Are Holidays Just Harmless Fun?

Scripture makes clear that we are not to adopt pagan worship practices as part of our worship of the true God (Deuteronomy 12:29-32). Yet what if one engages in these not to worship God, but just for amusement? God wants us to remove all vestiges of pagan worship from our lives (see Deuteronomy 12:1-4). There are, of course, various customs of ancient pagans that did not originate in their worship-which would be fine to emulate. But if something originated in pagan worship, we must refuse.

Let's consider the occasions mentioned above, the details here being easy to confirm through web searches and standard encyclopedias.

Groundhog Day - February 2

It might seem innocent, but it comes from the pagan Celtic celebration of Imbolc in honor of the spring fertility goddess Brigid and the winter goddess Cailleach, the old hag-different forms of the mother goddess. Marking the half-way point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, it remains one of the Wiccans' or witches' eight high sabbats today. With days lengthening, it observed the returning of the light, fires being lit to encourage that. And it involved weather divination. A bright day-indicated by shamanistic observance of badgers or other small animals poking out of holes to see their shadow-meant the winter goddess was deciding to abide in the world the six weeks or 40 or so days until the spring.

The word Imbolc meant either "in the belly," for fertility, or a "washing" or "cleansing," symbolizing purification for spring rebirth. It's thought to be associated with the purification rituals of the Roman Februalia festival, from which we get Valentine's. This day of Imbolc with its ritual lighting was absorbed by the Catholic Church as Candlemas, claimed to be the day when the baby Jesus was presented at the temple 40 days from His supposed birth at Christmas-but that's false. When German immigrants brought the observance to Pennsylvania in America, they swapped in the groundhog as the animal to use in the weather divination. Consider also that this is still a worship day for witches and for many Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Anglicans and Methodists.

Valentine's Day - February 14

This was the Roman Februalia, as mentioned, named after leather straps from a sacrifice meant to purify the people from their past year's sins. The straps were used to strike women to make them fertile. This is where we get the month name February. It became part of the Lupercalia at mid-month in honor of Lupercus, a form of Faunus or Pan, god of shepherds and fruitfulness. The festival also honored Rome's founders Romulus and Remus who had been nursed by the she-wolf or lupa in the cave at the base of the Palatine Hill that was known as the Lupercal, which is where you get the god and festival name.

This festival was a time of drawing names for pairing off for immoral sexual unions, and of course this was related to the love god Cupid and his mother Venus. There also seems to be a relation to the ancient hunter of wolves, traceable back to the mighty hunter Nimrod in the Bible, perhaps the original Valentinus or "strong man," as the name means. Some claim that St. Valentine was actually a later priest who performed secret marriages who was martyred. Others have argued that it commemorates, at least in part, the early gnostic teacher Valentinus, with his blasphemous divine bridal chamber ritual of sacred sex. St. Valentine's Day is still a worship occasion for many Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans.

Mardi Gras - Shifts between February and March

Meaning "Fat Tuesday" in French, it's the final day of gorging and partying before Ash Wednesday starts the 40 days of Lent until Easter, with partial fasting from some things, particularly meat. It comes at the end of a celebratory period called Carnival (supposedly meaning "remove meat" or "farewell to meat"). The day is also called Shrove Tuesday, referring to being "shriven" or absolved of sins through confession and penance before going into Lent.

Lent is a form of an old English and Germanic word meaning spring season, perhaps from the days "lengthening." It approximates the period of purification following Imbolc and the Lupercalia to the spring equinox. While we see 40-day fasts in the Bible, they are not in association with approaching the biblical spring festival season. On the other hand, we do find such lengthy fast periods preceding various pagan resurrection festivals.

Mardi Gras participants go into a "bead lust" to get necklaces of colored beads being handed out, engaging in inappropriate behavior to acquire more as part of drunken debauchery. There are many parallels with ancient pagan celebratory behavior. This day is still observed by many Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Methodists as including self-examination and repentance and prayerful commitment before the fasting starts (in some cases repenting for reveling excesses earlier that day).

Thus, it's clear that all these observances originated in pagan worship. They are still considered worship days by some, but many observe them as fun time unrelated to religion. Is it acceptable for us to participate in them? Certainly not-per the verses we've seen and numerous others. Don't just blindly go along. We need to extricate ourselves from all such customs. God detests them, and we should too.

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Are Holidays Just Harmless Fun?

You say Christians shouldn't celebrate Christmas and Easter because of their pagan origins. But what about minor occasions like those coming up in late winter-Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras. Aren't these just harmless fun?

Groundhog Day - February 2

Valentine's Day - February 14

Mardi Gras - Shifts between February and March