Holidays to Express Love

Valentine`s Day. On February 14, Americans send or give greeting cards called valen­tines. The holiday is primarily about romantic love, but many people also send valen­tines to their children and parents. In elementary school, children commonly exchange valentines with friends and teachers. Most valentines are decorated with a red heart. Many also show a picture of Cupid (the young son of the Roman goddess, Venus) with his bow and arrow. According to the myth, if Cupid's arrow hits a person in the heart, that person falls in love. This holiday originated in Europe in the 1400s, but today it is more popular in the United States than anywhere else. Traditional Valentine's Day gifts are flowers or a heart-shaped box of chocolate candy.

Mother`s Day. The purpose of this holiday is to honor one's mother and give her a day of rest. It is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. On this day, mothers and grandmothers receive greeting cards, gifts, and flowers. Also, moms may be served breakfast in bed and taken out for dinner to give them a day off from cooking.

Father's Day. Father's Day customs are similar to those of Mother's Day. Dad gets cards, gifts, and a day of rest. This holiday is celebrated on the third Sunday in June.

Holidays Just for Fun

Halloween. The name Halloween is a short way of saying All Hallows' Eve, which means "the night before the Roman Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day." Although Halloween got its name from a Christian festival, its customs are of pagan origin. They come from two different sources: an ancient Celtic festival in honor of Samhain, lord of death, and a Roman fes­tival in honor of Pomona, goddess of gardens and orchards. The Halloween colors, black and orange, suggest both ideas: death and harvest.

Masquerading, begging, and other Halloween customs are now mainly enjoyed by children. But many hundreds of years ago, these customs were performed quite seri­ously by adults as part of their religion. The scary part of Halloween comes from the Celts, who lived in the British Isles and northern France during ancient and medieval times. The Celts worshiped gods of nature. They feared the coming of winter, associat­ing it with death and evil spirits. Every year on October 31, the last day of the year on the old pagan calendar, the Druids (Celtic priests and teachers) built huge bonfires to scare away the bad spirits of evil and death. From the Druid religion come the custom of masquerading and the symbols of Halloween: ghosts, skeletons, devils, witches, black cats, and owls.

The Irish also introduced the trick-or-treat custom hundreds of years ago. Groups of farmers would travel from house to house asking for food for the village Halloween party. They would promise good luck to generous contributors and threaten those who were stingy. The Druid religion lasted longest in Ireland and Scotland, and Halloween was most important in these two countries. In the 1840s, Irish immigrants brought their Hal­loween customs with them when they came to the U.S.A.

Halloween is celebrated by nearly all American children, and over 70% of adults also participate in some Halloween activity. College students and other young adults may at­tend masquerade parties or Halloween parades. Many families carve pumpkins and decorate the outside of their homes with the traditional Halloween symbols. Businesses get into the act, too. Store windows display scarecrows, and witches. Servers in restaurants and salespeople in supermarkets and bookstores are often in cos­tume. Many nightclubs and bars encourage customers to come in costume by offering prizes for the best disguises.

Groundhog Day. According to legend, February 2 is the date that the groundhog (a small, furry animal) wakes up from hibernation (a long winter's sleep). People who live in colder parts of the United States eagerly await this moment because, tradition says, the groundhog is a weather forecaster. If he sticks his head out of his hole on a sunny day and sees his shadow, he'll be frightened and run back in to hibernate a little longer. That means six more weeks of winter weather. On the other hand, if he emerges on a cloudy day and stays out, there will be an early spring.

April Fools' Day. When the French first adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1564, some people still used the old calendar and celebrated New Year's Day on April 1. These people were called April fools. Today on April 1, Americans celebrate this holi­day by playing innocent tricks on family members, friends, coworkers, and classmates. This holiday is especially popular with kids, and the tricks and jokes are done in a fun­loving spirit.