It might seem obvious when does the holiday season start and end.
There are holidays throughout the year, but there is one period of time considered THE holiday season. And it all revolves around Christmas celebrations.
When does the holiday season officially start?
The year end holiday season in the United States technically starts the day after Thanksgiving. But I’m claiming that Christmas season begins with Thanksgiving Day itself, which is the fourth Thursday of November.
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
At the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims were giving thanks for the harvest and for surviving that first year in America, with the help of the Wampanoag Native Americans. In 1963, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and also made Thanksgiving Day an annual national celebration.
What is Hanukkah?
Next, there’s Hanukkah, a Jewish Holiday, which is celebrated over 8 nights.
In many Jewish families, each night comes with gifts and a special tradition along with lighting the Menorah.
Hanukkah, referred to as the “festival of lights”, is a happy occasion where the Jewish people recall the miraculous rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE. The themes of this holiday include liberation from oppression, religious freedom, divine miracles, human action and courage.
When is Advent?
A lesser known holiday season observance is Advent. Originally Advent was a season of preparation for baptisms of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany. In modern times, the Advent season has two focuses: anticipation of the second coming of Christ and commemoration of the first coming of Christ, which is his birth on Christmas Day.
if you’re wondering when Advent starts, the answer is: it depends. There are always four Sundays in Advent, so the start depends on what day of the week Christmas falls.
However, Advent always ends on Christmas Eve, 24 December.
Advent typically involves prayer, fasting, and repentance, followed by anticipation, hope, and joy. On a side note: for those of us who tend to overindulge during the holidays, taking some time for fasting, may be prudent to alleviate some of the New Year’s guilt and the need to get back on track.
When is Christmas?
Christmas is one of the biggest holidays for Christians. From a religious perspective, Easter has more significant. Since people from all walks of life enjoy the lights, the decorations, gift giving and vacationing, Christmas becomes the number 1 holiday. Stores that never close are closed on one day a year – Christmas Day.
The Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas around January 7 in the New Year. For most of the world, Christmas Day is December 25, even though December 25 is probably not the date of Jesus’ birth.
The date for Christmas and some of the Xmas customs evolved from pagan traditions celebrating the triumph of light after the longest night, the winter solstice.
Some contend that the year end gift giving comes from secular celebrations of the past. Christians believe that the gift giving was included in the Christmas holiday season because of the gifts the wise men brought for the Christ child.
Regardless of where the Christmas traditions began, or even whether you’re a Christian or not, most people are more than happy to take some time off and partake of the gifting and dining and partying that goes on.
When does the 12 days of Christmas start and end?
I always thought the 12 Days of Christmas ended before Christmas. The 12 days of Christmas actually starts on Christmas day. It’s a time for more gifting and more spending and playing games and singing silly songs.
Another revelation for me was that those 12 days actually have some religious significance.
From Gayle Welsh’s article, “When does the 12 days of Christmas start and what are the 12 gifts?”
Each day has a particular significance and is used as an opportunity to remember a significant person or event in the Christian religion. This is what each day means…
- Day One (Christmas Day): Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
- Day Two (Boxing Day or St Stephen’s Day): Remembering the first martyr of Christianity, St Stephen.
- Day Three : Celebrates St John the Apostle who is the patron saint of love, loyalty, friendships, authors, booksellers, burn-victims, poison-victims, art-dealers, editors, publishers, scribes, examinations, scholars and theologians. He also wrote the Book of Revelation.
- Day Four (Feast of the Holy Innocents): The day to remember all the babies killed by King Herod in his attempt to murder baby Jesus.
- Day Five: Remembers the Archbishop of Canterbury, St Thomas Becket, who was murdered because he challenged the king’s authority over the church.
- Day Six: Celebrates St Egwin of Worcester who is known as the protector of orphans and the widowed and died in 717.
- Day Seven (New Years Eve): Pope Sylvester I is celebrated on this day as he saw in the beginning of the Christian Roman Empire.
- Day Eight (New Years Day): Celebrates Mary, the mother of Jesus.
- Day Nine: Honours two important Christians, St Basil the Great and St Gregory Nazianzen from the 4th century.
- Day Ten (Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus): This day celebrates when Jesus was named in the Jewish Temple.
- Day Eleven: Celebrates St Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint who lived during the 1700s. It also celebrates the Feast of Saint Simeon Stylites, who lived on a small platform on top of a pillar for 37 years to escape unwanted attention.
- Day Twelve (Epiphany Eve): So called because it’s January 5, the day before Epiphany.
My company has been celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas by offering marketing related freebies and deals for your business. And on January 5, when the 12 Days of Christmas ends, our marketing deals end as well.
Noble Wise Marketing is a full service marketing agency helping business grow by getting more appointments with ideal prospects, managing and marketing their online reviews and by improving their online presence.
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