Holy Days vs. Holidays: Unmasking the Deception

Most of the world calls them “holidays.” God calls them “holy days.” That one letter makes all the difference. Holidays are man-made traditions rooted in culture, commerce, and often pagan worship. Holy Days are God’s appointed times — His Sabbath, His feasts, His calendar, His rhythm for His people. The question is: whose days are we keeping?

The Sabbath: God’s First Holy Day

Before there were Jews, before Moses, before Leviticus — there was Sabbath. On the seventh day of creation, God rested, blessed it, and made it holy (Genesis 2:2–3). Later He commanded His people: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8–11). It was written in stone, alongside “Do not murder” and “Do not steal.”

Leviticus 23 begins with the Sabbath before listing the annual feasts. Every seventh day is a Sabbath rest, a holy convocation. It is the weekly feast day and the foundation of God’s calendar. Even Jesus kept the Sabbath and declared it was made for man’s blessing, not man’s burden (Mark 2:27–28).

The Sabbath is not “a Jewish custom.” It is a creation command and a covenant blessing. It remains the first holy day.

God’s Appointed Holy Days

In Leviticus 23, God lays out His feasts — His appointed times. These are not “Jewish holidays”; Scripture calls them “the feasts of the Lord.”

• Passover & Unleavened Bread — remembering deliverance and walking in purity.
• Firstfruits — Christ as the risen first of the harvest.
• Shavuot/Pentecost — the giving of the Spirit and the Word.
• Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles — pointing forward to Christ’s return, judgment, and dwelling with His people.

These feasts are God’s calendar, not man’s. They are holy because He set them apart.

Man’s Holidays

In contrast, the world has given us holidays. They may be fun, cultural, or sentimental, but they are not holy.

• Christmas — Rooted in Saturnalia and Yule, decorated with evergreen idols condemned in Jeremiah 10, tied to a false birthday celebration for Christ.
• Easter — Fertility rites of Ishtar/Eastre, eggs and rabbits as symbols of pagan worship, sunrise observances tied to the spring equinox.
• Halloween/Harvest — Samhain rituals offering food to the dead, now wrapped in candy and costumes.
• Birthdays — Cakes and candles offered in pagan tradition, the honoree exalted like the idol of the day.

These are not commanded by God. They are man-made substitutions — distractions from His appointed times.

Why It Matters

God’s Word never tells us to sanctify Christmas, Easter, or birthdays. But He does warn repeatedly against mixing His worship with pagan practices.

• Deuteronomy 12:30–31: “Do not inquire about their gods… You shall not worship the Lord your God that way.”
• 2 Corinthians 6:17: “Come out from among them and be separate.”
• Revelation 18:4: “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins.”

The great deception is calling holidays “holy days,” training generations to believe God accepts them when He never commanded them.

A Call to the Faithful

For many Christians, keeping God’s Holy Days instead of man’s holidays is brand new territory. It can feel confusing at first — What do I do on Sabbath? How do I prepare for Passover? What does Tabernacles look like today?

If you already celebrate the Lord’s appointed times, consider sharing your journey. Your experience could help brothers and sisters who are just beginning to walk this path. Offer tips, traditions rooted in Scripture, and encouragement for those learning to trade the world’s calendar for God’s.

Together, we can restore the rhythm of worship God intended: His Sabbath, His feasts, His holy days.

Conclusion

The enemy doesn’t need to erase God’s feasts; he just needs to replace them. That’s what holidays do — they substitute God’s holy calendar with man’s. The question is simple: will we sit at the table of man’s holidays, or return to the Lord’s Holy Days?

One letter changes everything. Holidays belong to man. Holy Days belong to God. Choose wisely.

Notice even the spelling: holYdays keep the focus on Yahweh. HolIdays shift the focus to “I.” That’s the heart of the deception.