Dear Readers:
I live in Rhode
Island where our Governor decided to rename the State House Christmas Tree a “Holiday Tree”, in order to be inclusive of other
religions that use an evergreen tree to celebrate their December holidays. I know of no other religion that uses a cut
evergreen decorated in lights to celebrate this festive season. Some have told me that “pagans” use the
evergreen, and that the Christmas tree is based upon the tradition of
decorating an evergreen to celebrate the Winter Solstice. These people are only half-right. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing,
and that appears to be what has happened here.
I do not disagree that our pagan ancestry decorated
evergreens in honor of the Winter Solstice, but they decorated live, planted evergreens and they used
items found in nature! The religions we
call pagan – in particular Wicca, from which Christianity draws many of its
celebratory customs – worshiped nature. No faithful of a pagan religion would dare to
cut down a live tree to celebrate nature! If I were a follower of Wicca, I would be
insulted that one would try to pass off a cut evergreen as a symbol of my
beliefs in an attempt to be “inclusive” of my beliefs! This is tantamount to someone hanging a
crucifix upside down and thinking that it all means the same to a Christian.
In our attempts to be inclusive, we offend those that
society has deemed safe to offend. Nobody
would dare to call a Menorah or a Kinara a “Holiday Candelabra”, even though other
religions and cultural celebrations use candles in their celebrations,
too. Why has society deemed it
appropriate to offend the majority in its attempts to promote the diversity of
our culture? In the wise words of
Abraham Lincoln, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. Room must be made for all at the holiday
celebration, but not by pushing long-time guests out of the house.
Religion is a part of culture; in fact, it is one of the few anthropological universals. Even as society as a whole moves away from the strict observation of religious mores, Christmas is still celebrated on a large scale because it has become more than a religious holiday; it has
become a cultural [read: secular] celebration of our hope for peace on earth and a reminder of our
own attempts to practice goodwill towards others. These values spring not from any one religion
or faith, but of the cultural views of countless nations. How ironic that the Christmas tree – a symbol
and reminder of what we celebrate as a culture, regardless of religious belief or non-belief – has become the symbol of a
divided nation!
This holiday season I send wishes to all who read this for a
blessed holiday, regardless of what holiday or holidays you celebrate. I ask that those who would normally react
with intolerance towards a holiday symbol – be it a Christmas tree or a Menorah
or a Kinara or a Festivus Pole – to temper your intolerance and instead
indulge in curiosity. Rather than condemn
the symbol, ask questions about what it means to the person who has displayed it. What you learn could go a long way in the
fight to promote a diversity that does not discriminate.
Snuggles,
TaziP.S. In order of their appearance on the calendar, I would like to wish you all a...
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| Hanukkah 2012 started last night! אני מקווה שהאור של הנס באת לנצח
Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish readers!
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| Winter Solstice is on 12/21/12. Wishing you a blessed and festive solstice celebration! |
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| Festivus is on 12/23/12, for those unfamiliar with this celebration! Click here to air your grievances, Festivus revelers! |
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| December 25th - January 6th, for those who celebrate all twelve days. That's a lot of partridges and pear trees! |
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| December 26th - January 1st Seven days of thanksgiving and a celebration of African culture |
More Snuggles,
Tazi
Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
I say I give this article "ALL FOUR PAWS UP". I am a true believer of "Diveristy and Acceptance". Part of that is when you display a symbol, or decoration of a holiday or celebration of a culture or belief, you call it by it's proper name. By calling this decoration another name does not make other cultres feel "happy". Instead, you have kind of made one culture feel disappointed and less appreciated. The solution would have been to keep the "Christmas Tree" name, and just put up all the other displays. The governor should have asked for assistance from the other cultural orginazations in this state to help with knowing which type of symbols, decorations, and other items to display to include their cultures, as well. I know all about the various cultural organizations we have in this state because I am a former officer of a diversity club at the colleg that I had graduated from. I also utilized these wonderful organizations for our "Diversity Day". Also, my father volunteered his time being involved in many affirmative action/civil rights organizations in Rhode Island and has had contact or has worked on various projects in the past with these wonderful organizations. (Through this is where my father had met many politicians, including Governor Chafee). Anyway, I just want to say that I am very proud of you Tazi for having this article. I give it "4 PAWS UP" Thank you for taking the time and recognizing the need for Diversity and acceptance.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Miss Maya! Four paws up equals belly rub time!!!
ReplyDelete