by  mksummerbell

Happy New Year! Here we are at the beginning of another annual cycle and at the end of the “holidays,” the cluster of Fall/Winter gatherings that happen from Thanksgiving to January 6^th. One source said there are at least 17, but didn’t list them, so that’s food for further research. I can easily name eleven: Diwali, Thanksgiving, St. Nicholas, Hanukkah, St. Lucia, Las Posadas, Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Years, and Three Kings Day. This clearly shows the frequency and diversity of days that are honored as out of the ordinary this time of year for many people.

But what does it all mean? How did this all begin? Who started these holidays? Where? When? And, most relevantly – Why? Why did people create these special days and why do we still participate in them? In these modern times of science and technology and extremely busy lives, why do these holiday traditions and rituals, some of them ages old, continue to be important to us?

Are they still important to us? Are they still meaningful? Or are we just going through the motions, not knowing, perhaps not even curious, about the history and significance of them? These are just some of the questions I want to ask about holidays, in light of Aquarian principles……

In a series of upcoming articles, I’m going to take a long, deep look at holidays and how we express them, with the emphasis on how we might choose to change them in the New Age. Are these events still fulfilling their purpose for us? If so, can we expand them to make them even more joyful? If not, what else can we do? Together, let’s imagine what we can do differently to create holiday traditions that are healthier, happier, and more meaningful to us. Or stop doing what we’ve been doing and look for something more beneficial to do instead. If we are not enjoying existing holidays as much as we’d like to, if they are less than satisfying, even empty, or cause negative responses in us, then moving forward, consciously, let’s find ways to improve or replace them.

Thinking of changing holiday traditions brings to mind a familiar anecdote that’s a great example of what I’m talking about.  A family gathers for Easter dinner. Their traditional ham, as usual, is cut in half before baking. Someone, likely a curious child, sees this and thinks to ask, “Why?” As the relatives discuss it, someone faintly remembers that a great grandma used to do it. Why? To fit the ham into her pan. This story is a humorous way of reminding us that if we don’t examine our motives from time to time, we can easily get caught up in thoughtless repetition of ongoing patterns of behavior.

My purpose in exploring holiday traditions and rituals is to develop more well-balanced expressions of seasonal gatherings and events in order to have healthier relationships with the holidays we choose to celebrate. My intention is to look at specific holidays, as they come, research their origins, and question their essence to determine their value in our lives now.

I will suggest options and possibilities – and encourage your ideas for new ways to celebrate life’s special days. By being more mindful of holidays, they can become more meaningful to us and others. If we know why we’re doing what we do, then we can realize our choices – to keep cutting the ham in half, not cut the ham – or “Quiche anyone?”