On 21 Nov 2006 13:33:36 -0800, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:


JohnH wrote:

What holiday are you celebrating with all these lights?

Same as most of the rest of the northern hemishpere; winter solstice.
It's a holiday that celebrates light, both literally and spiritually.
Most religious traditions put a particular interpetation or "spin" on
the season. Since there were no such things as electric lights back
when any of the major religions were founded, it would be silly to call
them "Christmas lights" or by any other name with a religious
affiliation.

The primary solstice celebrations in the Western world are Christmas
and Chanukah, so Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Sensational
Saturnalia, Bonkers Brumalia,
Cool Yule, Blessed Sankrati, or whatever winds your clock. Might as
well celebrate all of them, no point to miss out on a good party.

One solstice holiday we don't hear much of anymore is Dies Natalis
Solis Invicti. (Latin for
"Birthday of the Unconquered Sun"). During the ascendency of the Roman
Empire, one of the most popular gods was actually a Persian diety
borrowed from Zoroastrianism. The god Mithras was sent by the chief god
Ahura-Mazda to save the world after it had been corrupted by sinful
men. Mithras was believed to have been born of a virgin on December 25,
and some scholars make an incendiary claim that this legend was the
basis for the somewhat more recent Christmas story that appears in two
of the four official Christian gospels. Some of those scholars and
others believe that Christmas was assigned to December 25 specifically
to usurp the day from Mithras during that period of time when Rome was
interested in making Christianity the official religion of the Empire.

The two events I will be participating in are the Seafair Holiday
Cruise (aka "The Special Peoples' Cruise) and a lighted boat parade
sponored by a local yacht club.

Of all the things to participate in each year, few are more rewarding
than the Special Peoples' Cruise. We take developmentally disadvantaged
kids and adults out for a boatride.
Hundreds of boats participate, and we have a long parade that stretches
clear across Lake Washington and back to Lake Union. It's quite a
sight. For most of our guests, this event is one of the more exciting
things that they get to participate in all year; and they are very
grateful. To me, this cruise precisely encapsulates the true meaning of
the solstice holiday season- whether any individual's particular
religion honors Jesus, Yahweh, Mithras, The Goddess, Thor, Zeus,
Apollo, or whomever. Or whether a person chooses no religious
affilitation at all.

So I'm celebrating winter solstice. The reintroduction of
spiritual-light and the return of the sun. (at least if you live in the
northern hemisphere). If you want to ask, "Does that include
Christmas?" Absolutely! Solstice wouldn't be the same without it. And
like most Americans, my solstice celebration will include a mixture of
secular as well as spiritually significant symbols and events. Somehow,
I don't think the kids aboard the boat or the spectators along the
shoreline are going to care very much whether my particular
perspectives on the season coincides with any or many of their own. :-)

Yes, the Special Peoples Cruise looked to be a good time for all, at least
that was the impression I got from looking at the pics from last year.

I wonder if Santa Claus will show up again?

http://tinyurl.com/y6y45n

If you haven't seen the pics, they're pretty good.