Our lives are such a lovely crazy patchwork quilt.
I have the culture I was raised in, the ethnic culture of my family, the religious culture I was raised in and now the religion I practice.
There are times when they overlap, collide or diverge. How to handle it?
This year Equinox and Easter were a full month apart, so I found myself doing a double step....repeating some of the things on Easter because that's part of my culture too.
I guess it's a case of honoring all the various rich aspects of heritage that I have. While certain practices do have a connection to a particular religion, so much has spilled over into the culture that participating in the practice isn't the same as participating in the religion.
We eat latkes at Hannuka because I grew up in a place that did that, even though I am not Jewish. We give gifts at Christmas even though my faith observes Winter Solstice as a rather quiet reflective holy day.
I serve a traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner on Christmas eve because it was how I grew up and what we did with my Polish Grandparents.
I've moved around a lot in my adult hood and have experienced the seasons in very different ways, and have lived in a wide variety of subcultures and places. There is so much variety and richness and I don't want to miss any of it!
Just wondering how others sort this out, or combine it in their own lives and religions practices.
I have the culture I was raised in, the ethnic culture of my family, the religious culture I was raised in and now the religion I practice.
There are times when they overlap, collide or diverge. How to handle it?
This year Equinox and Easter were a full month apart, so I found myself doing a double step....repeating some of the things on Easter because that's part of my culture too.
I guess it's a case of honoring all the various rich aspects of heritage that I have. While certain practices do have a connection to a particular religion, so much has spilled over into the culture that participating in the practice isn't the same as participating in the religion.
We eat latkes at Hannuka because I grew up in a place that did that, even though I am not Jewish. We give gifts at Christmas even though my faith observes Winter Solstice as a rather quiet reflective holy day.
I serve a traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner on Christmas eve because it was how I grew up and what we did with my Polish Grandparents.
I've moved around a lot in my adult hood and have experienced the seasons in very different ways, and have lived in a wide variety of subcultures and places. There is so much variety and richness and I don't want to miss any of it!
Just wondering how others sort this out, or combine it in their own lives and religions practices.
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