Most of us think of holidays as one of those few days our employer actually pays us to stay home. We all know the big ones: New Year's, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas. And yes, some employers are a little more generous but most likely you'll have no more than 7 days a year that you consider a holiday. Depending on your religious beliefs you may add a few more to that annual list, and find that you're up to a dozen or so.
For a day to be considered a "National Holiday" it needs to be declared so by Congress. And then of course we have the "commercial holidays" that we all love, which in effect are simply days that have become popular over the years. We all love them, but for some of us that just isn't enough. Organizations, corporation, and even loosely connected groups of people can "declare" a day for any reason they choose. Some of these days catch on and become popular with the general population, some remain only recognized by their creator, and some fizzle out and become a mere memory after only a year or two.
The point is - Every day, somewhere someone is celebrating something.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

January 6 ~ Epiphany

Ok, before I get comments that this is not a weird or wacky holiday let me just remind you that my purpose is to relay holidays that may not be "the norm" for everyone.  And since this is a religious holiday only celebrated by Christians it falls with the realm of odd holidays.

From Wikipedia:
Epiphany is celebrated by both the Eastern and Western Churches, but a major difference between them is precisely which events the feast commemorates. For Western Christians, the feast primarily commemorates the coming of the Magi; Eastern churches celebrate the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan. In both traditions, the essence of the feast is the same: the manifestation of Christ to the world (whether as an infant or in the Jordan), and the Mystery of the Incarnation.


If your not inclined to celebrate today as a religious holiday, let's take a look at the word epiphany... 
a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.

Maybe today's the day for you to have your own epiphany, or just a good day to add it to your vocabulary.
Posted by Rita Ballantyne at 8:00 AM
Labels: , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)