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We would like to hear from you
We are The Church Of The Living GOD I Tim. 3:15, From: (The True Light Christian Tabernacle) Walter & Deborah, Matt. 18:18-20
1st. of all, we are learning how to take our Lord's yoke upon ourself and really learn of him (Matt. 6.33) seeking his kingdom and its righteousness so that, the wright kind of things can be added when we ask him. Because he really knows what we need. To learn of him, only through obedience, so! If you would do the same thing by denying oneself we can continue. So that we can learn from his word, how to number our days, to walk and talk right, and doing things which is pleasing in his sight, and being lead of his spirit because his ways are not ours and everything is based on his laws or scriptures, exactly or rightly (II/Tim.2:15). My reason for talking to you about GOD The Father and His Dear Son, Our Lord and precious Saviour Jesus Christ (John 15:1-7), Matt. 16:24, John 3:16, I John 1:3, I John 2:1-23,24, I John 3:1-22-24, 4:14, (Matt.11:28,29). Some Facts About: "The Origin of Thanksgiving Day": From the Book Holiday Symbols 1998 (1st Edition Omnigraphics) edited by Sue Ellen Thompson (pgs. 479-481). Thanksgiving Type of Holiday: Historic Date of Observation: Fourth Thursday in November (United States), second Monday in October (Canada) Where Celebrated: Canada, United States Symbols: Corn Dolly, Cornucopia, Indian Corn, Parades, Pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, Turkey Colors: The colors of the autumn harvest-- orantge, brown, and gold--can be seen in Thanksgiving decorations and table settings. Because it is not strictly a religious festival, there are no liturgical colors associated with the day. Related Holidays: Sukkot Origins The autumn harvest has always been a cause for celebration. The ancient Greeks honored Demeter, their corn goddess, at the annual festival known as the Thesmophoria in October, when the seeds for the next year's crop were about to be planted. The Romans had their Cerealia, held each year on October 4 in honor of the grain goddess, Ceres. They offered her the first fruits of the harvest and paraded through the field, participating in games and sports and sharing a huge thanksgiving feast . The Jews observed SUKKOT, or the Feast of Tabernacles, in the autumn as well. They hung the walls of the small huts built for this festival with apples, grapes, corn, pomegranates, and other fruits and vegetables. Both the North American and South American Indians celebrated the harvest as well. All of these early thanksgiving ceremonies were social as well as religious occasions, providing those whose work in the fields was completed with an opportunity to sing, dance, feast, and play games. Even in America, there were at least two Thanksgiving celebrations before the one that took place at Plymouth in 1621. In 1607, a group of English settlers led by Captain George Popham met with a group of Abnaki Indians near the mouth of the Kennebec River to share a harvest feast and prayer meeting. On December 14, 1619, there was a celebration in Virginia led by Captain John Woodleaf and 39 colonists who had traveled up the James River from Jamestown to a place called Berkeley Hundred, where they went ashore and gave thanks. Most Americans, however, think of the first "official" Thanksgiving as being the one that took place a Plymouth Colony in October 1621, a year after the PILGRIMS first landed on the New England coast (ssee PLYMOUTH ROCK). They were joined in their three-day feast by Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoag tribe, and about 90 of his fellow tribesmen. Only 50 of the original 100 Pilgrims had survived the first winter, and those who did owed their survival to the Indians. The feast they shared with them in 1621 was primarily a harvest celebration rather than a religious one. During the next several years, no one specific day was set aside in the American colonies for giving thanks. A day would be named when there was a special reason to be thankful, such as a bumper crop or escape from an epidemic. It was largely due to the efforts of a women's magazine editor named Sara Hale the Thanksgiving came to be a national holiday. She petitioned presidents and government officials for more than 20 years to establish a national day of thanksgiving. On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln finally proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November as Thanskgiving Day. President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved it up a week to stimulate the economy by allowing more time for Christmas shopping. But the tradition was already so well established that the change created an uproar. Finally, Congress ruled in 1941 that the fourth Thursday in November would be the legal federal holiday. Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October. The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving can be traced back to the English Harvest Home celebration and Dutch thanksgiving traditions, which some Pilgrims learned about during the ten years they spent in the city of Leyden before coming to America. Today, Thanksgiving is a time for family reunions, most of which center around the preparation of an elaborate meal featuring TURKEY and a dozen or so accompanying dishes. Although some people go to special church services on Thanksgiving Day, far more line the streets to watch PARADES or sit in front of the television watching football games. In many American cities and towns, the day after Thanksgiving marks the official start of the CHRISTMAS shopping season.
