Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter are three holidays that are widely celebrated around the world, each having origins to Christianity.
Valentine’s Day is a day of love and friendship celebrated on February 14. According to the History website, there are three accounts about the true origins of Valentine’s Day and they all include one of the three St.Valentines.
One account recounts that Valentine was a priest who ordained marriages in secret after young men were prohibited by Emperor Claudius II to marry.
Another origin story is that St.Valentine was imprisoned and fell in love with the jailor’s daughter and wrote her letters, which is a common tradition practiced on Valentine’s Day.
After the Middle Ages, this holiday became about love. To this day, it continues to emphasize the importance of expressing love and appreciation for family, friends and significant others.
St.Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 in honor of St. Patrick. History teacher Gina Nuñez said, “As for St. Patrick’s Day, well, historically that was a religious celebration to commemorate the life of St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.”
St. Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland and was canonized as its patron saint. In Ireland and America, there are many parades on St. Patrick’s Day. People bedeck themselves in green clothing, draw shamrocks, eat traditional foods like corned beef and cabbage and listen to music.
In Christianity, Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Before Christianity, Easter was a pagan festival that celebrated spring. Nuñez said, “It was the Council of Nicaea that decreed the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21) as Easter Sunday.”
Easter is a holiday that brings families together. Sophomore Aubrienne Silva said, “Easter is my favorite holiday because my older siblings are able to visit.” Easter is often a day of revelry, full of food, games and prayer. It is one of the most sacred Christian holidays. Catholic families start Easter day with Easter Mass.
One famous tradition on Easter day is an egg hunt. Plastic eggs are filled with candy, or even money in some cases, and are hidden throughout a park or backyard. A popular belief among children is that the Easter bunny brings these eggs.
Sophomore Miriam Trujillo said, “On Easter day, I usually get together with family and we eat dinner and we go to the park to hunt for Easter eggs.”
