Category Archives: Holiday

‘Thanksgivukkah’: The Thanksgiving and Chanukah hybrid.

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We are being taught of the virtues of hybrid cars over fossil fuel vehicles. This year there will be an unusual holiday hybrid as Chanukah, commonly called Hanukkah, will be celebrated starting on Thanksgiving. The celebration will begin, this year, sunset on Wednesday, November 27, 2013, and ends in the evening of Thursday, December 5.

The fact that Thanksgiving and Chanukah fall on the same day is so rare that it won’t happen again for another 77,000 years.

This combination gave Stephen Colbert the opportunity to attack Christians, Jews (but not as bad), and America on his Colbert Report.

Most people have not taken the time to find out what Hanukkah is, exactly. Most Americans only know of the holiday because of its usual proximity to Christmas. The holiday is not considered that high on the Jewish calendar and is not of religious significance.

The Jewish Virtual Library Chanukah is a celebration of the Jewish people, led by the Maccabbees, over the Greeks. After their victory over the Greeks, the people went to rededicate the temple, but there was only enough oil to burn in the temple menorah for one day. The miracle is that the menorah burned for eight-days. The Festival of Lights celebrates the miracle of the oil, not the victory of war.

It is tradition to give presents each of the eight-days of items that are useful to the receiver, such as clothing, food and the like.

Interestingly the book of the Maccabbees is removed from the King James Bible while being retained in the Apocrypha used by the Catholics. The Catholics apparently did not add the Apocrypha until the Council of Trent (1546 AD). This is probably because of the descendants of the Maccabbees. The descendants are known in the New Testament as the Herods of the time of Jesus. There are arguments against the Apocrypha being considered inspired by God as is the Holy Bible.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a celebration of thanks to God. Children today are only taught to think of turkey and pumpkin pie. Rarely are the Pilgrims mentioned and the Mayflower Compact is strictly forbidden teaching in schools.

Just as Chanukah is not about the victory, Thanksgiving is not about getting stuffed and watching football. It is about giving thanks to God for all that one has received through the year. Far from being closed for the holidays, churches should be open and having worship services.

First snow of the season hits.

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20131010-004WILLIAMS—The seven-day forecast from the National Weather Service shows a 100% chance of snow today. They have issued a hazardous weather advisory which indicates that there is a 20131010-003possibility of 2 to 4 inches of accumulation above 6500-feet with 4-6 inches over the Kaibab Plateau.

The danger, of course, is that roadways may be slick and we advise caution in driving. Add extra time to get where you are going and slow down. Begin braking well in advance.

Photographers may want to take this opportunity to stop along Perkinsville Road or Highway 64 to take photographs. Ensure that you find a place where you can pull off of the road completely.

The snow is predicted to stop by tonight and the temperatures should rise and hover around the sixties through Columbus day which will not be observed this year due to the government shutdown.

What’s the Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

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freedom-bannerBoth Memorial Day and Veterans Day are federal government holidays that honor American military personnel. However, one honors all past and present American veterans, and the other is set aside to remember specifically those who have died in battle.

Here’s the history of each holiday and a breakdown of the differences between them:

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May, which in 2011 falls on May 30. The day is predominantly for honoring and remembering military personnel who died while in the military service, particularly those who died in combat or as a result of injuries sustained during battle.

Memorial Day was originally celebrated under a different name. After the Civil War ended in 1865, people began dedicating certain days to placing flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers who had died in the war . In 1868, former Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, the head of an organization of Union veterans, established May 30 as Decoration Day. The holiday’s name was formally changed to Memorial Day in 1882.

Read more at Live Science

National Day of Prayer celebrated in Williams

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GeorgeWashingtonPrayingWILLIAMS—The City of Williams will hold two prayer sessions for National Prayer Day this Thursday, May 2nd. The first will be held at the flagpole outside City Hall on First Street at 9 am. The second prayer session will be held at the Williams Visitor Center on Railroad Avenue at 10 am.

The National Day of Prayer is constitutionally mandated by Federal Law.

TITLE 36 – PATRIOTIC AND NATIONAL OBSERVANCES, CEREMONIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS
36 USC Sec. 119. National Day of Prayer
-STATUTE-
The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.

The real object of the [first] amendment was, not to countenance, much less to advance Mahometanism, or Judiams, or infidelity, by prostrating Christianity; but to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects, and to prevent any national ecclesiastical establishment, which should give to an hierarchy the exclusive patronage of the national government.—Story, Joseph (1833) Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States. Boston: Hilliard, Gray and Company. Cambridge: Brown, Shattuck, and Co. Volume III, page 728, §1871.

Easter events this weekend

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Williams Easter Egg Hunt 2012

WILLIAMS—As the sign says, it is once more time for the Community Easter Eggstravaganza at the Williams Recreation Center and Skate Park on Railroad Avenue. The event features an Easter egg hunt and prizes and food.

Easter-20110423

There will also be the annual Sonrise Service this Easter Sunday at 6am at the Younglife camp on South Road. This service is open to the entire community. Of course each Church will have their own Easter service.