Beat the witch drums The phrase "beat the witch drums" is a metaphorical expression that refers to actions or behaviors that symbolize protest, resistance, or defiance against an oppressive force or system. Witches have long been associated with magic, mystery, and power. By "beating the witch drums," individuals are essentially summoning their inner strength and courage to challenge and question authority. The symbolism behind beating the witch drums can be seen in various historical and cultural contexts. Throughout history, marginalized groups, such as women, ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community, have often faced discrimination and oppression. Within these communities, individuals have utilized different forms of activism, including protest, art, and storytelling, to challenge societal norms and fight for their rights.

See the Holidays in the Bible?

What are the holidays in the Bible? How many holidays are there? When are they celebrated this year? These are important questions to ask and discover the answers to them.

When we think of holidays, all kinds of emotions and memories go through my mind. Memories of recent holidays, the look on our children and grandchildren’s faces when they opened a special gift, and the laughter around the table. Memories of those who were at a holiday meal last year, but not this year.

For most of my life, I did not relate the feasts in the Bible with holidays. The term holiday is a euphemism for “holy days.” Today, I want to explore biblical holy days, and by this, I mean holidays mentioned in the Bible or holidays that commemorate biblical events.

The word holiday is only found in the book of Esther, but the concept of a day set aside to celebrate or remember is found throughout the Bible. The first time we read about God setting aside time as special is in regard to the Sabbath, in Genesis 2:1-3.

In Leviticus 23, God set aside feast days for His people. The term feast here is moed and can also be translated “appointed times.”(1) These appointments are times God set aside to meet with His people, time for us to remember the mighty works of God on behalf of those who have lived before us.

Let us briefly look at these holidays, asking these questions:

By what name(s) is this holiday known?
When does it occur in the year?
How is it to be remembered?
Why is this time set aside?
Where do we find this holiday in Scripture?

What are the holidays in the Bible?

Sabbath – Shabbat

When: weekly, the seventh day of the week

How: no work, rest day, to remember

Why: keep it holy and provide rest for God’s people, to gather

Feast of Trumpets – Rosh Hashanah

When: Tishrei 1 (Fall)

How: gathering, rest, and memorial blowing of trumpets, during the Tabernacle and Temple times -offerings at the Temple

Why: by tradition, this marks the beginning of the ten days of repentance leading up to the Day of Atonement.

Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur

When: Tishrei 10 (Fall)

How: gather, rest, fasting (afflicting your soul)

Why: during the time of the Tabernacle and Temple, the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to make atonement before the Lord. Jesus made atonement for us, once for all, in the heavenly Temple.

Feast of Tabernacles – Succoth

When: Tishrei 15-22 (Fall)

How: gather branches from various types of trees and rejoice before the Lord, gather as a congregation and rest. This holiday is celebrated by building temporary booths (tents) and living in them for seven days.

Why: to remember how the children of Israel lived in booths after they left Egypt.

Passover

When: Nissan 14 in the evening (Spring )

How: during the time of the Tabernacle and Temple, the children of Israel sacrificed a lamb and then shared a special meal with their family.

Why: to remember how God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt through Moses. As believers we also remember how the death of Jesus delivered us from sin.

Unleavened Bread – Chag HaMatzot

When: Nissan 15-21 (Spring)

How: eat no bread with leavening (yeast), rest on the first and seventh day

Why: to remember how the children of Israel left Egypt so quickly that they did not have time to let their bread rise and had to make unleavened bread for food.

Feast of First Fruits

When: First day, after Passover (Spring)

How: after the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, each year they brought the first fruits of the spring harvest (like barley) to the Lord and offered them along with other offerings at the Temple.

Why: to help the children of Israel remember to give thanks to God for the first fruits of the harvest and to show they trusted Him to bring in the rest of the harvest.

Pentecost – Shavuot – Feast of Weeks

When: 50 days after the Feast of First Fruits (Summer)

How: like the celebration of the First Fruits, the children of Israel brought the first fruits of the summer harvest (like wheat) to the Lord and offered them along with other offerings at the Temple. When harvesting the rest of their crops, they were instructed to leave the corners of the field so the poor could harvest them.

Why: to thank the Lord, remember how God had provided for them, and give to the poor. By tradition, this was the day the Lord gave Moses the Law. Pentecost is also a day of rest for the people. As believers, we remember when the Holy Spirit was given to believers after the resurrection of Jesus.

