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Secular holiday : The world's most widely celebrated holiday, New Years was set on January 1 by Julius Caesar because that was the date the Roman consuls took over their duties. Paid holiday when falling on Saturday or Sunday

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Secular holiday : work on weekends and non-working holidays is not overtime work.

Orthodox : The difference in Christmas celebrations stretches back to 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII ruled the Catholic Church should follow a new calendar – called the Gregorian calendar, more in sync with the sun than the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar was established by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. Because it was the pope who ruled on it, many churches not in sync with the Vatican ignored it, Protestants and Eastern Orthodox among them. Protestants accepted the new calendar in the early 1700s. In 1922, the patriarch of Constantinople decided to follow the new Gregorian calendar in observance of Christmas, but not for Easter. His lead was followed by many other Orthodox churches. The only Orthodox churches that observe the Jan. 7 date are the Russian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian churches, the Serbs and the Mt. Athos monks in Greece, work on weekends and non-working holidays is not overtime work.

cards/flowers : The Roman Era year of 2755 begins on January 14, 2003. During the 20th and 21st centuries, this is the New Year's Day (January 1st) for the Julian calendar. Some Eastern Orthodox churches still celebrate New Year's on this day May only be observed by the local Orthodox community.

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Secular holiday : Chicago, Saturday May 1st, 1886: 350,000 workers go on strike to call for an 8-hour working day. Industries are paralyzed nationwide. On Monday, as demonstrations go on, the police open fire. On Tuesday, Chicago is again on strike. Following a bomb launched against them, the police shoot again. 12 dead, of which 7 policemen. 8 anarchists will be condemned and executed. In 1889, the Socialist International Movement met in Paris and declared this day international workers' day . The Soviets will follow suit, just as the Nazis. In France, under the Vichy regime (1940-1944), the celebration is renamed Labour Day .

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Orthodox : The bright red colored egg is the symbol of Easter(or Pascha).The eggs are colored on Holy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy.The Easter breads are a worldwide Orthodox tradition as well.This bread is taken to church on Saturday evening when a special sequence of services takes place:Midnight Office,Rush Procession,Matins & Divine Liturgy.After the service,the clergy blesses the breads and eggs brought by the people and they take them home.The eggs are cracked after the midnight service and during the next days.One egg takes place before the Easter lunch.Each person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck.The traditional Orthodox Paschal greeting is: Christ is Risen! .The answer is: Indeed He is Risen . May only be observed by the local Orthodox community.

Secular holiday : Marks the capitulation of Nazi forces to the Allies (the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and other principal Allied nations) in Berlin on May 8, 1945. It is celebrated in the successor states to the Soviet Union on May 9, because when the German Instrument of Surrender was signed (in the midnight), it was already May 9 in the USSR and Eastern Europe.

Orthodox : The day now honors all saints of the church, even those not known by name. The first All Saints Day occurred on May 13, 609 (C.E.) when Pope Boniface IV accepted the Pantheon as a gift from the Emperor Phocas. Boniface dedicated it as the Church of Santa Maria Rotonda in honor of the Blessed Virgin and all martyrs. During Pope Gregory III's reign (731-741), the festival was expanded to include all saints and a chapel in St. Peter's church was dedicated accordingly. Pope Gregory IV officially designated the day in 837.

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