Talmud for Avodah Zarah 1:3

וְאֵלּוּ אֵידֵיהֶן שֶׁל גּוֹיִם, קָלֶנְדָּא, וּסְטַרְנוּרָא, וּקְרָטֵסִים, וְיוֹם גְּנֻסְיָא שֶׁל מְלָכִים, וְיוֹם הַלֵּידָה, וְיוֹם הַמִּיתָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, כָּל מִיתָה שֶׁיֶּשׁ בָּהּ שְׂרֵפָה, יֶשׁ בָּהּ עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. וְשֶׁאֵין בָּהּ שְׂרֵפָה, אֵין בָּה עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. יוֹם תִּגְלַחַת זְקָנוֹ וּבְלוֹרִיתוֹ, יוֹם שֶׁעָלָה בוֹ מִן הַיָּם, וְיוֹם שֶׁיָּצָא בוֹ מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִים, וְגוֹי שֶׁעָשָׂה מִשְׁתֶּה לִבְנוֹ, אֵינוֹ אָסוּר אֶלָּא אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם וְאוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ בִּלְבָד:

And these are the festivals of the nations: the calends (the Roman New Year) [eight days after the Teveth (winter) solstice]; the Saturnalia [eight days before the solstice. When Adam saw the days growing shorter, he thought: "Woe unto me! Can it be because I have sinned that the world is returning to (primordial) emptiness and void!" — whereupon he sat eight days in fasting and in prayer. When, with the advent of the Teveth solstice, he saw the days growing progressively longer, he said: "It was (only) the natural course of things" — whereupon he celebrated an eight-day festival. The following year he established both (eight day periods as festivals). He dedicated them to Heaven; they (the heathens), to idolatry]; the Kratisis [the day of the king's investiture, which they established as a festival]; the Genusia [coronation day] of kings; the [king's] birthday; and the day of his death. These are the words of R. Meir. And the sages say: Every death where there is burning [i.e., where they burn his personal effects with him, as they do with kings], there is a festival [i.e., they establish a festival for idolatry on that day; and so, from year to year, all the days of his son. And all of the aforementioned days are of special significance to them and are forbidden (in the aforementioned activities) three days before]; and where there is no burning there is no festival day. But the day of the shaving of his beard, [which is not fixed for all, but which each one makes a festival day], and (the day of the cutting of) his locks [which he leaves behind him the whole year and which he cuts only from year to year, making a festival on that day], and the day that he comes up from the sea, [which he makes a festival day for having been saved], and the day that he is released from prison, and the day on which a gentile makes a feast for his son [-- On all of these occasions, the aforementioned activities] are forbidden, only on that day [ and not before ], and only for that man (celebrating his holiday) [because they are of relatively lesser significance.]

Explore talmud for Avodah Zarah 1:3. In-depth commentary and analysis from classical Jewish sources.