Religious Holidays Archives - Universal Life Church Monastery Blog
December 19th, 2022
From a Black Santa Claus to a commercialized Target version of Hanukkah, the holidays look a bit different this year. Are these efforts to boost representation “woke” pandering, or simply a step toward inclusivity?
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November 22nd, 2022
Did you know Thanksgiving is a religious holiday? This is the story of pagan harvest festivals, how the Christian Church coopted these holidays as their own, and how the symbolic evidence survives to this day.
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November 8th, 2022
Break out your lighters, the Thai Lantern Festival begins today! This two-day festival celebrating positivity and prosperity for the new year is tied to the lunar calendar and has a fascinating history to explore.
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October 8th, 2022
The Lantern Festival is a Chinese holiday marking the conclusion of the Chinese New Year celebrations (also known as the Spring Festival). But what is the story behind this holiday, and how did it begin?
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October 5th, 2022
Americans may think of Halloween and Thanksgiving when they think of fall celebrations, but there are many more fall ceremonies and holidays celebrated around the world.
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September 1st, 2022
The Moon Festival, which is celebrated in many Asian countries, is an iconic and incredibly popular autumn festival. Sweet or savory mooncakes are baked and gifted in celebration of family and friends.
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December 9th, 2021
How does ritual bloodletting and sacrifice turn into eating honey baked ham? What does snogging under the mistletoe have to do with Jesus’s birth? This is the story of how Yule merged with Christmas.
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March 26th, 2021
On Easter Sunday, millions of children worldwide will hunt for eggs hidden by the Easter bunny. But why do we hunt for eggs on Easter? Why is a bunny associated with the resurrection of Jesus? There's a lot to uncover.
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December 18th, 2020
We're all familiar with the War on Christmas, but this year it's receiving a very 2020 twist: COVID-19. The international pandemic is opening up a whole new front on everyone's favorite seasonal skirmish.
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