December is marked by so many emotions. It’s the month that consistently brings out the best and worst of humanity’s traits. We have the charitable, and the thieving; the happy families, and those filled with sorrow; the glowing and the “bah humbug”; the pacifists and the warring. And then we have the people who argue over what system of belief should have the right over the Holidays.
It’s no secret that I identify as a Christian Jedi. But it may not be quite well known that I use to be pagan, or that I love getting to know various cultures. The largest exposure I had to the bickering over the theft of the Holiday Season was as a teenager. My mother stood firmly against Easter because of it’s pagan ties and instead opted to commemorate Christ’s Sacrifice during the Jewish Passover. But she didn’t agree with getting rid of Christmas. A family in my school that was from a break-off of my mother’s Church (Shepherd’s Chapel), on the other hand, rejected both Easter and Christmas for their pagan connections. Then I learned about Kwanza and Hanukkah. And then there was the merchants capitalizing on the gift-giving season.
What I find sad in all the arguments about these things, is the message that these holidays are trying to give us Is completely lost.
While I was in Okinawa, I attended a Winter Solstice ceremony that my friend’s wife (Lisa) had come up with. In this little apartment, there were 7 of us huddled into a dark hallway in the best circle we could muster around Lisa. After calling the quarters, Lisa delivered this short speech about the representation of the solstice, and slowly lifted a light on a pulley system to remind us that the sunlight would be returning to the world and that represented the hope for the future.
This short ceremony really tied all these different holidays together for me. In the culture that my western ancestors hail from, December is marked by winter. Crops were difficult to cultivate, so one had to rely on storage and hunting. But with the light waning, hunting times were reduced. At a time like that, man had to rely on their ingenuity and the favor of the gods (or God) to get through winter. And with every passing year, the winter solstice served as proof that “this too shall pass”.
And so, a celebration of the solstice became a tool of commemorating man’s most treasured qualities- faithfulness in hope. This concept doesn’t just exist in the Northern Hemisphere where we recognize celebrations like “Yule” or “Saturnalia”, but in the Southern Hemisphere the winter solstice (celebrated in June) has inspired a similar set of traditions. In Aztec culture it was known as Into Raymi, in Chile Wiñoy Tripantu, and Willkakuti in Bolivia. Of course, these southern counterparts celebrate the Winter Solstice on the opposite side of the year in June.
Everything that we do during the Holiday Season is laced with the idea of bringing joy into life. Christmas lights and a decorated evergreen tree inspire the joy of color associated with spring and summer. Presents under the tree the love we share for one another. Being together as family reminds us that we have people to live for. It's almost like, our ancestors were trying to pass down some kind of wisdom through the ages. It's even possible, if you believe in true magic, that creation wanted us to never forget the value of our Humanity.
So next time you hear the argument that the holiday season should only belong to one group of people, just remember: No one has exclusive rights to Hope. This season is for everyone, we just choose the things which best represent our understanding of Hope.
Happy Holidays, Jedi. May your light never wane.