Liturgical Seasons In The Syro-Malabar Church

For ones of Jewish faith a Christmas tree is replaced for a Menorah. A Menorah is Hebrew for “candelabrum” a ceremonial lamp of nine branches (Jewishvirtuallibrary). The Menorah is the oldest and main ritual object during Hanukkah (Ibid). Every year at nightfall the first candle of the Menorah is lit (Chabad). “A light unto the nations” Isaiah 42:6 is said to be the Menorah mission statement and is the symbol of Israel nation (Jewishvirtuallibrary). After the Jews flock the Greek emperor Antiochus and the Greek from their land as the emperor forbidden the study of the Torah and tainted the Holy Temple with Greek symbols (Chabad).The Jews regained their Holy Temple on 25th of Kislev the Hebrew month consisting of November toward December (ibid). That same day the Jews went to light the candles of the temples Menorah only to realize that the Greek had polluted all of the oil with only an enough to provide one night of light from the candles (ibid). However, the oils had lasted eight days and eight nights therefore creating eight days and eight nights celebration of Hanukkah

These celebrations represented the resurrection of new life in spring after the cold, frozen winter. Celebrations like these were celebrated in many countries, especially ones of great Catholic populations. Soon when christianity appeared in Rome, religious leaders encouraged the rituals into the faith. Christians and others who encourage this holiday celebrate this time of feasting from January sixth to Shrove Tuesday, The Epiphany to the Day before Ash Wednesday (Thompson, 1998). This time period became known as Carnival; Carnival in Latin means farewell to meat. The motto farewell to meat relates to the fasting that is coming with the Lenten season celebrated by the Christian faith. “Carnival” was soon spread worldwide. In France, this celebration became known to may as Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday,” says the authors of

Ultimately, Jesus’ resurrection on Easter is still the most important holiday for the Church and I would also include within the core of

The two most common rites of the Mass are the Tridentine rite and the Novus Ordo rite. The Tridentine rite was used before Vatican II and is now, mostly, replaced by the Novus Ordo rite. These two rites have many similarities and differences.

Christians commonly celebrate the New Year January 1st, according to the Julian calendar; For orthodox Christians whom follow the Gregorian calendar New Year is marked on January 14th or sometime around that date. (Christian Observances and Rituals) Orthodox or not the New Year is a day celebrated most Christians, many attending mass. Another commonly celebrated day is, “Epiphany Sunday, commonly known as Three Kings’ Day in the United States, is on January 6. It celebrates the three wise men’s visit to baby Jesus and also remembers his baptism, according to the Christian Bible’s events. The United States (US) Virgin Islands observe the day as a public holiday.” (Epiphany in the United States) On this day children, bake cookies and cakes in honor of the Three Wise Men. This day is exactly twelve days after Christmas, another Christian

Rosh Hashanah is referred to as the Jewish New Year, marking a 10 day period of self-condemnation. Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second day of the Tishri, the first month on the traditional Jewish calendar with the word Rosh Hashanah meaning ‘head of the year’ or ‘beginning of the year’. The Bible itself does not use the words Rosh Hashanah to expostulate the New Year, alternatively referring to it as Yom Ha-Zikkaron, meaning ‘day of remembrance’. This is shown in Leviticus 23:24-25, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of Sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the Lord.” The religious practices that occur throughout this Jewish festival focus on the sovereignty of God. The Torah refers to Rosh Hashanah as a day of remembrance, to celebrate the creation

It is foolish to think following the community's beliefs and traditions is better than what one believes in. In the novel “The hero's walk” by Anita Rau Badami when family traditions are broken, many harsh consequences are made. In the Sripathi family, decisions made causes society. guilt and female rights to be an issue.

