I was listening to a friend lament.
"When I worked at Home Depot, they
forced us to say 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas,' she told me.
"I was mad because after all, it was
really Christmas."
Or
was it? What is this "war on Christmas" we are hearing so much about?
Perhaps
what my friend fails to see is that the Christians are sharing these December
dates with many other celebrations of many other religions. Here in America,
being the "hodgepodge" of cultures, we host many of these religious
traditions within an abundance of temples and churches. The person with whom
she wished to share her Christian sentiments might have desired to receive a
"Happy Hanukkah," or a "Festive Kwanzah" greeting instead.
I suppose her employer felt that since this was the case, a "Happy
Holidays" would suffice. After all, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are
all really just holidays that came from religious events that required time set
aside to worship and celebrate with family present. One of the best aspects we
have here in our country is the right to come here from somewhere else and be
able to bring your religion with you and worship freely. We take pride in this
freedom and these family celebrations.
The
Jewish celebration referred to as "Hanukkah" is observed for eight
days and eight nights and can occur (according to the Georgian calendar) any
time from late November until late December. It can also be referred to as the
"Festival of Lights", which just happens to be the same nickname used
for "Diwali," or the Hindu
celebration in November. Of course, the actual Hindu celebration that falls on
December 21- 25 is "Pancha Ganapati" where flashing lights, tinsel and
colorful hanging ornaments are added to a statue or picture of the deity
Ganesha. Children are given gifts which can only be open on the fifth day. I'll
bet those little Indians jump up and down on their parents as soon as the sun
comes up to get them moving so the present-opening can begin. Sound
familiar? Islamic worshipers celebrate
the birth of Mohammad in a similar way Christians celebrate the birth of
Christ. There are so many December religious celebrations going on, it's
mind-boggling.
Actually,
the Christian celebration of "Christmas Day" looks very much like an
ancient event called "Saturnalia" which began in ancient Rome and ran
roughly from December 17 for five days. During Saturnalia, a huge banquet was
held, businesses, courts and schools were closed and gifts were exchanged. Does
this also sound familiar?
This
begs an answer to the question many scholars and others often ask. Why must
religion divide us so? If everyone who practices a particular brand of religion
could only see the fierce line drawn around them that separates them from
others, perhaps they might not be so fast to insist on a precisely religious
greeting as opposed to a more generalized salutation. Before religion defines
us, we are all human, one and the same, after all. What would happen if the
imaginary lines disappeared?
Being
an Atheist leaves me with an advantage, I believe. I am able to clearly see,
study and understand many religions without appearing to be a traitor to my
faith. Since I do not believe in the existence of a Deity, I study religion
from a purely historical viewpoint and can look closely at the people and
traditions without the emotional undertones such as the anger displayed by my
friend . I find the history fascinating and see many similarities among
cultural traditions. Many religions contain a similar main deity, journey and
sentiments as others and in order to notice these similarities you have to step
over the imaginary line and see things through the eyes of another.
I
would be happy to see folks reveling in the similarities and accepting those
who worship alternative Gods as say, distant cousins. These folks seem to have
the same goals in desiring to be lifted up from where they are to a higher
position filled with love and light. To me, that seems a worthy endeavor no
matter what guidelines you choose to follow.
I
am not sure if my friend felt as though the phrase "Happy Holidays"
made her joy feel too secular or she just felt shorted by not being able to express
her own religious excitement. I was saddened that mere words could cause the
feeling of religious censorship. If I were faced with this anger, I would not
hesitate to create my own December greeting and it would go something like
this:
Rejoice,
human! If you are receiving this message you are alive! Perhaps you have others
who are well and alive around you as well. May you be full of peace and the
ability to know the joy of giving. We have made it another year and I am thankful you are all here walking among us.
It's
a bit longer than the traditional December greetings but I'll work on it.