Buzz
January 1st marks the start of a fresh year and the promise of a better you. You vow to hit the gym at dawn daily, cut back on your coffee expenses, and stay in touch with your mom more frequently … but how long will this last?
A 2020 survey revealed that 55 percent of American adults kept their New Year’s resolutions for less than a year, and 11 percent abandoned them within a month. This means those ambitious plans are likely to fade. Apologies, mom.
However, research shows that setting a goal as a New Year’s resolution increases the chances of success compared to leaving it as a vague thought. Here, we explore one myth for each of nine globally celebrated holidays, from the tragic fate of Valentine’s Day lovers to the misunderstood origins of Halloween, inspired by an episode of Misconceptions on YouTube.
1. Myth: New Year’s resolutions are destined to fail.
The fresh start effect [PDF] highlights how temporal landmarks—such as holidays, birthdays, or the start of a new week—can shift self-perception. These moments create a mental divide between the “past” self (e.g., the person you were on December 31st) and the “future” self (the person you aim to become after January 1st). While you remain the same person, this mental reframing helps you adopt new habits. The “before” you might indulge in ice cream for breakfast, but the “after” you could opt for a healthier choice like whole-grain cereal.
To boost the success of your New Year’s resolutions, focus on action-based goals. Research indicates that goals centered on adding positive habits or altering your approach are more effective than those focused on eliminating behaviors. For instance, committing to call your mom twice a week is more achievable than vowing to never buy your favorite latte again.
2. Myth: Valentine’s Day is the peak day for breakups.
Roses are red, violets are blue, and while some relationships end around Valentine’s Day, it’s not as common as you might think. (Not poetic, just factual.) Roughly one in 14 adults admits to breaking up with a partner on Valentine’s Day, which, at 7 percent, is notable but far from the most frequent breakup day.
While February can be challenging for relationships, it’s not necessarily the toughest month. Some claim the Tuesday before Valentine’s Day, dubbed Red Tuesday, is the most common breakup day. However, this claim stems from a survey on a British adultery site, with methodology details only available in a press release.
Data journalist David McCandless highlights a trend showing that breakup times peak twice a year—around Easter and two weeks before Christmas—with a smaller spike every Monday and a lull during summer. This data, however, was based on Facebook status updates from when the platform was primarily used by college students. It’s unclear if these trends reflect actual breakups or just posts about breakups among young adults. While concrete studies are scarce, there’s little evidence to suggest Valentine’s Day is uniquely significant for breakups.
3. Myth: Fasting during Ramadan is mandatory for everyone.
The holy month of Ramadan is often associated with strict fasting, where Muslims abstain from food and drink entirely. However, this isn’t entirely accurate. Observers of Ramadan are permitted suhoor, a pre-dawn meal, and iftar, a meal after sundown. Additionally, snacks and hydration are allowed during the night before the fast resumes at sunrise.
Beyond suhoor and iftar, fasting isn’t obligatory for everyone. Only healthy adults are required to fast, while other groups are exempt. This includes pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals with medical conditions, and children who haven’t reached maturity. These individuals may eat during the day, though some may need to compensate by fasting later or donating food or money to those in need.
However, Ramadan isn’t solely about abstaining from food and drink—it also involves avoiding immoral actions such as lying and gossiping. For some groups, this spiritual aspect of fasting takes precedence. Many Ismailis believe fasting should primarily focus on eliminating negative thoughts, while the physical act of fasting is considered more optional. Additionally, according to the BBC, the Baye Fall sect, mainly based in Senegal, doesn’t fast at all. Instead, they spend Ramadan preparing and distributing meals to those who are fasting.
4. Myth: Easter eggs are unrelated to the Easter narrative.
Easter is celebrated by Christians as the commemoration of Jesus’s crucifixion. So, how do brightly colored eggs in decorative baskets connect to such a solemn event?
One legend suggests that Mary Magdalene, a close follower of Jesus, carried a basket of eggs to share with mourners at his tomb after his crucifixion. Upon discovering the tomb empty and witnessing his resurrection, the eggs miraculously turned red. Another legend tells of Mary, the mother of Jesus, bringing eggs to the crucifixion site to plead with soldiers for mercy. As the story goes, Jesus’s blood fell onto the eggs, turning them red.
While egg-dyeing may have been influenced by ancient pagan traditions of gifting colored eggs, it’s not entirely accurate to claim the practice has no connection to the Christian Easter story.
5. Myth: Juneteenth marks the day all enslaved individuals in the U.S. were freed.
Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans, but the story isn’t so straightforward. Here’s the brief version: During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. As Union control expanded, enslaved people were freed across the Confederacy, leaving Texas as the last holdout. On June 19, 1865, U.S. Army Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order Number 3, which declared, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
However, this only applied to Texas. Tens of thousands of people remained legally enslaved even after Juneteenth.
The Emancipation Proclamation, written in somewhat simplified, archaic language, stated that enslaved people in states still rebelling on January 1, 1863, were free. However, not all slave states had seceded. Among the four Union slave states—Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, and Maryland—Missouri and Maryland had abolished slavery independently by Juneteenth. Yet, Delaware still had hundreds of enslaved individuals, and Kentucky had approximately 65,000 enslaved people unaffected by the Emancipation Proclamation or Juneteenth. These individuals weren’t freed until the 13th Amendment was ratified in December 1865. As historian Gregory Downs explained to UC Davis, “June 19, 1865, was a significant day in the end of slavery, but it was part of a broader timeline of pivotal moments, some occurring months later.” This isn’t to downplay the importance of Juneteenth, but focusing solely on one date oversimplifies the complex history of emancipation.
