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Home , Festivus, Little Christmas

The Travelin’ Grampa Touring the U.S.A. without an automobile

Focus on fast, safe, convenient, comfortable, cheap travel, via public transit. Vol. 7, No. 12, 2014

Illustration credits: Birth, StoriesNow.com; painting by Giotto di Bondone at Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy.

Left: After traveling 120 miles from Nazareth to , Joseph and Mary arrive at Bethlehem, finding no room the inn pictured. Right: Mary, Jesus and Joseph during their , a 310-mile trip.

First story is largely about traveling Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus ordered a “census of the whole world” be taken. This required everyone returning to their ancestral homes to be counted. Thus, Joseph, a carpenter residing in Nazareth in Galilee, traveled with his wife, Mary, then pregnant, to Bethlehem in Judea, at least an 98-mile journey. Though the Romans built many nice roads, it’s likely the couple trekked 120 miles over unpaved and often hilly roads, to avoid crossing unfriendly Samaria, where bandits attacked caravans. They likely averaged 20 miles in a day, making their trip a difficult week-long experience. It’s believed Joseph walked while Mary rode a donkey. Well-to-do craftsmen such as Joseph and his father Jeremiah could afford to rent, or even own, a donkey. Mary’s parents, Joachim and Hannah, temple custodians, weren’t exactly poor either.

Flight into Egypt a difficult and hectic 310-mile trip Not long after the birth of Jesus, his parents were warned to leave the country, to avoid him being killed by soldiers of King Herod of Judea. Herod heard a pretender to his throne had been born within his kingdom. To get rid of this perceived threat to his or his son’s crown, Herod ordered the slaughter of all males in and around Bethlehem up to age two. So, Mary, Jesus and Joseph escaped to Egypt, the border of which is 100 miles away. From Bethlehem, six miles south of Jerusalem, they likely crossed the Sinai desert to Bubastis on the Tanis branch of the Nile River, about 50 miles northeast of Cairo. They then went to Mataria, near Heliopolis, six miles from Cairo. Bethlehem to Cairo is 201 miles on a map, but 310 road miles. Quite a trip.

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Biblical-time vehicles: donkeys, camels, boats, slaves Travel in Biblical days was mainly on foot. A favored overland vehicle was the donkey,, ridden bareback or pulling a cart or wagon, the latter mostly to haul goods. Carts had two or four wheels. Boats, powered by sails or/and by rowing, carried passengers and cargo along coasts, up and down rivers, and across seas and lakes. Camels carried valuable goods, up to half a ton, traveling up to 25 miles a day, requiring little food or water. Horses were used mainly by the military. Ditto horse-drawn chariots. Ox-pulled carts and wagons hauled freight and sometimes passengers. Wealthy and powerful people rode on draped padded sedan chairs carried by four, sometimes six, or even eight, slaves. But it was not unusual for someone important to ride a donkey. The Gospel of John says Jesus on triumphantly rode a donkey into Jerusalem.

Roman Empire had 63,000 miles of paved roads By the time of Jesus’ birth the Roman Empire had created a network of land and sea routes throughout the Mediterranean region, including more than 63,000 miles of paved roads, connecting centers of government, culture and power. This network stretched from Hispania (Spain) to Persia (Iran), says the web site of the Village of Nazareth, a tourist attraction in the present city of Nazareth in Israel. “Since Jesus and his followers were not wealthy Roman diplomats or military leaders but mostly a band of low-class fishermen and subsistence farmers,” these modern Nazarenes suppose their forefathers “likely traveled by foot at least 50 miles east to west and 150 miles north to south through present day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.” For more: www.nazarethvillage.com