The Catholic ways of of practicing the holidays were mostly done to commemorate those who have achieved the beatific vision in Heaven on November 1 each year. The following day, November 2 was All Souls' Day which was the day for remembering the faithful souls and spirits who have not yet been purified and reached Heaven. Catholics celebrated these holidays by the belief system that there is a spiritual connection between those in Heaven or being purified in purgatory who have died and the “church militant” who are the living. Some branches of Catholicism held festivals, others went to Mass to offer a time of prayer, while some sang special hymns to all saints that were chanted from the Octoechoes. Although there may be many contrasting parts in the belief systems of the two worldviews, we can find similarity in that they both honored the dead by recognizing and acknowledging them in their own ways. The native civilizations and Spaniards were alike in that when calling back the spirits they placed flowers and candles in front of the graves. Another event that was alike in terms of celebrating was that both held feasts or festivals. Though the ways of commemorating the dead were

Christmas can have many meaning to different people depending on how they interpret it. However, if looking at the Christian aspect of it. The

Holidays are an important part of every culture in the world. They are times of festivity where friends and family gather together to celebrate special events at different points of the year. Oftentimes these affairs aren’t limited to a single day and each country has their own set of specific rituals that they perform to commemorate the occasion. Many holidays also have religious origins that are a mix of Christian and pagan beliefs.

Such as, the Holiday of “Easter” the painting of the eggs and the finding of the eggs, relates to Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death. After reading Paganism, I learned that “Easter” is a holiday not only celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, but a holiday of the Spring Equinox. Easter is a goddess known for fertility. In German she is called Ostara and in Anglo-Saxons she is known as Eostre. It’s celebrated the balance of light and darkness and the arrival of spring a renewal of the life force. In which, would explain why the Holy Roman Church would choose that date for Christ’s resurrection, so the people could not practice their religion. However, it didn’t stop the people because it’s we still practice paganism tradition that’s taken place today.

     Christianity and Judaism are the few examples of religions that are originated from Western Traditions. These religions take different approaches to representational art and iconography which is found in their religious festivals. The Christian celebration of Easter and the Jewish Passover differentiate in their approaches to these icons in the history, the celebration and the symbols used during the commemoration of these holidays.

The Communion Christians have always regarded the Holy Communion as being one very important element towards achieving discipleship since the very beginning. However, the question in every Christian’s mind is “what are we doing?” it is, therefore, important to discuss what the holy communion means about theology. The Holy Communion has several names given to it. Among them are: the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, Divine Liturgy, and the Mass. Inside the New Testament, there are also varying details given there concerning what entails the Holy Communion on accounts given by Christ himself.[1] The Holy Communion does not compare to Baptism which is another sacrament that is non-repeatable. It is repeatable to some certain degrees as it can be done on a daily basis such as those performed by the Catholic Church. In other instances, it can be conducted on a much infrequent celebration such as the ones that happen in Reformed Churches. Referring to Baptism, there are differences in the practice and its significance, and sometimes the understanding of what it means to be baptized. This has gone ahead to become e a hindrance to churches having a common celebration, but at the same time, there is some spiritual benefit that accrues to the people that partake in it. In the same way, the Eucharist possess the same characteristics. Nature of the Union of Christ and Church The Holy Communion is not just a matter of people ingathering in unity. The purpose of having the communion is so

Christians' Celebrations of Holy Communion There are many different ways in which Christians celebrate Holy Communion, depending on the denomination of Christianity, in which they belong. Holy Communion is one of the seven sacraments found in Christianity. A sacrament is an outward physical act with an inward, deeper meaning, which can be obtained through various, specific rituals. In the case of Holy Communion, which is also known as the Eucharist meal or Mass, Christian worshippers believe that they receive the body and the blood of Jesus Christ, through the act of eating the bread, which symbolises Christ’s body, and by drinking the wine, said to be his blood. This sacrament originates back to

Semana Santa, also known as Holy Week, is a famous holiday celebrated in many Spanish speaking countries. Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, and Spain are a few for example. Every country celebrates this holiday in a unique way. This holiday usually lasts for one week starting from Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) through Easter Sunday (Pascua). During the week, there are daily mass services in the Catholic Church. The seven main days are: Palm Sunday, Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.