Christmas is getting closer. Everything is beautifully decorated, it smells of cookies and we humans find peace – mostly. Even if we can not put off our everyday stress, we still feel this special, magical energy around Christmas. Why is that?
Probably not because I am so looking forward to celebrating the birthday of Jesus. Probably not because I hope for many gifts. No, it’s the feeling of security that I get from my friends and family. It is the anticipation of the feast when we all sit together and celebrate. And it is also that deep certainty that every year there is at least one argument in the family at Christmas. But maybe this year this tradition can change. For a long time now, Christmas is no longer all about the birth of Christ (read more about the roots of Christmas here). A well-known monk of Tibetan Buddhism describes the true essence of our modern Christmas very beautifully:
Love and compassion is a universal religion.
(Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, 1935-today)
The Christians have no exclusive claim to Christmas, a custom they have not even founded. The roots of Christmas lies in pagan festival in honor of the sun god. The Pagans (although they never called themselves that) did not follow any organized religion and were not even a nation, but many tribes. The sourde of their belief is the close connection to Mother Nature. This bond is accessible to all of us. Therefore, everyone can feel the deeply rooted love and compassion.
Christmas without religion
The true nature of a religion is a good heart. Christmas is the perfect time to open our hearts. Christmas is not about praying, lighting candles and good food. Of course, we can put all these customs into our Christmas celebration. But the people who surround us are really important. The peace begins with small things. So open up your heart and show your love and compassion to your closest ones. If you can do that, you can extend that sense of connectedness to an ever-expanding circle. But we start small, because this is were we can contribute to true change. So let’s celebrate a Christmas without religion.
