25 December, 2013

Meri Christmas - Teri Christmas or Christmas For All!

 
The Blessings of Peace - The Beauty of Hope
The Spirit of Love - The Comfort of Faith
 May these be your gifts this Christmas Season.

Millions of people around the world will celebrate Christmas today, a day to commemorate the birth of Jesus. It is a big cultural and religious day for Christians, but is being celebrated by an increasing numbers of non-Christians.

It has always made me wonder as to why a particular religious festival is also being celebrated more and more by people belonging to other religions. This trend is seen even during other festivals such as Diwali, Ramadan etc. Maybe a non-Hindu might not burst crackers in Diwali - as a non-Muslim might not fast during Ramadan, and similarly a non-Christian might not attend a mass, but each and every one will give gifts to their near and dear ones. 

So what is it about these festivals, that irrespective of personal religious affiliations, one and sundry forget these differences during the festivals. According to me, the reason for this is 2Gs - no not Sonia G or Rahul G - but Gifting and Gratitude. Every festival teaches us to gift and show gratitude to God as well as to our near and dear ones