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The Origin of Purim from Holiday Symbols 1998 by Omnigraphics and edited by Sue Ellen Thompson (pgs. 379-380).
The Origin of Purim from Holiday Symbols 1998 by Omnigraphics and edited by Sue Ellen Thompson (pgs. 379-380). Purim (Feasts of Lots) Lots: a means of deciding doubtful matters. The Jewish festival celebration being rescued from Haman's plot. (Esth. 9: 26-28. Adar: dark or cloudy the 12th Month of the Hebrew Calendar. In this month the date was det by Haman for the massacre of the Jews. (Esth. 3: 7,13). In the month of Adar the date was adopted for Purim. (Esth. 9: 19,21; 26-28). Type of Holiday: Religious (Jewish) Date of Observation: Fourteenth day of Adar (February-March) Where Celebrated: Europe, Israel, United States, and by Jews all over the world Symbols: Hamantaschen, Kreplach, Megillah, Noisemakers, Purim Plays, Queen Esther, Shalachmanot Related Holidays: Carnival, Halloween ORIGINS Six hundred years before the Christian era, most of the Jews were slaves in Persia. Ahasuerus, the Persian king, had married the most beautiful girl he could find, Esther, without knowing that she was Jewish. Mordecai, her cousin and guardian, advised her not to reveal her identity as a Jew. After the marriage took place, Mordecai overheard two of the king's soldiers plotting to kill him. Their plans were foiled, and Mordecai was praised for having saved the king's life. Mordecai's fortunes were reversed, however, when the king decided to appoint Haman as prime minister. Haman took a dislike to Mordecai, who refused to bow down before the new prime minister. Haman decided that Mordecai should be killed and persuaded the king to let him destroy the empire's entire Jewish population along with him. He cast lots (pur is ancient Akkadian word for "lot") to find out which day would be the most aspicious for carrying out his evil plan. This means that he threw small sticks or stones on the ground, using them in much the same way that dice are used today to make a decision based on chance. The lots told him that things would go especially well on the 14th of Adar. When Mordecai heard about Haman's plan, he rushed to tell Queen Esther, knowing that if she told the king she was Jewish, the slaughter would not take place. Esther was worried that her husband might be angry with her for concealing her background, and she told Mordecai she needed to sumon her strength before she could confront the king. So Mordecai, Esther, and all the Persian Jews fasted and prayed for three days, at the end of which she felt brave enough to tell Ahasuerus the truth. Recalling that Mordecai had once saved his life, the king was grateful to Esther and Mordecai for revealing Haman's evil nature. Haman and his ten sons were hung from the gallows, and Mordecai became the new prime minister. In his first official act as the king's top adviser, Mordecai sent letters rolled into scrolls (Megillah) to everyone in the kingdom, telling them what had happened and declaring the next day a holiday. Purim was not observed widely until the second century, when it was referred to as the Day of Mordecai or Day of Protection. But even the earliest celebrations included reciting the story of Esther and exchanging gifts (Shalachmanot). It is customary to serve a large meal, known as the Seudah, in the afternoon rather than the evening. Turkey is a popular main dish at this meal, and there are usually KREPLACH in the soup. HAMANTASCHEN are the favorite Purim dessert. Scholars have pointed out that the story of Esther cannot possibly be factual, since none of the Persian kings had a wife named Esther, and none had a prime minister named Haman. It is also highly unlikely that a Persian king could marry a Jewish bride without knowing it, since Persian kings were only allowed to marry into one of the seven leading families of the realm. How do the account, then, for the origin of Purim? Since the name of the holiday is similar to the Persian word meaning "first," some scholars think that Purim goes back to the old Persian New Year festival, which was celebrated around the time of the VERNAL EQUINOX. Whatever its origins, Purim remains a happy occasion. Children dress up in costumes and put on PURIM PLAYS that tell a story of the holiday. It is also a time for sharing food with friends and for charity to the poor.
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