What I'm going to say, may be hard to understand, or it might be downright depressing, but I need to get it off my chest. There are some questions at the end though. As I see it, celebrating certain days of the year is just as usual as breathing. It used to be like that for me, up until a few years ago. When I was a child, we used to celebrate Easter, Xmas, The Day of the Dead (2 days after Halloween in Hungary, which we don't really celebrate here), and of course birthdays and name-days (I don't know if the latter is even celebrated in English speaking countries). Oh, and Santa's Day on the 6th of December. Every year, the whole family would get together on my and my cousin's birthday and name-day, as we were the only children in the family (by which I mean close family, 10 people or so), and on Xmas and Easter. I used to be excited when these dates approached, they used to be special days. But past the year of eighteen, I started to dislike these events. I became reeeeally uncomfortable with all the attention I got, I realized that I did't deserve it, and I started to see how empty all these days were in reality. Now I'm at a point, where I basically celebrate nothing. I don't really see any point in it. let me go one by one: 1. Name-day: probably the most worthless of all. I didn't choose my name, I didn't want it, I didn't achieve anything to get it. I did absolutely nothing with my name that should make others wish me a 'Happy name-day'. 2. Birthday: almost the same as with my name-day. I didn't want to be born, I didn't want to be born at the date I was born, so there's no achievement, there's no point in wishing me a 'Happy birthday'. The only thing it is significant for, is signing the day when the Sun is almost in the same place on the Ecliptic as when I was born. It signals another year that passed. Nothing more. 3. The Day of the Dead: we didn't really 'celebrate' it, we just went to the cemetery that the loved ones of the close family were buried in. Since the death of my grandmother 3 years ago and my mother's last year, I absolutely loath that cemetery, and I only go there because my father insists on going. If it weren't for him, I would never go through those gates ever again. That place only reminds me of all the horrors we had to face, and I can't deal with the memories. In contrast, I have no problem thinking about other dead relatives in another cemetery (yes, I knew them), because they died quite suddenly. In their case, I didn't have to see those I loved turning into helpless living skeletons. 4. Xmas, Easter, Santa's Day: all these days were about nothing else but fucking chocolate, candies, eating the same dishes every year, and shopping like crazy for things that could have been purchased anytime during the year. When at the age of 9 I learned that it wasn't really the Easter Bunny and Santa and Jesus (yep, in Hungary Jesus brings the gifts at Xmas, Santa has his own day) who brought the gifts but my parents and relatives, I felt betrayed. I had been lied to for 9 years! I was mad at them for lying to me. I learned to enjoy them again, but after the age of 18, I realized they were the same old meaningless crap year in year out. What made me dislike them even more, is their true origins being distorted. Everyone speaking about Jesus being born and resurrected, about St. Nicholas and such, while it's the Winter Solstice, Eostre and a day that doesn't really have a connection with the original Santa Claus. I'd be a lot more comfortable celebrating these holidays as their original versions, but guess what? People can't see beyond the judeo-christian versions of these days, and without other people there isn't really a point in celebrating. Plus I don't think they would even feel meaningful that way. The Sun is in a certain position? So? Celebrating fertility? Why? There's already too many humans on this planet. Lying to your kids again about the old man who brings candy so they can get their first big disappointment later? I know these are traditions, but I can't see too much sense in them. Oh, and I almost forgot New Year's Eve. What are we celebrating? It's just another event to justify being drunk and throwing up on others. So after being a cynical asshole as some of you may have already labeled me, I'd like to ask you what days do you celebrate during the year, and how do you view them? Do you share some of my thoughts, or you disagree entirely? What do you think about all this?
I don't think you're a cynical asshole, just cynical. We're all cynical about certain things ^^ I generally like all of the ones you mentioned, although in Sweden we don't have a Day of the Dead... (or wait... *translates in my mind*) yes we do, although we do't really do anything, it's just that the shops are closed up, and our name-days are literally just 'Happy name-day', no celebration at all. But Christmases I like, mostly just for the company (although I choose exclusively among my family). Birthdays are too much concentrated attention, I agree on that one... PS. Love Avantasia!! \m/
Firstly, you're right. I live in the US and I've never heard of this "name-day" thing. Secondly, yeah a lot of holidays are arbitrary or pointless in origin I agree, but we continue to celebrate them because they're fun. Like I'm not Christian, but I still celebrate Christmas because it just makes me happy to get together with family that time of year etc. However, if you celebrating a holiday doesn't make you happy and/or you think it's pointless, then simply don't celebrate it or if you do, just do it in a way that's meaningful to you. Don't feel obligated to celebrate them simply because other people do if it makes you unhappy.
It’s been a while I didn’t celebrate my birthday, and I found embarrassing to receive gifts (even for nothing), and people can get upset when I refuse their gifts. From their perspective I’m impolite, but from mine they are. When I was a child I was living with my parents alone with no other family or friends, if it was not for school I will never learn about Santa Claus. Last time I celebrate Christmas was with my relatives here in Canada two years ago, I found this so awkward that I never returned.
Now that Im an adult, Holidays are pretty much meaningless at this point, with the exception of the following days: February 15- The day Valentines candy goes on clearance Easter Monday- The day Easter candy goes on clearance November 1- The day Halloween candy goes on clearance December 26- The day Christmas candy goes on clearance
I celebrate the Solstices and Equinoxes. I do the others (Holidays) purely because I feel obligated to for my parents, but I don't believe in them. The turning of the seasons is an extremely important time, when the spirits of the world are most active. Although I still celebrate birthdays, mostly because I love the people in my life, and want to celebrate them being alive.
The only holidays I actually care for these days are the national ones (independence day and such), since people tend to organize battle reenactments and the like. As for the other holidays, unless presents are involved, I couldn't care less.