Highways chief was Julius Caesar’s first big job “The Romans were builders and roads were their passion,” writes Elizabeth McNamera in Scripture from Scratch. ”Paved roads leading out from the forum in Rome connected every city. Roman commerce and the military depended on this infrastructure.” McNamera is an assistant professor who teaches philosophy and religion at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. She also is a sometime archaeologist at Bethsaida, Israel. “Julius Caesar, at the beginning of his career, was appointed Curator of Roads, a very responsible position,” she notes. This was 23 years before he became Rome’s dictator for life in 45 B.C. Unfortunately for him, that lasted less than a year afterward. He was assassinated the following March 15. But roads for which he was responsible lasted for centuries. By the 12th Century A.D. All roads lead to Rome had become a popular saying. “Curators were accountable for keeping the roads in good repair, seeing to the building of bridges and the establishment of staging posts,” writes McNamera. “Local communities could be called upon to carry out the repairs. And while public money was available, many curators paid out of their own pockets to ingratiate themselves to the people. Milestones were inscribed with the services the curator had done. So the traveler was grateful to – or mad at – the curator.”

Travel in those days often was difficult and dangerous “Travel in biblical times was fraught with difficulty and danger,” points out Elizabeth McNamera in Scripture from Scratch. ”There was the threat of heat and exhaustion, cold and hunger, peril from wild animals. Bandits and brigands were a constant hazard.” At that time, lions and wild boars still were found in that part of the world.

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Map credit: The Land Jesus Knew, Dec. 1982,Part 1, at www.LDS.org

Holy Family Route from Nazareth to Bethlehem – 120 Miles This shows the usual Jewish route from Nazareth to Bethlehem, about 120 miles. Today, what in Biblical times was Samaria, which Judean travelers usually avoided due to many road bandits, now is called the West Bank and is part of Palestine. What then were Gilead, Perea and Moab east of the Jordan River are in what now is the Kingdom of Jordan. Nazareth is a major city in northern Israel, although its residents are mostly Arab Muslims and Christians. Bethlehem is a town in Palestine, about 10 km from Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. Some commentators mistakenly figure the Nazareth to Bethlehem’s distance as 80 miles, because that’s via the present Highway 60, an almost straight-line route. Mileage calculated by Mapquest..

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Map credit: The Land Jesus Knew, Dec. 1982,Part 1, at www.LDS.org

Holy Family’s Flight Into Egypt and Return – 662.94 miles Likely routes of flight to Egypt and return to Nazareth by Mary, Jesus and Joseph. Shaded area is where in Egypt there were Jewish communities at that time. Bethlehem to the Cairo area is 309.68 miles by foot or animal-pulled vehicle. Returning from there to Nazareth is 356.8 miles. Travelers in those days typically averaged about 20 miles per day at best. Mileage calculated by Mapquest.

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Illustration credits: www.TourEgypt.net; blog.TimesUnion,com

Left: map shows places in Egypt that claim visitation by Mary, Jesus & Joseph during their flight from Bethlehem. Right: After a brief stay at what's now Maadi, a suburb of Cairo, they are said to have boarded a sailboat and traveled up the Nile River towards southern Egypt, disembarking at the village of Deir Al-Garnous, now the site of a Monastery of Arganos.

While in Egypt, Joseph’s family moved from place to place Mary, Jesus and Joseph, after arriving in Egypt by boat or beast of burden were chased from place to place by Egyptian authorities, as a favor to Judea’s King Herod. After Herod’s death, they returned home to Nazareth, a nearly 356.78-mile trip. “The Holy Family, when Christ was an infant, found haven in Egypt for nearly four years after their flight out of fear from the persecution of King Herod,” we are told by Mamdouh El-Beltagu, that country's minister of tourism. In his introduction to The Holy Family in Egypt, he notes that they traveled from Al-Farma in the north east of Sinai to what is now the Al-Muharraq Monastery in the southern Nile Valley. This book pictures and describes each place they stayed, however briefly. All-told, more than two dozen towns, villages and assorted tourist spots claim visitation by this famous refugee couple and son. For more: www.touregypt.net/holyfamily.htm#ixzz3LnFshRH0

