Most any consideration of what holidays ought to be observed and in what ways has a foundational consideration of origin. Some thing that origins matter little, and what is now is what is important. For others, where a tradition or holiday comes from makes the primary difference whether or not it is performed.

Few Christians would consider “Christianizing” Ramadan because it is considered a Muslim holiday. Even less would consider adopting Mardi Gras as anything other than an opportunity to go out and witness to the heathen. To use a holiday like this with all its debaucherous traditions to celebrate the goodness and power of the Holy Spirit would seem blasphemy to most Christians. However, this exactly how holidays like Christmas and Easter were started.

The fact that we are hundreds of years removed from the pagan holidays that many church holidays come out of, doesn’t erase the history of the origins, especially in the mind of God. If you hate broccoli and someone made a broccoli dish for you on your birthday, you may appreciate the effort, but would still not appreciate the gift. Now consider if the person knew you hated broccoli and gave it to you anyway, because it is what they like?

Now what about the holidays in the Bible that few Christians pay attention to at all, much less celebrate? Why is it that so many will fight to keep their “Christianized” pagan traditions, and not even care about the holidays God commanded? Even if Yeshua/Jesus did away with the Biblical holidays, which He didn’t, He certainly didn’t mandate or even allow for the practice of pagan traditions but with a different meaning. If the people of God are going to celebrate anything, it should first be the celebrations that God actually commanded. These are called in Hebrew, moedim, which means appointments. God makes appointments to meet with His people. If you miss the appointment, you miss the teaching, blessing, and communion with God that comes with it.

The Bible is not a complete listing of everything that can and cannot be done by His people. There are examples, which teach principles, which become tools for the Believer to use to decide how to live in areas where the Bible is silent. Just because there are no police officers in the Bible, does this mean that Godly men and women cannot be police officers? Not in itself, but not being able to observe the Sabbath might eliminate that as a job possibility. There are holidays and traditions which come out of the community of God’s people, which are based on Scripture and celebrate Godly virtue and Biblical principal, but which are not commanded in Scripture. These holidays ought to be viewed as optional for the Believer, but at the same time beneficial.  

"When Adonai your God has cut off ahead of you the nations you are entering in order to dispossess, and when you have dispossessed them and are living in their land; be careful, after they have been destroyed ahead of you, not to be trapped into following them; so that you inquire after their gods and ask, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I want to do the same.' [D’varim/Deuteronomy 12:29-30]

"When you enter the land Adonai your God is giving you, you are not to learn how to follow the abominable practices of those nations. [D’varim/Deuteronomy 18:9]

You are to observe forever the laws, rulings, Torah and mitzvah which he wrote for you. You are not to fear other gods, and you are not to forget the covenant I made with you. No, you must not fear other gods but must fear Adonai your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies." However, they didn't listen, but followed their old [pagan] practices. So these nations mixed fearing Adonai with serving their carved idols; likewise their children; and to this day, their descendants do the same as their ancestors did. [2M’lakhim/2Kings 17:37-41]

Here is what Adonai says: "Don't learn the way of the Goyim, don't be frightened by astrological signs, even if the Goyim are afraid of them; for the customs of the peoples are nothing. They cut down a tree in the forest; a craftsman works it with his axe; they deck it with silver and gold. They fix it with hammer and nails, so that it won't move. [Yirme’yahu/Jeremiah 10:2-4]

Also: Eze.5:11; 2Chron.36:14; 2Ki.21:1-6; 2Ki.16:2-3; Jdg.2:19

God is clear that His people are not to adopt the pagan practices of the nations around them and use them, even if it is to somehow bring honor to God. Does this mean that everything in the secular culture is off limits to Believers? No. I see two considerations for the Believer. Was this holiday or tradition created to honor pagan Gods? Does this holiday or tradition in itself violate God’s commands? If either of these questions are yes, you won’t want to use these traditions or holidays to honor God and in some cases you won’t want to do them at all.

