In the Name of God, Allah The All-Mighty.
Since staying here in the UK , I've been curious of the Days celebrated by the people here. Whether they are related to their religious celebrations or not. As practicing Muslims we should be alert and aware of their 'hidden agenda'. We should know what is good to be done or celebrated by Muslims as Islam has guided us.
For example, the previous celebration day here was Halloween.
Alhamdulillah, we had discussed in our Sister's Circle that it should not be celebrated by Muslims.
The link we were referred to was:
http://saifulislam.com/2013/10/persaudaraan-syaitan-bersyiarkan-halloween/
The other Days I searched for is the following:
(mostly from Wikipedia)
1. Black Friday
Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, often regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term started before 1961 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation was made: that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss from January through November, and "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or "in the black".
-- Ok just a shopping day.
2. Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It became an official Federal holiday in 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens" (-- Oh dear!), to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.
Thanksgiving is one of the major holidays of the year. Together with Christmas and New Year, Thanksgiving is a part of the broader holiday season.
The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought.
3. Buy Nothing Day
Buy Nothing Day (BND) is an international day of protest against consumerism. it is held the following day, which is the last Saturday in November. Buy Nothing Day was founded in Vancouver by artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by Adbusters magazine, based in Canada.
The first Buy Nothing Day was organized in Canada in September 1992 "as a day for society to examine the issue of over-consumption." In 1997, it was moved to the Friday after American Thanksgiving, also called "Black Friday", which is one of the ten busiest shopping days in the United States. In 2000, advertisements by Adbusters promoting Buy Nothing Day were denied advertising time by almost all major television networks except for CNN. Soon, campaigns started appearing in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, the Netherlands, France, and Norway.
-- not so important I suppose. but a good intention. hehe..
4. Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday after Thanksgiving in the United States. The term "Cyber Monday" was created by marketing companies to persuade people to shop online. The term made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled "'Cyber Monday Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year"
The term was first used within the ecommerce community during the 2005 holiday season. According to Scott Silverman, the head of Shop.org, the term was coined based on 2004 research showing "one of the biggest online shopping days of the year" was the Monday after Thanksgiving (12th-biggest day historically). Retailers also noted the biggest period was December 5 through 15 of the previous year.In late November 2005, the New York Times reported that "The name Cyber Monday grew out of the observation that millions of otherwise productive working Americans, fresh off a Thanksgiving weekend of window shopping, were returning to high-speed Internet connections at work Monday and buying what they liked." The idea for having such a holiday was created by Tony Valado, in 2003, while working at 1800Flowers.com and coined White Wednesday to be held the day before thanksgiving for online retailers.
Cyber Monday is also used as a marketing term in the United Kingdom however the U.K. is more commonly using the term "Mega Monday", instead, Germany, Portugal and France.
-- It looks like everything is closely related to Thanksgiving Day and Shopping. Hmmm..
5. Boxing Day
Boxing Day is traditionally the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts from their bosses or employers, known as a "Christmas box". Today, Boxing Day is better known as a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws.
The exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear. There are several competing theories, none of which is definitive. The European tradition, which has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown. It is believed to be in reference to the Alms Box placed in places of worship in order to collect donations to the poor. In ancient, pre-Christian Rome, Saturnalia was a Roman celebration during which slave owners would switch roles with their slaves. Gift giving was a part of Saturnalia and benevolence to slaves was a practice which may have influenced the later December tradition of boxing and presenting of gifts to people of lesser status.
Boxing Day is a secular holiday that is traditionally celebrated on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day, which is also St. Stephen's Day, a religious holiday. In the UK, Boxing Day is a bank holiday. If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the following Monday is given as a substitute bank holiday.
-- So is it OK to shop during this time??
6. St. Stephen's Day
St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church. Many Eastern Orthodox churches adhere to the Julian calendar and mark St. Stephen's Day on 27 December according to that calendar, which places it on 9 January of the Gregorian calendar used in secular contexts. It commemorates St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr.
-- Opps! on the same date! An obvious relation to their religion.
7. Christmas
Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a widely observed holiday, celebrated generally on December 25 by millions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide, which ends after the twelfth night. Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
-- Yes! InsyaALLAH we are informed right?
Only Allah s.w.t Knows!!
There are questions on whether or not we celebrate these Days. The big problem is when our children are told about these days and they are even special activities on these 'special' days. And another problem is hilarious sales related to them which we can benefit from.. Hmm..
My opinion is:
1. Preserve your intentions
2. When shopping - buy something not because of the Sale but because your really need them. Isn't it smart to plan you shopping and buy with a discount price?
3. Be alert of the issues brought by the Media.
Further explanations here.
What do you think?
WaALlahu'alam.
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