Happy International Womens day!!!!!

[alexandral]

I think I must have said this millions of times, but I don't really like "Mother's day" (celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent ) , the holiday has a problem by definition - What about women who lost their mothers or their children? "Mother's" day may not be the happiest time for these women. But this doesn't stop me from greatly enjoying the presents my daughter gives me every year for Mothers day, I love presents.

But International Womens day!! I love it! Let's unite, celebrate each other and think what we can personally do to help displaced women (this year's attention point).

Happy International Womens Day, everyone!!!!!! ** big hugs **

Comments

[arathesane.livejournal.com]

Well, here(and I am sure it is the same in the UK) Easter is a much more "religious" holiday. I know Christmas is technically religious as well but more non-religious folk celebrate it than observe Easter. It seems that even people who are not culturally Christian incorporate Christmas into their lives but not Easter, really. For example I know practicing Hindus who celebrate Christmas, not in the religious sense but they give away gifts and have a Christmas tree. It is just such a huge holiday and most of the things we do for it are pretty secular. Or have roots in Paganism, like the Christmas tree or even exchanging gifts. But while there definitely non-religious and Pagan(there are lot of Pagan things about Easter!) traditions with Easter there is still a stronger emphasis on the religious story when compared to Christmas I think.

I observe both even though I am an atheist as I am culturally "Christian" in the sense that my family was brought up in the belief system and almost all of my ancestors were Christians. Now, Easter is still a big holiday here but not as I said as big as Mother's Day. Not everyone grew up celebrating Easter but(almost) everyone has a mother!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, so interesting. Here Easter seems to be all about Chocolate and egg-hunts. I have seen people who are not at all Christians buying chocolate for kids.

I am a Christian but I don't observe any of these Holidays in traditional, "materialistic" sense. Christmas - don't start me on this, it is such a hotch-potch of everything (and the time of the year doesn't correspond with the accounts of Jesus's birth in the Bible). Our family just takes it as a time to spend with the family. Easter - as you say, at least we know that the event of the Crucification is supposed to be around this time, but again - for us it is a time to spend with the family.

Thinking more, I remembered where from I know which holiday is "bigger" here. At the beginning of my Uk life, I worked at a supermarket for a year. The sale peak times in the UK go like this: Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day / Mother's day

[arathesane.livejournal.com]

Oh I am sure that many non-religious folks observe it just not as many as do Christmas.

Easter is really more Pagan than anything else. At least in how it is celebrated! It is more about spring's arrival(again, Pagan), the emphasis on nature - ducks and bunnies and the like, the eggs, it's almost all Pagan.

Christmas is also quite Pagan. The date comes from the time that Christians and Mithraites were forced to share catacombs for worship when they were both being persecuted by the Romans. The date is very near the Winter Solstice which was a holy day for the Mithraites.

But the emphasis on the candy and stuff for both holidays? That's all fairly recent and can be traced back to Europe in the last couple of centuries. Santa Claus, gift-giving, those are more recent practices.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am familiar with this. This is why we don't really get involved too much (well, I buy chocolate every week :D) - I am not sure what for I should be doing any of this.