The holidays in the Bible are ones instituted by God but there are also two other holidays mentioned in Scripture that were instituted and celebrated by God’s people, Purim and Hanukkah.

Purim

When: Adar 14 and 15 (Early Spring)

How: feasting, joy, and sending gifts to one another

Why: remember how God delivered His people in Ancient Persia through Esther, the Jewish Queen

Reference: Esther 1-10

Feast of Dedication – Hanukkah – Feast of Lights

When: Kislev 25 – Tevet 2 (Winter)

How: lighting candles for eight days, adding one candle each day until all eight are lit

Why: to remember the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees, after it was defiled. God performed a miracle; one day of holy oil for the lamp stand lasted eight days, allowing time for more oil to be purified.

Reference: Hanukkah is referenced in John 10:22 and the history is found in the Apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees.

Within these communities, individuals have utilized different forms of activism, including protest, art, and storytelling, to challenge societal norms and fight for their rights. Beating the witch drums can manifest in different ways, depending on the situation and context. It can involve raising awareness through social media campaigns, organizing protests or demonstrations, creating art that challenges the status quo, or using one's voice and platform to speak out against injustice.

What are the Christian Holidays from the Bible?

Like Purim and Hanukkah, as Christians, we have holidays we celebrate to commemorate events related to the life of Jesus–Christmas and Easter.

Christmas – Originally Christ’s Mass

When: December 25 (on the Gregorian Calendar)

How: gather, exchange gifts

Why: remember the birth of Jesus, the coming of the promised Messiah

Reference: Matthew 1 and Luke 2

Easter – Resurrection Day

When: the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the spring equinox (2)

How: gathering and reflecting

Why: to celebrate that Jesus rose from the grave and conquered death

The holidays in the Bible were God’s idea. These special times were set aside times to remember the works He had done in the past. They are also a time to remember His works in our lives and have time to tell them to our children and grandchildren.

Where do I learn more about Holidays in the Bible?

Our 2020-2021 Biblical Calendar and Notes is a great place to start!

The Biblical Feasts and Holiday is a great way to learn the basics of each holiday!

The next time you set down with your calendar, mark these dates! God set these times up for us to use them to worship Him, remember His mighty works, and to grow in our faith.

http://biblehub.com/nas/leviticus/23.htm
https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/determining-easter-date.html

Bible Verses about Pagan Holidays

Deuteronomy 12:29-32

Related Scriptures

Romans 8:7
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
John 8:32
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Exodus 31:13
"Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
Exodus 31:16-17
Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the L ORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.'"
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.
Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
2 Thessalonians 2:10
and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Exodus 20:8
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Leviticus 19:2
"Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
2 Corinthians 11:14
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
1 Peter 1:16
because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
Leviticus 23:2
"Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.
Leviticus 23:4
'These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.
Deuteronomy 12:3-4
And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God with such things.
1 Kings 11:4
For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.
1 Kings 11:6
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David.
1 Kings 11:9-11
So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the LORD had commanded. Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

The Bible Forbids “Christianizing” Pagan Traditions

The holiday called easter is this Sunday. Christians claim that they make it about Jesus, but at its roots, it is a pagan holiday. It is about Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. Without getting too far into all of that, it is basically about sexuality and fertility, that is where the rabbits and eggs come from. They have NOTHING to do with Christianity but they have EVERYTHING to do with paganism and false gods.

What’s really messed up is the Christians who blatantly call the day easter, celebrating with easter egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, and all the traditional easter symbols – symbols of sexuality and fertility. And they thrust their children into the midst of pagan false god worship, normalizing it, normalizing the false god worship, the pagan traditions.

Another group of Christians chooses to celebrate the pagan holiday easter by trying to make it about Jesus. They call it Resurrection Sunday or something similar.

Sorry, that is still not biblical. In fact, the Bible PROHIBITS this practice. The Bible expressly forbids celebrating holidays that are or were held by pagans. In other words, the BIBLE says we can NOT “christianize” the pagan holidays. It is addressed in Deuteronomy 12:29-31.

29 When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31 Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deuteronomy 12:29-31

It is important to understand that this scripture is NOT dealing with the worship of other gods. It is a warning that we, as Christians, are not to adopt CUSTOMS used to worship or honor other gods in order to serve and worship the true God.

