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November 23, 2004

For Release: IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT
Contact: Duncan Crary (518) 432-7820 [E-mail]

Do atheists celebrate Christmas? Institute examines secular holiday traditions

ALBANY - Just because humanists don't believe in God doesn't mean they don't enjoy a good holiday party.

The Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS) of Albany, N.Y. has collected secular holiday traditions from across the country. The Institute found that many of its nonreligious contacts celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah without mention of the holidays' religious roots. Other humanists have created secular traditions of their own.

"We have such a great diversity of holiday traditions here in America. Instead of ignoring them, many nonreligious people choose to sample from the best of them - putting emphasis on the human elements," said Matt Cherry, IHS executive director and president of the United Nations NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Cherry is an atheist.

There are 30 million nonreligious Americans. Below is a sampling of secular holiday traditions from throughout the United States. IHS will provide contacts for the people below.

McKinley Jones of Albany, N.Y. decorates a "family tree" with a North Star and symbols of his family and ancestors. The North Star signifies those who walked the Underground Railroad to freedom. The tradition helps keep the memory of his ancestors alive. Jones says black Americans should think about changing their holiday displays to make them more relevant to how their ancestors lived. He's not talking about Kwanzaa, though. Jones says slaves spent the nine days from Christmas Eve to the New Year visiting family members on other plantations and attempting to escape, using the North Star as their guide. He also reads excerpts from slave narratives which tell how his ancestors spent the holidays.

Shirley Braverman, a member of the Humanist Association of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada, grew up in a town evenly populated by freethinkers and Christians. During the Holiday Festival, the Christians usually sang "Oh Come All Ye Faithful." The freethinkers countered with secular lyrics to "Ode to Joy," from the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. "What could be stronger than God's love?" she asked. "United human love."

Humanist Celebrant Forrest Prince, of Quincy, Calif., celebrates Christmas with no supernaturalism attached. He has a "tradition tree" in his home, which he enjoys for its fragrance and decorations. But he draws the line at traditional Christmas caroling with Christian-based lyrics. "Christmas is historically a pagan-based holiday which was co-opted by Christianity, and also corrupted thereby," Prince said. "I see Christmas in its naturalistic roots, and there's where my celebration comes from."

Jone Johnson Lewis is the leader of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society of Vienna, Va. Her humanist congregation celebrates with a "Stone Salad" during the holidays. The tradition is inspired by the story of exhausted travelers who come to an impoverished town. At first, the poor townsfolk hide their food. So the hungry travelers make a soup by boiling water and stones. One by one the villagers come by and contribute a bit of food to make the soup more tasty. In the end the whole village comes together to enjoy the soup and the spirit of generosity. "Our Ethical Society loved the tale and its humanistic message, but changed it to a 'Stone Salad' for our use because we don't have cooking facilities available for making an actual soup," Lewis said.

The society tells its own version of the story where the travelers arrive in another village that doesn't even have enough wood for heating soup! As the congregation donates ingredients to the salad, they also donate canned goods and nonperishables in support of a homeless shelter they have assisted for years.

Steven Goldberg of Gaithersburg, Md. said his family celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas as secular holidays, devoid of religious context. "Why invent new secular traditions when such wonderful holidays already exist, complete with pagan rites, majestic music, and a red-nosed reindeer?" he asked.

Jennifer Hancock belongs to the Humanists of Florida Association. She's working to invent a new winter holiday celebration - Chriswanzukkah - that includes bits from Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Solstice and Human Light. "We are humanists and we should be celebrating human diversity and the wide array of human traditions," she said.

Hancock grew up in a multi-religious household, so she celebrated Christmas with her Catholic family members and Hanukkah with her Jewish family members. Hancock liked them both. "My brother and I decided that we don't care what religion you are - if you are having a party and there is food involved, we want in," she said.

For information, contact: Duncan Crary, IHS communications director, (518) 432-7820.

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