Celebrate

What is Celebrate?

Celebrate is to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) or honor (a person) with ceremonies or festivities.

Some synonyms for celebrate are perform, proclaim, observe, praise, honor, revere, revel, and, rejoice.

Thoughts

Celebrate is a word commonly used to acknowledge or remember an event, a person, or a holiday. Etymologically speaking, early definitions of celebrate included “commemorate or honor with demonstrations of joy,” “to perform publicly with appropriate rites,” “much-frequented,” “kept solemn,” “well-attended,” “repeated often”, “to publish; sing praises of; practice often,” and “to frequent in great numbers. Celebrate covers many classifications of ceremonial gatherings.

Let’s take a look at a few of these early meanings of what it might have meant to celebrate. To perform publicly and much-frequented, this might apply to religious rituals such as weekly attendance with a congregation and regularly scheduled holiday ceremonies. Additionally, there is a time and a place to observe and honor for a solemn reason. Even bad times are to be remembered and revered. Or, some occasions may simply require a more formal or sober ceremony. “Well-attended” and “famous” are two other characterizations of celebrate. Well-attended often enough could classify a group or an individual as famous, as a celebrity. A common theme and another synonym of celebrate is ‘to recognize.’ Maybe it’s the repeated recognition, observance with honor, and praise performed publicly that not only defines but creates the cause for celebration.

Whether on a grand scale, religiously, nationally, globally, or even individually, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate. You probably heard many positive phrases or uses, or even excuses to celebrate. Celebrate life. Celebrate diversity. Celebrate good times. Celebrate the season. Celebrate mistakes. Celebrate your birthday. Celebrate your anniversary. This good news means that we should celebrate. There are also calendars highlighting National Days or Weeks or Months for more reasons to celebrate. On the day of this post, April 22, we celebrate Earth Day and Take your Daughters and Sons to Work Day!

Tomorrow is National Take a Chance Day. Take a chance on yourself. Celebrate yourself! Or, celebrate your friends or family. Contemplate on today’s word and think about ways you can celebrate. Create your own concept of what celebrate means to you. Observe, honor, and praise yourself or loved ones. Publish your expression in a text message or on social media. This may or may not be on a public scale or with a large audience, as in the early notions of the term. But it should be much-frequented. Make it a well-attended ritual that you repeat often. Celebrate people important to you with joy.

Celebrate Happiness & Joy

Quotes

“Every day is a good day. There is something to learn, care and celebrate.”
~Amit Ray

“We should celebrate every year that we made it through and every year that we’re happier and healthier.”
~Ellen DeGeneres

“Celebrate the journey. It’s not all about the destination. Savor all of your successes, even the small ones.”
~Dawn Gluskin

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!
~Maya Angelou