I just had an argument about my announcing our Unitarian party as a Christmas Party instead of a Holiday Party. The reason is “people might be offended.” Why is this? Because of Christian imperialism, the Inquisition, and atrocities committed in the name of Jesus? I get that but I flat refuse to use the euphemism “Holiday Celebration” when it is a Christmas Party.
Maybe the reason is that other religions have celebrations in December. OK. Here is the list:
(Just scroll through quickly before you get bored.)
Major Religious Holidays for December
December 7 to December 15 – Hanukkah: An 8-day celebration in the Jewish faith that honors the victory of Jews over Syrian Greeks.
December 8 – Feast of the Immaculate Conception: The day that Roman Catholics celebrate Mary’s conception without original sin.
December 21 to January 1 – Yule: A Pagan and Wiccan holiday that celebrates the winter solstice.
December 22 – Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday: Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth Sikh Guru and spiritual master. This date commemorates the day he was born.
December 25 – Christmas: An important Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; THE MOST OFFENSIVE DESIGNATION BECAUSE CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN TOO DOMINANT WORLD WIDE.
December 26 – St. Stephen’s Feast Day: The day commemorating St. Stephen’s life and service as he became the first Christian to die for the faith.
OK. If we feel sorry for everyone having a celebration in December then the Pagans do not get to name December 21 to January 1 Yule; the Jewish faith has to abandon the word Hanukkah; and Guru Gobind Sign’s Birthday cannot be specified because it might offend the Pagans, the Christians, the Muslims or the Hindus.
And if we are going to make December holidays generic, let’s not leave out September.
Major Religious Holidays for September
September 6 – Arbaeen: The day marking the end of the 40-day mourning period after the Day of Ashura for Shia Muslims.
September 11 – Coptic New Year: A feast day (also called Nayrouz) that commemorates martyrs and confessors in Coptic Orthodox Christianity.
September 15 to September 17 – Rosh Hashanah: The two-day Jewish New Year that highlights rest and reflection, and is one of the most important Jewish holy days.
September 21 to September 29 – Mabon: Pagan and Wiccan religions use this day to mark the autumnal equinox.
September 24 to September 25 – Yom Kippur: This is one of the most important Jewish high holy days in the Jewish faith. The central themes of Yom Kippur are atonement and repentance.
September 27 – Mawlid: The celebration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad in the Islamic faith.
September 29 to October 6 – Sukkot: A 7-day holiday commemorating when Jews journeyed to the desert on the way to the promised land.
September 29 to October 14 – Pitru Paksha: A period when members of the Hindu faith pay homage to their ancestors.
September needs to be declared a generic celebration month because we are all about equality and why choose December to pick on when in September there are LOTS of celebrations world wide and the chance to offend more people in September than December. Therefore the designations Rosh Hashanah, Mabon, Mawlid (the real Islamic “Christmas” oh dear, a PC major error here), and Pitru Paksha must be abandoned for the non-offensive generic word “Holidays.” Is there one amongst these that has dominated the world for centuries? Then that’s the one that has caused the necessity for all the others to abandon their sacred designations for their special day, in the name of making up for past atrocities and changing our language so that everything is nice.
Nope. This is a Christmas Party.