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Holidays and Festivals Around the World
Christianity
Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism that separated around 2000 years ago. They separated over the belief of Jesus Christ.
There are about 2.1 billion Christians worldwide. Christians believe in a single God with Jesus Christ being the Son of God who was sent to earth to save humanity from their sins. He did this by being crucified on the cross for his teachings. Before his crucifixion he traveled with his apostles teaching the word of God. Christians believe that if they repent of their sins to God that they will be welcomed at his side in Heaven.
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| January 6 | Epiphany |
A celebration of the end of the 12 days of Christmas, and the visit of the three wise men to the infant Jesus. In Orthodox churches it is known as Theophany, and it commemorates the day that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. |
| January 7 | Christmas Day (Orthodox) |
Celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Jesus. In most Orthodox churches they use the Julian rather than the Gregorian version of the Western calendar. As a result, they celebrate Christmas 13 days later than other Christian churches. |
| January 7 | First Sunday after Epiphany |
The day most Christians celebrate the baptism of Jesus |
| Febuary 6 | Ash Wednesday |
This is the first day of Lent for the Christian Church. On Ash Wednesday Christians generally attend service where their foreheads are marked with ashes of the palms used during the previous Palm Sunday service. Lent is observed for 40 days (six weeks). It is a time for prayer, repentance and self-denial in preparation for Holy Week and Easter. |
| March 10 | Clean Monday Beginning of Lent (Orthodox) |
This is the start of the "Great Lent" for Orthodox Christians. It occurs seven weeks before the Orthodox Easter |
| March 16 | Palm Sunday |
This marks the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and the start of Holy Week. Orthodox Christians observe this Sunday on a date different from the date on which Protestant and Roman Catholics observe it. |
| March 21 | Good Friday | Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. Observed on a different date by Orthodox Christians. |
| March 23 | Easter Sunday (Western/Orthodox) | This is the most important Christian holiday. It celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ - his return from death after the Crucifixion. Most years Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on a different day. |
| April 5 | Holy Thursday |
The day of the Last Supper. |
| May 1 | Ascension Day | This celebrates the day that Jesus made his last appearance on earth and his ascension into heaven. |
| May 11 | Pentecost | The seventh Sunday after Easter when the disciples received the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is considered the founding of the Christian Church. |
| December 2 | Advent Sunday | This is the beginning of the ecclesiastical year for the non-Orthodox Christian Church. It also marks the four week period preceding Christmas. |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve | The day before Christmas Day |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | Celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Jesus |
| *Holidays in bold are the most important holidays. | ||
Last Updated: 12-Mar-2008
Michigan Technological University is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment and culture where voices and people from all ethnicities, religions, races, cultures and ages are valued and respected. As a special University initiative, the information about “Holidays and Festivals Around the World” is researched, collated and presented in this web link. We understand that the material may not be inclusive of all holidays and festivals and there may be many information updates, enhancements and corrections needed for this link. IPS welcomes contributions from community members to enhance our understanding and knowledge of global diversity. Community members can send additional information or any corrections or updates to ips@mtu.edu.