Holy Family traveled 357 miles en route home “When Jesus was about age 3 or 4, he and parents Mary and Joseph traveled from Egypt across the desert past Gaza and Joppa, along the Mediterranean Sea to Nazareth, a distance of about 400 miles (643 km),” says Arthur Blesset, an expert on Jesus’ travels through what’s known as the Holy Land. Blessitt is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the human walking the longest distance during a single continuous trip: 40,195 miles (64,686 km), which took him thru 321 countries. All the while, he carried a 12-foot wooden cross. According to The Holy Family in Egypt, the Holy Family returned from that country via a slightly different route than over which they had arrived, crossing Mount Dronka, near the city of Assiut, and thence eventually to Cairo, then called Matariyah, and on to Mahamma, finally “retracing more or less their steps on their outward journey across Sinai to Palestine” and "Nazareth, in Galilee, in the land of Palestine.” It’s thought the 310-mile “flight into Egypt” occurred when Jesus was a toddler, not an infant, because Herod ordered all babies in the Bethlehem area killed up to age two. When they returned home to Nazareth, Jesus likely was 4 or 5 years old and, supposes biblical scholar Arthur Bassett, who says Jesus “likely walked with Mary and Joseph most, if not all, the way, a distance of about 400 miles.” Actually, Mapquest says it’s 356.78 miles.

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Mary travelled at least 12,000 miles on Nazareth-Jerusalem trips At least once a year Mary went to/from Nazareth to the Temple in Jerusalem, where her parents, Hannah and Joachim, were custodians. It’s assumed she’d often accompany her husband, Joseph, and bring along their son, Jesus. Brothers and sisters, too, perhaps.* Because Jesus began his public ministry when about age 30, she thus would until then make about two dozen such 240-mile (366 km) Nazareth-Jerusalem round trips, or about 6,000 miles (9,655 km) of travel. It’s possible she might make this trip more often. It’s a good guess that in her lifetime, such journeys amounted to more than 19,612 km, or 12,000 miles. At an average 32 km (20 miles) per day, this would mean spending at least 609 days and nights in long-distance travel. Remember, this doesn’t include visits to her sister, Elizabeth, which the Gospel of Luke 1:39- 56 says was in “a town in the hill country of Judea.” This is believed to be at what's now the town of Ein Karem, on the western outskirts of Jerusalem. Mary’s home at that time was in Nazareth, in Galilee. Maps says these are 144 km, or 90 miles, apart. Nor does it include trips to places like Cana, in Galilee, where Jesus is said to have turned water into wine at a marriage feast.. Nor to Calvary, outside Jerusalem, where her son was crucified. * Jesus apparently had four brothers and at least two sisters, according to the King James Version of The Bible. Matthew 13:55 says: “Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?” Mark 6:3 says: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.”

Jesus walked at least 18,000 miles before going big-time Devout male Jews at the time of Jesus boyhood made at least three pilgrimages a year to Jerusalem. “Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel,” says the Book of Exodus 34: 23. From ages 5 to 12, Jesus and his father Joseph likely traveled to Jerusalem for its three biggest annual festivals, even though this wasn’t a requirement for a boy who had yet to make his Bar Mitzvah, i.e., age 12 or 13. Jesus as a boy seemed to indicate an especial fondness for the Temple. If he made three annual trips there to age 30, when he began His public ministry, doing so would mean Jesus walking a total of about 18,000 miles, or 28,967 km, up to then. This was before he began to trek about the country with his disciples addressing big crowds, etc.

