| December |
| 6 |
Activity
Day for All Ages has been moved
to Saturday, January 10, 2004 due to weather conditions.
Read about this day of activities for the entire Abington community
under Special Events. |
| 8 |
Feast
of the Immaculate Conception This Roman Catholic Holy Day
of Obligation commemorates the Virgin Mary's freedom from original
sin at her conception. |
| 10 |
Human
Rights Day is observed on this date each year as the anniversary
of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in 1948. |
| 12 |
Day
of Our Lady of Guadalupe This day is observed as a Feast
day in the Roman Catholic Church throughout the Americas. It
is believed that Mary, the mother of Jesus, appeared to Juan
Diego, a poor Indian who had no influence or power. Our Lady
of Guadalupe is dark-skinned and shares identity with the poor,
the outcasts because she herself is poor and lowly and special
to God. |
| 15 |
Bill
of Rights Day marks the anniversary of the adoption of the
first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution in 1791. This day
is often marked by Presidential proclamation. |
| 19 |
Hanukkah
begins at sunset |
| 20 |
Hanukkah
or Festival of Lights is the Jewish holiday commemorating
the rededication of the Temple at Jerusalem by the Maccabees
and the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days. Almost
two and a half millennia ago, Judah Maccabee and his brothers
led the Jewish people in a three-year struggle to overthrow
their Syrian oppressors. They reclaimed the Temple at Jerusalem.
When the time came to light the N'er Tamid, the Eternal Light
of the Temple, the Jews could find only one sanctified jar of
oil-marked with the seal of the High Priest. It was only enough
to last one evening but miraculously kept the lamp lit for eight
days until more oil was found. Hanukkah is primarily a children's
festival with fun, songs, games, and gift-giving. It starts
on the 25th day of the Jewish calendar month of Kislev and lasts
for eight days and nights. |
| 22 |
Winter
begins |
| 25 |
Christmas
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ whom they
believe is the Son of God and the promised Messiah to come through
God's chosen people Israel. They believe that the one true God
of Abraham sent the Holy Spirit who made a young Jewish virgin
girl named Mary pregnant by its power. The baby she carried
and gave birth to is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah whom Christians
believe was both fully God and fully human during his life here
on earth. They believe that Jesus came to pay the ultimate price
for human sin by giving his life. While he lived on earth, he
modeled and taught love of God and neighbor through servant
hood. Christians celebrate Christmas by attending a Christmas
Eve or Christmas Day church service, gathering with family and
friends for special meals and exchanging gifts but acknowledge
that God has given humanity the greatest gift of all by sending
his Son to redeem the world. |
| 26 |
Kwanzaa
This African-American seven-day spiritual festival is dedicated
to seven principles with each day focused on Nguzo Saba, or
one of those seven: unity, self-determination, collective work
and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity,
and faith. This American celebration is related to the spirit
and rituals of the harvest festivals of Africa. The name Kwanzaa
is derived from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza"
which means "first fruits." Kwanzaa seeks to enforce
a connectedness to African cultural identity, provide a focal
point for the gathering of African peoples, and to reflect upon
the Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles that have sustained
Africans and African-Americans of all religious faiths and backgrounds.
|
