The most widely celebrated holiday of the Christian year, Christmas is observed as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus. Christmas customs are centuries old. The mistletoe, for example, comes from the Druids, who, in hanging the mistletoe, hoped for peace and good fortune. Comparatively recent is the Christmas tree, first set up in Germany in the 17th century. Colonial Manhattan Islanders introduced the name Santa Claus, a corruption of...

A federal holiday in the United States, New Year's Day has its origin in Roman times when sacrifices were offered to Janus, the two-faced Roman deity who looked back on the past and forward to the future. It is usually celebrated with parties the night before. On January 1, some people institute lifestyle changes known as “New Year’s Resolutions.”

Valentine's Day is a day for expressions of romantic love. Originally a pagan festival, the holiday eventually was recast as a Christian feast day in honor of St. Valentine - but there are at least three different early saints by that name. How the day became associated with romance remains obscure, and is further clouded by various fanciful legends.