Donkeys carried goods, children and those unable to walk In an article On the Road, the Inns and Outs of Travel in First Century Palestine in the magazine Christianity Today, Marilyn Hargis, archaeologist and instructor at San Jose Christian College, San Jose, Calif., wrote: “Travel was a major part of first century Palestinian life, as the Gospels record: Mary left Nazareth to visit Elizabeth in the hills of Judea. Foreign dignitaries came to pay homage to the new King of the Jews. Jesus attended the wedding feast at Cana and visited with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany.” The most used means of transportation back then was, of course, walking. Depending on weather, terrain, dangers en route, etc., someone could generally walk about 20 miles in a day. Donkeys mainly were used to carry goods, women, children and those unable to walk. For example, a stranger robbed, wounded and disabled by bandits was placed on a donkey by a fictional Good Samaritan cited by Jesus as typifying “our neighbor.” For more: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/1998/issue59/59h028.html

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Illustration credits: www,TourEgypt.net; Wikipedia; www.goodsalt.com

Left: Book cover pictures Holy Family and donkey in boat. Center: Three Wise Men on camels en route to Bethlehem from Persia. Right: Jesus tries to explain to his mother why he’s hanging around in the Temple at Jerusalem instead of being with the rest of his folks who are headed back home to Nazareth.

Magi journeyed to Bethlehem all the way from Persia Visiting King Herod at Jerusalem and, later, the newborn Christ child at Bethlehem were a number of “wise men from the East,” aka the Magi, likely from Persia (Iran). By the time they reached Jerusalem, they had traveled at least 1,951 km (1,212.2 miles) across hilly terrain, barren desert, flowing rivers, etc. They crossed what now is Iran, Iraq, Syria and gone into what’s now Israel. Undoubtedly they rode on camels. It’s said their caravan included “three kings” and astrologers, i.e., scholars and scientists, who “followed a star” to Bethlehem. The Magi were adherents of Zoroastrianism, an ancient religion.

First ‘Home Alone’ story featured 12-year-old Jesus Plot of the popular movie Home Alone movie involves a small boy being accidentally left home alone, while the remainder of his family went off on a long distant trip. Many people found this a humorous but unlikely theme. It’s an old story. To celebrate every year, Joseph, Mary & Jesus traveled to Jerusalem, a nearly 100-mile week-long journey. Once, their trip was so hectic, without realizing it, they lost Jesus for almost four days. According to the Gospel of Luke, 2:41-45: “Every year, his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.” Three days later, they found him in the Temple. “Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere,” exclaimed Mary.

Nazareth to Jerusalem 90 miles but 120 miles safely En route to Passover or other big events, large caravans and smaller walking groups would merge from side roads onto the main roads leading into Jerusalem, sometimes resulting in thousands of travelers, animals, wagons, carts, etc. strung out for many miles. “Every Inn and barn would be full of people overnight, with others camping along the road or in the fields,” writes biblical scholar Arthur Blessitt. For more: http://www.blessitt.com

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In the USA, there’s more to Christmastime than Christmas Traveling abroad, Grampa notices most natives tend to resemble one another and share a similar culture. Not here in the USA. Our residents come in virtually every race, creed, skin color and geographic origin. In our country, at this time of year, we celebrate a variety of holidays, in a wide variety of ways. There’s the Feast of the Nativity, of course. Most call this Christmas and celebrate it on Dec. 25 but others on Jan. 6. Hindus also celebrate their 5th day of Pancha Ganapati on Dec. 25. There’s Chanukah. Or is it spelled ? And let’s not forget , several year- ending African American holidays invented in 1966 in Long Beach, Calif. Suni Muslims around this time of year celebrate on the same day a happy and Shia Muslims a sad Ashura. A festive Caribbean version calls it Hosay. is a big deal for Filipino and Mexican Americans. For other folks it’s merely a time for last minute shopping. Our Lady of Guadalupe is venerated on Dec. 12 by Mexican Americans. Some consider her as both the Virgen de Guadalupe, mother of Jesus, and the Aztec mother-goddess Tonantzin. A big and immensely popular church honoring the former is located on a former site of a temple for the latter. Dec. 8 is Day in one Christian church and simply Mary’s Conception Day in another. It’s also Bodhi Day, Buddhism’s Day of Enlightenment. Holy Innocents Day, recalling King Herod’s killing of the innocent children of Israel and Syria, is Dec. 27, 28 or 29, depending where one worships. Some call it Childermas Day. This year, Roman Catholics skip it and instead celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family on Sunday Dec. 28. Puerto Ricans celebrate Día de las Máscaras (Festival of the Masks) on this day. Sadly, one of our most popular Christmastime holidays is , a big shopping day, which now begins at 6 a.m. on Thursday, which is Thanksgiving Day, and encompasses the following Saturday and even Sunday, followed by Ciber Monday, an on-line shopping day. What all our holidays here all seem to share is – they are Americanized, some so much they now only vaguely resemble what they were when and where they originated. Grampa has compiled the following:

