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Issue #1298 - Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - Editor: michael  

	Gala Holiday Issue

Happy Holidays from the editorial staff. At this time of year peoples from many faiths celebrate, remember and renew their faith through ritual and observance and tradition. It is a time of joy for many as they lay down their burdens for a moment to give thanks to That which brought everything into being.  

Some folk fast, some feast, some do both. Some sing joyously. Some sit quietly. Some gather close with family and friends. Some are alone. Some are in prison. Some are at work. Some are still traveling. Some are at home.  

Whoever you are, wherever you are, we wish you well and want you to know that you are in our prayers for Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward All.

    Who is celebrating what? As a child born in United States during the middle of the last century the only Holiday I knew at this time of year was Christmas. Now I know there is more to this season than jolly old elves and the three wise men following a yonder star.  

Interfaith Calendar Definition of Terms  

http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/calendardefinitions.htm  

{home page http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/index.htm }  

Advent

• Christian time of preparation for observing the birth of Jesus Christ. Advent begins on the Sunday nearest November 30 and is the beginning of the Christian worship year.  Advent is observed with the lighting of advent candles, display of wreaths, and special ceremonies. Advent also anticipates the coming again to earth of Jesus Christ. The season continues through December 24.

Ashura

• An Islamic optional single day fast recognizing the Creation, Noah's departure from the ark, and the saving of Moses from Pharaoh.

Ayyam-I-Ha

• Baha'i beginning of a series of special days (Intercalary Days) that balance out the calendar. It is observed by hospitality and acts of charity.

Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)

• Hindu start of the New Years. Greetings that wish good life in coming days are exchanged. In Sikhi the day commemorates the founding of the Khalsa, a distinctive Sikh brotherhood. 

Beltane

• Wicca celebration of the conjoining of the goddess with the energy of the god in the sacred marriage which is the basis of all creation.

Holi

• Hindu spring festival dedicated to the god of pleasure. It is observed in a colorful and boisterous manner. People shower each other with colored water and smear red and green powder on each other,

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This is a beautifully well done site.   http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues00/Co12302000/CO_12302000_Dance_Buffalo.htm  

On Christmas Eve at Nambe, a small (population 650) American Indian village and sovereign Indian nation, 20 miles north of Santa Fe, the buffalo come out to dance by the light of a great bonfire. They come after evening Mass at the ancient St. Francis of Assisi church, and dance for just a little while before returning to the kiva, the underground ceremonial chamber, center of the pueblo's traditional religious life. With the buffalo come the deer, their horns circled with sprigs of fir, like candles in Advent wreaths, the antelope and a couple of Pueblo Indians dressed up as their old enemies, the Comanches, for comic relief.  

  Is there a Santa Claus?  

http://www.failuremag.com/arch_flop_santa_claus.html  

YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS
HE'S AT 33RD AND 8TH IN NEW YORK CITY
by Jason Zasky

At a place as ordinary as the post office, something extraordinary is happening. There are people, elves really, shuffling through mounds of letters. Separated in boxes by language, city and state, all the letters have one thing in common—they’re addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole." And the goal of Santa’s little helpers? To see that each and every request is answered by December 24th. No small feat considering that Santa receives a lot of mail—282,000 pieces this year.

As I sit here and work on this issue the web has slowed to a crawl. So many folk on line! So, I'll finish this issue with a few links to humorous holiday sites.  

Christmas humor... there are tons of funny stuff out there.. but you may want to keep younger eyes diverted with candy canes and lots of presents... some of these links may not be appropriate for all ages.

http://www.humormatters.com/holidays/xmas.htm http://www.gbronline.com/tnye/christmas/humor.htm http://www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/christmas.htm http://www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/christmas.htm http://www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/christmas.htm http://www.murphystation.com/ChristmasPages/humor.htm  

{the links were provided by Christiana - thanks}  

  A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part
limited in time and space.  He experiences himself, his thoughts and
feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical
delusion of his consciousness.  This delusion is a kind of prison for
us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few
persons nearest to us.  Our task must be to free ourselves from this
prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living
creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Albert Einstein

~~~~~~~~~~~

Amen, Albert, amen.

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