakes are still on the menu in many places on that day. In many countries, sweet or savory crêpes are on the menu on that day and are eaten together with family and friends. The torchlight processions that were held during Candlemas have disappeared almost everywhere.
Temps de sucres and Easter
In Québec, Canada, Easter desserts are often made with maple syrup. This is because the temps de sucres or sugar season coincides with Easter. This sugar season means that syrup producers score the bark of the maple and collect the sap.
July 14 in France: the storming of the Bastille
For people who are on holiday or going to France, July 14 is a crime. The traffic jams are endless, many accidents happen and getting to your destination is sometimes impossible. However, often no one knows what exactly is being celebrated on that day. On July 14, France celebrates the storming of the Bastille. This happened on July 14, 1789. It was the beginning of the French Revolution. The day is traditionally celebrated in France with torchlight processions and fireworks. French people are also free on that day and visit family and friends.
Halloween: a Celtic festival
All hallows eve literally means eve of all saints. Halloween is originally a Celtic festival that is mainly celebrated in the US. It is the evening of ghosts, wizards and monsters that wander the silent and deserted streets. Children always dress up on that night.
Carnival: reversing social statuses
Carnival has been around for more than two thousand years. The party was used to reverse social roles and positions. Masters became slaves and slaves became masters. By the way, carnival looked very different back then: there was dancing and partying in churches in the Middle Ages. The rich dressed up as the poor and the poor dressed up as the rich. The word carnival also contains the word carne. This means meat. Carnival literally means without meat. Shrove Tuesday marks the beginning of the period of abstinence also referred to as fasting.
Carnival is celebrated in the Netherlands, but much more exuberantly in other countries. The most famous carnival celebrations take place in:
- Venice in Italy
- Rio in Brazil
- Binche in Belgium
- New Orleans in the state of Louisiana in the US
- Nice in France
- Quebec in Canada