Special Days of Holiday Season 2014: Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Jewish, etc. Oct. 24-25, 2014 – Al Hijra: First day of the (1436), this recalls the day Muhammad, aka Mohammed, moved from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD, beginning the Islamic Year 1. For most Muslims, it’s not a big-time holiday. In modern times, some send greeting cards to friends and relatives to mark this day, which begins the 29-day month of Muharram, comparable to the Christian 31-day calendar month of . Nov. 1 – All-Saints Day: When many Christians venerate all who have lived, died and now reside in Heaven. It’s somewhat like Presidents Day in the USA, with no specific person honored, or even necessarily remembered. Nov. 2 – All Souls Day: When many Christians remember everyone who has died and not yet quite managed to enter Heaven. Prayers are said to help speed their entry. Oct. 31 – : When retailers start switching displays of goods from Halloween stuff to Christmastime stuff. Soon after sundown, costumed youngsters go door-to-door declaring, “Trick or Treat,” after which they usually are given a treat. Similarly, on this day, many young adults wear outlandish costumes, attend parties, and get drunk. Nov. 3 – Ashura: Somber or happy Islamic day, depending on sect. It’s when Sunni Muslims celebrate Moses and his people leaving Egypt. It’s also when Shiite Muslims sadly recall martyrdom in battle of Mohammad’s grandson Hussein. In Trinidad, Jamaica and other West Indies islands a festive version called Hosay features dancing and parades. Versions in Indonesia,

