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From: elb@hou5e.UUCP (Ellen Bart)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: "New Years"
Message-ID: <1033@hou5e.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 19-Nov-84 08:41:04 EST
Article-I.D.: hou5e.1033
Posted: Mon Nov 19 08:41:04 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Nov-84 02:59:27 EST
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 24

(I'm trying this via postnews so if someone not at an ATT site could
let me know if they see it, I'd appreciate it)

I got several responses about Thanksgiving basically positive but
all asking the same thing --Why did I put New Years in the same
religious category as Christmas and Halloween?

First of all it is **not** because Jews were traditionally persecuted
on that day nor it is just because we have our own New Year.  As I
said before, the criteria is whether the day in question involves or
involved the religious observance of another religion.  New Year (Jan 1) 
is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Christian (Catholic?) Church.  I
believe the origins are that it is 8 days after Christmas (Jesus' birth)
which makes it circumcision day.

(I think it is also another case where the day had significance in the
pagan calendar and the Christians adopted that day as they adopted
Christmas)

Any more detailed questions I can check out for you it you want.

Ellen Bart
hou5e!elb