Some counter that easter is mentioned in the Bible – and that is true. It is mentioned ONCE in the King James Version of the Bible (Acts 12:3-4). The context? The pagan king, Herod celebrated easter. It was not mistranslated; it was not a mistake. Easter was named and it was named as a pagan tradition. Some versions of the Bible will change that word easter to Passover, but that is not accurate. It was not talking about the Christian holiday of Passover, but the pagan tradition of easter.

The Bible tells us to celebrate Passover, not easter.

Christians who follow the easter tradition, whether they outright call it easter or christianize it by using some other name, are preaching another gospel – another Jesus.

2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
2 Corinthians 11:2-4

See, Jesus did not die on that Friday and did not rise on that Sunday. The timeline is completely off. That lie was created by the Roman Catholic church. It was the Roman Catholic church changed the truth, placing Jesus in the pagan festivals like easter and christmas.

We only have to go to scripture to see that the timeline is off. The Bible tells us that Jesus was in the heart of the Earth for three days and three nights. It is what we call Wednesday through Saturday. The Jews actually number the days (even the days of the week are pagan – Sunday is actually the day set aside for worship of the sun god – THAT is how ingrained paganism is in our society).

Jesus is our PASSOVER. Jesus is NOT easter!

There is so much confusion because people are so rooted in tradition and they never question those traditions. However, we are required, as Christians, to line everything up according to the Bible. We are commanded to worship Jesus in spirit and in truth.

Unfortunately, we are moving farther and farther away from truth.

This Sunday Christians all over the world will be celebrating easter and they will call it good. The Bible says otherwise though.

“Do not worship God like the pagans worship their idols.” Deuteronomy 12:4

Modern Christians may have tried to do away with this law, but the Bible never did. We should not be worshiping Jesus the way the pagans worship their idols. We should not be trying to christianize the pagan traditions.

What is ironic is that the majority of today’s Christians claim that they are not under Rome. However, every time a Roman holiday rolls around, like christmas, easter, valentines day, and new year (among others), they are right there, celebrating like the pagans.

How did we travel so far away from scripture? If we are truly seeking after God and trying to live according to His Word, then we must be all in. We have to be completely sold out to God or we’ll find ourselves sold out to the world. You can’t serve two masters. There is NOTHING about these pagan traditions that is holy or of God, no matter how you wrap it up.

The true origin of Easter and its symbols are deeply rooted in the worship of false gods. There is no Biblical basis to it at all. Those who celebrate the holiday and consider themselves Christians need to take a prayerful look at what they are doing.

This is yet another “way of the heathen” that we are warned in scripture not to learn.

2 Thus saith the Lord , Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Jeremiah 10:2

It doesn’t matter what our intentions are, God’s word makes it clear. You can’t turn a pagan holiday that is rooted in evil into something about God. That’s not me talking, that’s what SCRIPTURE says.

My husband and I do not recognize easter or the nonbiblical attempts to “christianize” the pagan tradition. This year Passover is April 22-30, 2016. We will be celebrating it for that is the TRUE CHRISTIAN HOLY DAY.

Bible Verses About Celebrating Pagan Holidays

Colossians 2:8 - Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 - When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; (Read More. )

Jeremiah 10:1-5 - Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: (Read More. )

Matthew 15:3 - But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

Hebrews 10:26 - For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

Romans 14:1-23 - Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. (Read More. )

Romans 14:5-6 - One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. (Read More. )

Exodus 20:8-11 - Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Read More. )

Romans 12:1-3 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Read More. )

Colossians 2:16 - Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

Matthew 4:4 - But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Malachi 3:6 - For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Galatians 4:8-11 - Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. (Read More. )

Exodus 31:13 - Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (Read More. )

Numbers 28:16-17 - And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD. (Read More. )

Isaiah 66:1-24 - Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (Read More. )

John 8:32 - And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

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Search the King James Version (KJV) for more references about Celebrating Pagan Holidays.

The phrase also implies the importance of collective action and solidarity. When individuals come together and unite their voices, they can create a powerful force capable of effecting change. Just as the beat of a drum can bring people together and create a sense of rhythm and harmony, beating the witch drums represents a call for unity and collective resistance against oppression. In conclusion, "beat the witch drums" is a metaphorical expression symbolizing protest, resistance, and defiance against an oppressive force. This concept highlights the power of collective action and the importance of challenging societal norms and fighting for justice and equality. By beating the witch drums, individuals summon their inner strength and courage to challenge authority and demand change..

Reviews for "The Healing Rhythms of Witch Drums: Restoring Balance and Harmony"

1. John - ★★☆☆☆

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