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Guyana and Suriname called Taziya or Tadjah feature “temples” being built and thrown into the sea. In some places, it involves nine days of fasting and prayer. In India, mainly a Hindu nation, this Muslim tradition is a public holiday. Nov. 4, 2014 – Election Day: Alarmingly, on this day 64% of Americans qualified to vote did not, despite all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives running, as well as 36 of the 100 members of the U.S..Senate, plus 38 state and territorial governors. In 46 states, voters also chose state legislators. Thousands of local contests took place, electing mayors, town councils, school board members, etc. Alas, voter turnout was the lowest since the elections in November 1942, when World War II activities prevented many from getting to the polls. Nov. 11 – : Originally called Armistice Day to recall the end of World War I and honor those who served in the U.S. military during that war, this became a national holiday in 1921. It was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all military veterans. Most Americans seem to have only a vague notion why this is a legal holiday. Nov. 27 – Thanksgiving Day: Many families gather for a big meal on this day, ostensibly to express gratitude to God, one another or whomever. Big retailers open from 6 am ‘til after midnight, to kickoff Black Friday bargain sales early. Nov. 28 – $$$ Black $$$ Friday, gigantic shopping day. In theory, this is when retailers move from “being in the red” to “being in the black,” i.e., profitable. In olden days, some accountants used red ink to denote an unprofitable transaction, and black ink for a profitable one. Nov. 29 – $mall Business$$ $aturday: Introduced by credit card company American Express in 2010, this is said to be the small retailer’s version of Black Friday, which somehow is viewed as a holiday dominated by big retailers. Dec. 1 – Ciber Monday: Starting in 2005, this became when retailers presumably offer big bargains via the Internet. On-line buying on this day this year reportedly hit $2.68-billion, versus $608-million on the second such Ciber sales day in 2006. A survey suggests that more than 50% of these purchases were by folks at work using their employer’s computer. Dec. 6 – Day: As a prominent tale goes, the spirit of a 4th Century bishop centuries later began putting candy coins or/and other gifts in shoes or stockings of young Dutch children, as they slept. In some places, he met them in person. This spread from Holland to Germany, Switzerland and other European countries, where he is known as Sinter Klaus. In Spain, a companion, Black Peter, a Moor youth, carries a sack of gifts. After Clement Moore’s 1822 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas that began “Twas the night before Christmas” became popular, St. Nick mainly arrived not Dec. 6, but Dec. 24. In the USA, he’s best known as . The real St. Nicholas was a bishop in Myra, a Byzantine Greek town of the Roman Empire and now mostly ancient ruins 334 miles (538 kilometer) from Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) in a part of Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea. Dec. 8 – Bodhi Day or Buddhist Day of Enlightenment recalls when the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree between 563 and 483 B.C. Dec. 8 – Immaculate Conception Day, when Roman Catholics honor Mary, mother of Jesus, being born without Original Sin everyone is said to inherit from Adam & Eve. Until 1854, it was known simply as Mary’s Conception Day. Many Christians still call it that. Dec. 12 – Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic holy day. Spanish conquerors of Mexico in 1520 destroyed a temple of the Aztec mother-goddess Tonantzin. In its place they built a chapel honoring the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. In 1531, a “Lady from Heaven” aka “Mother of the True God” is said to have appeared there. Some believe Mary and Tonantzin are identical. In 1622, a shrine was built there, and in 1709 a basilica. Except for St. Peter’s in the Vatican City at Rome, the Guadalupe cathedral is arguably the world’s most visited Catholic church. Dec. 13 – Running of the Santas: On this day, 5,000 or more guys and gals in Santa Claus suits jog from tavern to tavern in Philadelphia.

