I am a Quaker, and we are not big on ceremony. We don't celebrate any holidays with extravagance, because we believe that every day should be a sacred day, and every season a season of love and goodwill.
That said, I personally celebrate many many festivals, from many organized religions, including Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Paganism, Shintoism, and Zoroastrianism.
I usually adopt festivals that have roots in nature traditions that pre-date religion, such as a day sacred to the sun, or a custom tied to the harvest. These universal themes satisfy a desire I have to mark each day as a day of wonder.
When I adopt a festival from a culture very foreign to my own, I do not try to duplicate the experience of the people of that land; rather, I take the parts that are meaningful to me, and set aside the rest. I respectfully acknowledge that I don't understand the reason for all the details and all the ceremony... but this one part speaks to me.
I often use the image of a foreign God or Goddess in my own celebrations, but for me they are all aspects of the one Spirit that is in each person and surrounds all of us.
As I study different religions and cultures, practise the traditions, eat the foods, and make the folk arts, I gain an emotional understanding of all people: We live under the same sun, with the same needs for love, mystery, and growth towards wisdom.
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