Non-Catholics celebrating the "fun" Catholic holidays

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Sometimes we celebrate the serious ones with you too. I seem to be the lone Lutheran at my office and I was considering what to do about Ash Wednesday - I work an extended 10 hour shift and worse, my home parish is too far to make it to their noon service.

I asked a Catholic co-worker what her plans were and this discussion has grown to include a group of Catholics (and one Lutheran) who are now planning to go to worship and have ashes imposed at a nearby Catholic church. Finding out how many of us have our faith in common was really a great blessing - in the sterile corporate environment you can work quietly next to folks and have no idea what their beliefs are.

And knowing who is observing Lent is good too, so we can encourage each other.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
St. Patrick’s day is a secular holiday? It is a religious holiday and even a holy day of obligation in Ireland.
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Yes, in America, the only secular Christian holiday is Christmas but in Europe many holy days/ saints day are also secular holidays.
 
Stilldreamn said:
Sometimes we celebrate the serious ones with you too. I seem to be the lone Lutheran at my office and I was considering what to do about Ash Wednesday - I work an extended 10 hour shift and worse, my home parish is too far to make it to their noon service.

I asked a Catholic co-worker what her plans were and this discussion has grown to include a group of Catholics (and one Lutheran) who are now planning to go to worship and have ashes imposed at a nearby Catholic church. Finding out how many of us have our faith in common was really a great blessing - in the sterile corporate environment you can work quietly next to folks and have no idea what their beliefs are.

And knowing who is observing Lent is good too, so we can encourage each other.
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👍
 
Stilldreamn said:
Sometimes we celebrate the serious ones with you too. I seem to be the lone Lutheran at my office and I was considering what to do about Ash Wednesday - I work an extended 10 hour shift and worse, my home parish is too far to make it to their noon service.

I asked a Catholic co-worker what her plans were and this discussion has grown to include a group of Catholics (and one Lutheran) who are now planning to go to worship and have ashes imposed at a nearby Catholic church. Finding out how many of us have our faith in common was really a great blessing - in the sterile corporate environment you can work quietly next to folks and have no idea what their beliefs are.

And knowing who is observing Lent is good too, so we can encourage each other.
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👍

It isn’t that it’s like, “Oh no, you aren’t a Catholic, stop celebrating.” It’s more of, “Do you know why you are celebrating a Saint’s day…when Saints aren’t recognized in your denomination.” I do know that some protestant denominations do recognize Saints and do have much in common with Catholicism. 🙂
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
St. Patrick’s day is a secular holiday? It is a religious holiday and even a holy day of obligation in Ireland.
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Of course it is…that was my point…You got hung up on the wrong words…they are celebrating a secular HOIDAY…Catholics celebrate religious HOLY DAYS.
 
The custom, for example, of getting ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday is observed by Lutherans. I’ve heard of Lutherans and Catholics washing off the ashes before going back to work because of strange stares and comments from others.
 
EvangelCatholic said:
Even though many Christians may not consider the origin and meaning of some Catholic holidays, I think that it is good that these saints days are still celebrated. I was looking at a calendar of religious holidays observed in Europe and was surprised about how many of these days are national holidays. This was particularly interesting in so-called ‘Lutheran’ countries where the state church still has influence. Not having to go to work on St John’s Day, for example, may be the primary reason for celebrating the Apostle but as least these holy days are still national holidays in countries like Sweden, Norway, etc.
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You are correct about many Christian holidays in the Nordic countries, like the Ascension. People celebrate it mostly because you can and you don’t have to go to work but in the case of St John’s Day you are wrong because the day coincides with Midsummer, or the summer solstice, which was celebrated even during Pagan times. So it is really a very old holiday and tradition of great cultural value to the Nordic cultures. The same goes for Christmas. I think I would also like to mention Walpurgis Night, All Saint’s Day and Easter, only the first of the last three ones I mentioned have any connection to Pre-Christian traditions in the Nordic countries.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
I do understand that some protestant denominations do observe more than just the fun Catholic holidays. I grew up in a Church of Christ/Baptist house hold and Lent wasn’t a big deal. So why do non-Catholics who don’t observe Lent have big Mardi Gras bashes? Why is it that some non-Catholic denominations don’t recognize saints, but will go out and party for St. Patrick’s day? I don’t get it. 🤷
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Because it’s an excuse to party down.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
Really? Why? lol.
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Because all of the anti-Christians think they’re celebrating a secular holiday, and revel in what they think is a day absent of religion, when they’re really celebrating the Catholic faith.
 
FrDavid96 said:
Because all of the anti-Christians think they’re celebrating a secular holiday, and revel in what they think is a day absent of religion, when they’re really celebrating the Catholic faith.
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Groundhog’s Day is a Catholic holiday? I’m a convert, still an infant…1 year anniversary is this Easter.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
Groundhog’s Day is a Catholic holiday? I’m a convert, still an infant…1 year anniversary is this Easter.
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I’m a Lutheran and somewhat ignorant of a lot of Saints, but this February 2nd happened to be on Sunday, and it was the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord and Purification of Mary, but my handy-dandy “Saint A Day” phone app has other saints that are honored on that date if it falls on a weekday 🙂

It’s good to read about their lives of faith. Sure beats reading CNN with my morning coffee.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
Groundhog’s Day is a Catholic holiday? I’m a convert, still an infant…1 year anniversary is this Easter.
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Sure is!

February 2, the Feast of the Presentation. Simeon calls the Christ-child the “Light to the gentiles.” The priest blesses candles in celebration of the Light. We even call it Candlemas day, meaning the Mass of the Candles. Candles give light and represent Christ, the Light of the world.

What is a shadow, but the absence of light?

Groundhog day is a celebration of Candlemas. The atheists just don’t know it. The joke’s on them.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
So why do non-Catholics who don’t observe Lent have big Mardi Gras bashes? Why is it that some non-Catholic denominations don’t recognize saints, but will go out and party for St. Patrick’s day? I don’t get it. 🤷
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I think the partying aspect is one major reason. I don’t know of too many Southern Baptists having Mardi Gras celebrations. For St. Patricks day I think it was an ethnic celebration as much as anything. That is why Savannah has one of the largest and oldest celebrations. Ultimately it was a marketing coup. At one time the Irish in America were very much looked down upon. Now everyone wants to be Irish on March 17th.
 
exnihilo said:
I think the partying aspect is one major reason. I don’t know of too many Southern Baptists having Mardi Gras celebrations. For St. Patricks day I think it was an ethnic celebration as much as anything. That is why Savannah has one of the largest and oldest celebrations. Ultimately it was a marketing coup. At one time the Irish in America were very much looked down upon. Now everyone wants to be Irish on March 17th.
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The Baptists churches may not be having a party in the fellowship hall, but the vast majority of the people I know are Southern Baptists…most of them party on Friday and Saturday and act like Saints on Sunday.
 
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