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Dec. 13 – St. Lucia Day is when Swedish households welcome “St. Lucy,” a teenage girl crowned by seven lit candles while carrying a tray of hot beverage and Lucia buns. Dec. 16-24 – Posadas Navidenas is nine days of Latino celebrations up to Noche Buena, aka Christmas Eve, which in Mexico is very special, while Christmas Day less so. Some Mexican American kids get gifts from The Holy Child on Dec. 24 or Jan. 6. Dec. 17 – Chanukah or Hanukkah: Minor holiday in Israel. Major Jewish holiday in USA, thanks largely to a few 19th Century rabbis in Cincinnati. Starting at sundown, it lasts eight days. Dec. 17-24 – Saturnalia: Ancient Roman festival honoring the god Saturn. Dec. 21-25 – Pancha Ganapati is a 5-day Hindu festival honoring Ganesha, deity of the arts, culture, and overcoming obstacles. In the USA, it’s child oriented, resembling Christmas. Ganesha often is depicted with a human-like body, four arms, and a nose like an elephant’s trunk. Dec. 21 – or : Winter officially begins at 6:03 pm EST. It’s the shortest day of the year. Above the Equator, it’s a Wiccan holiday, but June 20 below the Equator. Dec. 21 – St. Thomas the Apostle Day for many years, now switched to July 3. On this date, in olden days, unmarried Austrian females would step onto a stool to get into bed, throw her shoes toward a door so that they pointed outward, and then sleep with her head at the foot of the bed, with the expectation she would see her future husband in a dream. Dec. 23 – Festivus is a phony holiday made popular by a comedy TV show episode. Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve: After dark, many Filipinos attend Panunulúyan, during which a couple portraying a wary Joseph and pregnant Mary go from house to house seeking lodging, each time being told there is no room for them there, that the place already is filled with other travelers. Then, the couple walks to a church where a manger in a stable scene awaits. Here the birth of Jesus is celebrated at . Dec. 25 – Feast of the Nativity, better known as Christmas. Dec. 26 – $$$ $$$ in Australia, Canada, the U.K., etc., isn’t about prize fighting. It resembles Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the USA, a big shopping day. Where it’s officially celebrated, banks, schools, government offices, etc., are closed. Dec. 26 - Jan. 1 – Kwanzaa honors African culture and traditions. Invented in 1966 in Long Beach, Calif., its name comes from the Swahili word kwanza, meaning “time of the first harvest.” Dec. 26 – Zarathosht Diso honors the Zoroastrian prophet Zarathush. “Wise men” who visited Jesus at Bethlehem likely were followers of Zoroaster, an ancient Persian religion. When the religion originated isn’t certain, but it is thought to have been between 600 B.C. and 1800 B.C. Greek historian Plutarch supposed maybe 6000 B.C. Zoroastrianism is said to have as many as 2.6-million followers worldwide, about 12,000 in the USA and maybe 7,000 in Canada.. Dec. 26 – Saint Stephen's Day or Feast of Stephen. Eastern Orthodox celebrate it Dec. 27. ♫ Good King Wenceslas ♫ is a popular carol about a king who gives alms to poor peasants on the Feast of Stephen. It's a public holiday in: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden and Poland. In Ireland, it’s called “Wren’s Day” in connection with tales about Jesus and wren birds. Dec. 28 –Feast of the Holy Family is a Roman Catholic holy day honoring Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Not much is said in the official Gospels about this family. A few novels describe Jesus childhood, notably Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice, Hidden Stories of the Childhood of Jesus by Glenn Kimball, and The Childhood of Jesus Christ by Henry van Dyke. A novel titled The Childhood of Jesus by J. M. Coetzee is a fraud. It says nothing about Jesus as a boy. Dec. 28 – Holy Innocents Day or Childermas Day is commemorated by many Christian churches, some a day earlier or a day later. Eastern Orthodox celebrate it on the 29th. Many Catholic churches won’t commemorate it in 2014 because it falls on a Sunday dedicated to the Holy Family. It recalls that Judea’s King Herod, hearing a potential claimant to his throne was

10 ======HOLIDAY SEASON 2014 . born, ordered his soldiers to kill all children up to age 2 in Bethlehem and vicinity. This is described in the Gospel of Matthew and by Macrobius, a 4th Century non-Christian historian, quoting Roman Emperor Augustus, who he said despised King Herod. Dec. 28 – Día de las Máscaras or Festival of the Masks by Puerto Ricans, since 1823 recalls King Herod’s killing of the innocent children of Israel and Syria, but humorously, with Herod’s soldiers riding around on chariots and doing funny things. Dec. 31 – New Year's Eve. Like Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day, it’s a big boozing time. Jan. 1 – New Year’s Day: From 1568, Roman Catholics were obligated to attend mass on this day, recalling the Circumcision of the Christ child. In 1960, they began switching its theme to the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran church services still refer to this day with relation to Jesus Christ’s Jewish circumcision ceremony, at which he officially was named, akin to when Christians name a child at a baptism ceremony. Orthodox churches also celebrate St. Basil's Day on Jan 1. Greek children get gifts on this day. Jan. 4 – originally followed Halloween, not Christmas. Superstition holds that Christmas decorations remaining after 12th Night invite something bad. Jan. 4 – Catholics and Anglicans celebrate the (see below) on this day, a Sunday. Jan. 6 – Epiphany or Three Kings Day or Little Christmas recalls the Magi visiting the Christ child at Bethlehem. They often are called “the 3 Wise Men” or “.” Gifts are given this day in many Puerto Rican homes, although less so than in the past. Protestant churches hold Epiphany services on this day, which in 2015 is a Tuesday. Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate it by recalling the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Some Eastern churches recognize January 19 as Epiphany. Jan. 14 – Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, a big holiday in Indonesia and Malaysia. Jan. 24 – : On this birthday of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, she is worshipped by many followers as the deity of learning, fine arts, science, wisdom and nature. Feb. 2. – Day, 40 days after Christmas, recalls Jesus being taken to the temple at Jerusalem by Mary, his mother, for his presentation to priests there and her participation in a traditional Jewish purification ceremony. Candles for church use are blessed on this day. Feb. 2 – : An old English poem goes: “If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter has another fight. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again.” German emigrant farmers in Pennsylvania later decided if a local groundhog sees its shadow on this day, winter will persist for another six weeks. This myth still persists. Feb. 2 – , a Pagan holiday, midpoint between winter and spring, celebrates solar energy and its impact on farm crops. In Ireland, it’s called Saint Brigid’s Day. Some say that on Imbolc Eve she visits the homes of good people and blesses them while they sleep. Feb. 12 – Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday. He was USA’s 16th president. Feb. 14 – St. Valentine’s Day, or ♥ Valentine’s Day ♥ a day for love, an especially popular day in the Philippines. Children and lovers swap greeting cards on this day. Feb. 16 – George Washington’s Birthday observed. In some states, this is Presidents Day. George Washington, first president of the USA, actually was born on February 22. Feb. 18 – sometimes it comes early as Feb. 4, or late as March 10. Feb. 19 – First day of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese New Year 4713 (Year of the Goat). Chinese tell a story about Buddha calling a dozen animals together on New Year's Day and dedicating to each animal a year. They were: a dog, goat, pig (boar), rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, and rooster. It's said that any human born during a year to which each animal was dedicated will share some of the personality traits of that animal. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam also call this the first day of their new year.