I want you to notice that in the first question we are concerned about why something was created, not whether something has ever been used for a pagan purpose. We can needlessly limit ourselves by throwing something out just because some tradition or symbol has been used for pagan purposes. Our concern is the creation, not the use. Are rainbows bad just because they have become a symbol of the homosexual community? No. God created them good and they still are good. A church in a community with a large gay population may not want to put a rainbow on their church sign or as part of their logo. It may send the wrong message within that particular culture.

 The P'rushim and the Torah-teachers asked him, "Why don't your talmidim live in accordance with the Tradition of the Elders, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?" Yeshua answered them, "Yesha`yahu was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites — as it is written, 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. Their worship of me is useless, because they teach man-made rules as if they were doctrines.' "You depart from God's command and hold onto human tradition. Indeed," he said to them, "you have made a fine art of departing from God's command in order to keep your tradition! For Moshe said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say, 'If someone says to his father or mother, "I have promised as a korban" ' " (that is, as a gift to God) " ' "what I might have used to help you," ' then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. Thus, with your tradition which you had handed down to you, you nullify the Word of God! And you do other things like this." [Mar 7:5-13]

Watch out, so that no one will take you captive by means of philosophy and empty deceit, following human tradition which accords with the elemental spirits of the world but does not accord with the Messiah. [Colossians 2:8]

Traditions are in themselves simply tools to teach us and help us remember things from our past. They serve us, we do not serve them. Yeshua was not against traditions in themselves. He was against an adherence to tradition which negated the following of Torah. He set priorities for His people. The traditions often superseded not only Torah, but it’s original purpose and intent. Yeshua attempted to draw people back, not only to Torah, but the purpose it was intended to serve in their lives.

So don’t let anyone pass judgment on you in connection with eating and drinking, or in regard to a Jewish festival or Rosh-Hodesh or Shabbat. These are a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of the Messiah. [Colossians 2:16]

Sha’ul/Paul appears to be anti-tradition, and even anti-holiday here, including God ordained holidays. He was a Jewish Believer, and there is evidence that even after the completion of His faith (Jews aren’t converted), he kept Torah and observed the holidays. He is not telling people not to celebrate the holidays here. He is speaking to Gentiles, who had been dealing with other Jewish Believers, known as Judaizers, who made conversion to Judaism and Torah observance prerequisites to faith in the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua. Sha’ul is going against that teaching, setting a priority of Yeshua first. Torah, baptism, circumcision, all that can come in its due time, but the most important is Yeshua, because He holds the keys to the Kingdom. Torah observant Jews that fail to have faith in Yeshua are cut off. Gentiles without Yeshua die in their sin, with or without Torah. He hold value on Torah (1 Timothy 1:3-11) but in its proper context.

Observing a holiday or tradition in itself is nothing unless it points us to our Messiah in some way. Traditions which are originally intended to glorify pagan gods or ideals can not be redeemed for service to our King. Where the Bible is silent, Biblical principal is used, and regardless of where individual people end up in what they celebrate and what they don’t we must never judge one another based on this unless there is obvious violation of Torah command. Then we correct in love.

[What follows is a work in progress]

 
The following is a list of Biblical Holidays. Click on the holiday to go to a separate page devoted to that holiday. There you will find a description of the holiday, traditions associated with that holiday, and other useful information like recipes and games.   

   Shabbat
   Pesach (Passover)
    Feast of Unleavened Bread
    Firstfruits
    Shavuot (corresponds with Pentecost)
    Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets)
    Yom Kipppur (Day of Atonement)
    Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
    Rosh Chodesh

The following is a list of Jewish Holidays not commanded in Scripture, but are potentially beneficial to your walk with God. In some cases, they are just plain fun.

    Purim
    Hanukkah
    Rosh Hashanah

The following is a list of Christian Holidays, which are Christianized pagan celebrations. Most Messianics do not follow these holidays.