Holiday Hierarchy
After participating in two blog discussions yesterday on Jews and Halloween, I've been thinking about Jewish approaches towards non-Jewish holidays in general. It seems like different sets of holidays have a range of attitudes in the Jewish world and even among sub-groups within the Orthodox community.
I came up with the following hierarchy for prominent* non-Jewish holidays observed by the general American** public:
Level 1: 4th of July, Mother's/Father's Day
Level 2: Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve/Day
Level 3: Halloween, St. Valentine's Day
Level 4: Christmas, Easter
* As opposed to holidays that are mostly just days off from work without significant observances by the general public, like President's or Labor Day
** Apologies to my non-US readers; I'm not familiar enough with your national holidays or attitudes to classify them
My theory is that various Jewish religious sub-groups tend to celebrate - or at least acknowledge positively - the holidays up to and including a specific level. However, I think it is rare, if not unknown, for people to celebrate the holidays on Level N+1 but not be willing to celebrate, for religious reasons, the holidays on Level N. I also believe that the holidays I list on a given level are generally either all celebrated or all not celebrated by a given group.
Comments? Am I on to something, or is reality a lot messier?
posted by Elie @ 11/01/2005 02:25:00 PM -
5 Comments:
Unless I'm misinformed, Elie, but aren't you Americans, Jewish or otherwise, *really* big on President's Day? (great sales in stores, and some patriotism happening, too) Or maybe that patriotism happens just on Memorial Day...
Sure, there are sales on many other occasions (the biggest are on the day after Thanksgiving), but I'm talking about holiday-specific observances done by the general public. Labor Day/Presidents Day don't have too many of those. Maybe Memorial Day should be included on the list with 4th of July, if you count watching parades.
Though things have changed in recent years it used to be that everything was likely to be closed on Thanksgiving almost as much as on Christmas.
I don't get the impression that as an American (as opposed to Christian) holiday Easter ranks that high. (Though the pastel M & M's are great.)
I'd put New Year's and Thanksgiving at level 4 with Christmas and move Easter down a notch or two.
Getting back to a point I made before, if special M & M's are any indication then Valentines Day, Easter, July 4, Halloween and Christmas are the most important holidays. (Up there with the opening of "The Revenge of the Sith.)
David:
Not sure I understand your comment about Thanksgiving. It looks like you're suggesting that about as many American Jews celebrate Christmas as Thanksgiving, which can't be right. Even among the Orthodox many do/did celebrate the latter, including, famously, the Soloveichiks (and lehavdil, the Rosenfelds). Whereas I would guess only the most assimilated Jews would celebrate Christmas.
OTOH, for those Jews that would celebrate Christmas to some degree - e.g., going with friends to sing carols - I would guess they would be just as likely to celebrate Easter to a similar degree, with egg hunts or the like. So I do still think those two belong on the same basic level.
I'm right with you on the M&Ms though!
Whoops what a maroon.
I paid attention to your second paragraph and ignored your first. I thought you were referring to how Americans on the whole view holidays. I should read more carfully. (And write too.)
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