6. Myth: Halloween has Satanic origins.
Despite its association with ghosts, ghouls, and goblins, Halloween’s origins are neither frightening nor malevolent. While some Christians avoid celebrating Halloween due to its perceived connection with “demonic” spirits, the holiday originally had no ties to devils, demons, or hell. Though interpretations vary, Halloween is widely believed to stem from the Celtic festival Samhain, one of four annual festivals observed by ancient Celts. Stories of uncertain age suggest they believed spirits returned to Earth on October 31st and wore costumes to repel evil entities.
So, why do some associate Halloween with Satanic roots? Likely due to 18th-century surveyor Charles Vallancey, who, during his time in Ireland, recorded more fiction than fact (an 1818 review claimed he “wrote more nonsense than any man of his time”). Vallancey argued that Samhain didn’t mean “summer’s end,” as mainstream etymologists suggested, but was instead another name for a Celtic death god, Balsab—a figure Halloween expert Lisa Morton notes appears nowhere else outside Vallancey’s writings. However, sensationalized history often overshadows factual accounts, leading to the widespread belief in a demonic Halloween.
7. Myth: The Pilgrims hosted the first Thanksgiving.
While many imagine the first Thanksgiving as a harmonious harvest feast shared by Pilgrims and Native Americans, this misconstrued narrative overlooks much of the holiday’s complex history.
There’s no proof the Wampanoag people were invited to the feast. According to Kate Sheehan, Plimoth Plantation's associate director of marketing, “The English-written record does not mention an invitation, and Wampanoag oral tradition does not seem to reach back to this event.” However, Ousamequin, the Wampanoag leader, arrived with 90 men, possibly drawn by the sound of gunshots from the Pilgrims’ celebration. Stephen Winick of the Library of Congress notes that while their initial invitation is unclear, their three-day stay suggests they were at least welcomed once they appeared.
Although it’s recorded that the Wampanoag people entered into a fragile alliance with the Pilgrims, this was primarily motivated by self-preservation. The alliance, however, didn’t endure. Over time, the Pilgrims inflicted violence on the Native population, confiscated their land, spread diseases, and even displayed the head of Ousamequin’s son, Metacom (also known as King Philip), in their town for over two decades following King Philip’s War.
Furthermore, the first “Thanksgiving” might not have involved the Pilgrims at all. Some Texans argue that a Thanksgiving-like event occurred in 1598, more than 20 years before the Pilgrims’ harvest festival. They claim that Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate and his crew shared a meal with the Native Manso people near present-day El Paso. Others point to a similar event in Florida in 1565 as the true first Thanksgiving.
While the exact origins of the first Thanksgiving remain uncertain, the idealized narrative of peaceful cross-cultural harmony often associated with early Thanksgivings doesn’t tell the full story.
8. Myth: Hanukkah is one of the most significant Jewish holidays.
Often misunderstood as “Jewish Christmas” due to its timing near the end of the year, Hanukkah is mistakenly regarded by many non-Jews as a major Jewish holiday. In reality, Hanukkah is not the Jewish equivalent of Christmas and is considered a relatively minor celebration in the Jewish tradition.
Unlike holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Passover, which are mandated in the Hebrew Bible as days of rest, Hanukkah isn’t mentioned in the Hebrew Bible at all. Moreover, while major Jewish holidays require a day of rest, Jewish individuals continue to work and attend school throughout Hanukkah’s eight-day observance.
That said, some Jewish people view Hanukkah as a highly significant holiday. After the Passover seder, Hanukkah is one of the most widely recognized and celebrated Jewish holidays today. Although the original Hebrew Bible includes no rituals for it, people have developed cherished Hanukkah traditions over time that they enthusiastically observe each year.
9. Myth: Jesus was born on December 25th.
While Christmas is celebrated in diverse ways, most Christians regard it as the anniversary of Jesus Christ’s birth. The familiar nativity story—Mary and Joseph arriving at a fully booked inn on a cold December night and resorting to a barn where Mary gives birth to Jesus—is captivating. However, it’s not entirely rooted in biblical scripture.
This well-known tale largely fills in gaps left by the Bible. The scripture doesn’t really mention celebrations of Jesus’s birth or specify the time of year he was born. In fact, some early Christians avoided celebrating birthdays altogether, viewing them as a pagan custom.
Around 200 CE in Egypt, Clement of Alexandria mentioned possible dates for Jesus’s birth, stating, “Some have calculated not only the year of our Lord’s birth but also the day. They claim it occurred in the 25th year of Augustus, on the 25th day of Pachon [May 20] … Others suggest he was born on the 24th or 25th day of Pharmouthi [April 19 or 20].” According to Clement, Jesus might have been a Taurus rather than a Capricorn.
How did December 25th become Christmas Day? Several theories exist. Over a century after Clement’s calculations, a Roman almanac marked December 25th with “natus Christus in Betleem Judeae,” meaning “Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea.” Another theory suggests Jesus’s conception occurred on March 25th, believed to be the day God created the world. Since December 25th is exactly nine months later, it seemed appropriate. Some also argue that the church chose December 25th to coincide with pagan festivals, aiming to redirect celebrations toward Christ. However, this theory is largely dismissed by modern English-language scholars.
While the exact reason for celebrating Christmas on December 25th remains unclear, it’s unlikely Jesus was born in a manger. Scholars believe Mary and Joseph likely stayed with relatives rather than seeking shelter in an inn and giving birth in a stable.
