I search for celebration too

I SEARCH FOR CELEBRATION TOO.<br />(WINTER EQUINOX)<br><br>
The church created Christmas.<br />Commerce changed their song.<br />Christ would not like Christmas.<br />For now it seems so wrong.<br><br>
I need a celebration.<br />That has significance.<br />Some kind of revelation.<br />Which offers relevance.<br><br>
In midwinter&rsquo;s doom and gloom.<br />I need a brand new start.<br />The winter equinox will soon.<br />Bring pleasure to my heart.<br><br>
Amidst bleak winter&rsquo;s dark and cold.<br />There comes that special day.<br />When days will lengthen and unfold.<br />And springtime&rsquo;s on it&rsquo;s way.<br><br>
The earth will tilt towards the sun.<br />And give us cause to cheer.<br />Deep dark winter&rsquo;s days are done.<br />Until another year.<br><br>
The Maori folks remember.<br />Midwinter&rsquo;s day in June.<br />Our&rsquo;s comes&rsquo; late December.<br />It never seems too soon.<br><br>
When winter equinox&rsquo;s arrive.<br />We can put aside all strife.<br />It signifies that we&rsquo;ve survived.<br />And brings forth new growth, new life.<br><br>
<br />Maruaroa o Takarua.<br />Dōngzi and Lohri.<br />Me&aacute;n Geimhridh, Brumalia.<br />All celebrate with me.<br><br>
<br /> B. Withers (2003 )<br><br>

Nice Bill!

Makes me want to crack open a Bud, roll up a fat one, and play my Tele real loud. But my neighbors are nice, so maybe I'll just watch TV...

Hello Candy & David. Thanks for your replies to this blog. This festive season has always been a difficult one for me because I kept getting invited to parties, meals and get-togethers, which I tend to decline. This was partly because I did not eat during the day, partly because I don't celebrate Christmas and partly because I don't drink alcohol and most of the 'sessions' were an excuse for people to drink in excess. My associates often acted as if I was antisocial for not responding positively to their invitations, but they did not seem to realise that after a few drinks, it was them who are not very sensible, communicative or very good company. For years they would enter light-hearted bantering about me being a miserable old git, so I decided to search for something I could tell them I celebrate at about the same time they were getting into the festive spirit. The Winter solstice seemed like an ideal solution. It was not a 'human, made-up' event but a celestial phenomenon which has significance in terms of the natural seasonal cycle. However, nowadays when I tell people I celebrate the solstice, there is a tendency to jump to the conclusion that I must be a 'Pagan'. Whilst I am aware that Pagans do celebrate each solstice, I needed to establish that I do not follow any belief system, other than my own. Hence the reference in the last verse to other religions who celebrate the solstice. I also wrote another verse called 'What I am Not', which makes it abundantly clear where I stand regarding all religious organisations. I do recall blogging 'what I am Not' on here some time ago so it should still be available in my past blogs. For my friends on here who are religious. - My views on religion are not 'anti' the basic tenets, such as being moral in one's outlook or trying to get on with one's fellow human beings. My own aversion tends to be towards those religious organisations with hierarchies, rules and dogmas which discriminate against anyone who doesn't fit into 'their' idea of what we should believe in. They appear to expect respect from everyone towards them but do not seem to respect the independent views of others. As I use rhyming verse to try to create some logical order in my thinking, I have written many verses devoted to this field of study. Interestingly, one of the colleges I attended many years ago, was a theological college and for 2 years I was involved in discussions with enthusiastic evangelical religious folks about my beliefs. During this period, it was heartening to be told that most of them felt that my beliefs were basically not that different to theirs, except for my perception of their organisations. Enough of that for now as this site is probably not the most appropriate place to be airing these concepts. Best wishes and enjoy the festive season. Bill