Christmas traditions make life worth living! We look forward to that special day when we can celebrate with our loved ones. These traditions help create a bond between them. Every holiday has a special nostalgia that tugs at our hearts. We think of our stomachs and delicious food on Thanksgiving Day. Memories of fancy dress costumes and treats come to mind with Halloween. Valentine’s Day is full of romance, chocolate candy, heart-shaped cookies, and that special kiss from a loved one. We all have our traditions during this festive season. Have you ever wondered how these traditions started?
Valentine’s Day has been around much longer than most people realize. In the year 269 AD, Claudius was the emperor of Rome. He wanted to have a large army, but the Roman men were not interested in joining. They did not want to leave their wives and children. This upset Claudius and as a result he forbade the marriage so that the men would join his army. Valentine was a priest and did not agree with the almighty ruler. He continued to secretly marry couples. He was eventually caught and thrown in jail. While in prison, he fell in love with the daughter of the prison guard who visited him regularly. They sat and talked for hours. On the day of her execution, February 14, Valentin left a note thanking her for her friendship. He signed it, “Love, from your Valentine.”
When we think of delicious turkey, delicious yams and mashed potatoes, cranberries, delicious pecans, and pumpkin pies with ice cream on top, we think of Thanksgiving. How did this tradition start? It all started with the desire to be free from religious persecution. The Pilgrims fled their homeland in England and arrived in America on December 11, 1620. The first winter was devastating. They lost 46 of the original 102 settlers. The Indians helped the pilgrims survive the following year, so the remaining settlers decided to celebrate with a big party. Ninety-one Indians attended the celebration and the party lasted three days. They had ducks, fish, lobster, clams, venison, dried fruit, berries, and plums. In 1789, George Washington wanted to make a National Day of celebration in honor of the first pilgrims. Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea. He brought much discord because many felt that the difficulties of a few pilgrims did not justify a national holiday. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as National Thanksgiving Day.
The custom of Halloween began in Europe during the harvest season. Europeans would celebrate the end of summer with a harvest festival on the last day of October. They built fires to cook the feast and also to keep ghosts away. They were superstitious people and believed that ghosts roamed the last day of October. “Hallow” meant holy and “e’en” was short for evening. Because this celebration was the night before All Saints’ Day or All Saints’ Day, they decided to call it Halloween. But how did this party come to the United States? Irish immigrants brought the tradition here in the 19th century. In Ireland, Irish beggars would go to the homes of the rich on Halloween night and beg for food or money. If they refused, evil spirits would destroy their homes for their inhospitable behavior. Once the tradition reached America, families and neighbors would gather together, dress in festive costumes, eat seasonal foods, and play games. It wasn’t until the mid-1900s that children began to knock on doors and ask for treats.
Family unit vacation. We celebrate, eat, laugh, dance and play together. Family traditions are important and create a bond. I like to learn about the holidays and how they originated. When I write my novels, I try to educate my readers and include interesting facts. Because of my love of vacations, I have included them in my series of novels, “A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho.” Each story in this family saga has adventure, romance, history and bravery. Intertwining fact and fiction, these novels entertain and educate my readers.