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Illustration credits:estudiobabo.co.ar; Bible-History.com

Left: Important Romans traveled in draped sedan chairs were carried by four, six or eight slaves. Right: Caravans in Biblical times sometimes were extremely large and long.

Caravans provided safety, convenience, company Most people in the olden days did not go on a long journey alone. They traveled in caravans organized by individuals or agencies that specialized in such. Few folks journeyed for pleasure. Going to Jerusalem for a pilgrimage feasts probably was the nearest s Jewish person came to having a vacation trip. “Carriages would have transported some of the pilgrims,” notes Elizabeth McNamera in Scripture from Scratch. ”The owners of such conveyances rented them out along with a guide. Donkeys, too, were rented for such journeys.”

Desert trade route camel caravans in old Arabia were huge The Greek geographer Strabo, who lived at the time of Christ's birth, wrote that Arab caravans traveling from Yemen thru Leuce and Petra consisted of “men and camels differing in no respect from an army.” Source: The Geography of Strabo, Volume VII, page 357.

British towns claim Jesus & his uncle visited them Tourist attractors in Somerset, Cornwall and Glastonbury claim their towns were visited by Roman metals trader Joseph of Arimathea and his teenage nephew Jesus of Nazareth. Historians, however, have found no writings saying so that date back earlier than the 13th century. BBC says most investigators have concluded the tales originated from “a deliberate ploy to add to the status of Glastonbury by associating it with such a prestigious person.”

Summertime in England song is about Jesus and his uncle Irish musician Van Morrison’s popular 1980 song Summertime in England tells about Jesus and his uncle visiting the West of England. Its lyrics include: “Won't you meet me down by Avalon. In the summertime in England. ,,, in the Church of St. John … Did you ever hear about Jesus walkin’ … Jesus walkin' down by Avalon?” The word “Avalon” refers to Glastonbury, where a parish church is dedicated to St John. It’s said that Joseph of Arimathea founded Glastonbury Abbey. St. John's Church there has a stained glass window featuring him. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ © 2014, all rights reserved. The Travelin’ Grampa is published monthly by John A. Moore Sr., freelance journalist, P. O Box 636, Clifton Heights PA 19018-0636. Price for a year (12 issues) subscription by email: $75. Special 66½ discount to U. S. residents age 62 and over.

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