December 31 Insight: What is Kwanzaa and how is it celebrated?

What is Kwanzaa and how is it celebrated?

(The December 31 Weekly Insight from Spirituality U. at Interfaith Paths to Peace)

Kwanzaa, perhaps the newest of mid-winter holidays, is celebrated each year from December 26 through January 1. The name comes from the Swahili term for the “first fruits of the harvest.” Kwanzaa was established in 1966 during the Civil Rights movement by Professor Maulana Karenga as an opportunity for African Americans to celebrate the culture and values of their native continent.

And though it may have originally been intended as an alternative to the Christmas holiday, today many African Americans celebrate both Christmas and Kwanzaa. Moreover, many people in the African American community now invite people of other races and cultures to join in the observance and rituals.

The seven days of Kwanzaa are built around the recognition and celebration of seven African community values comprising:

Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Kwanzaa symbols include a decorative mat (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed, corn (Muhindi) and other crops, a candle holder kinara with seven candles (Mishumaa Saba), a communal cup for pouring libation (Kikimbe cha Umoja), gifts (Zawadi), a poster of the seven principles, and a black, red, and green flag. The symbols were designed to convey the seven principles descried above.

A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast (karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani? which is Swahili for "What's the News?"

Here is a link to the official Kwanzaa Web Site:

http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml

Dec. 24 Insight: A few interesting facts about the celebration of Christmas

A few interesting facts about the celebration of Christmas

(The December 24  Insight from Spirituality U. at Interfaith Paths to Peace)

1.   In 350 CE Pope Julius I set the celebration of the birth of Jesus on December 25, covering the date celebrated as Saturnalia by Pagans. No one knows the actual date on which Jesus was born. 
    
2.  Christmas has been an official US holiday since 1870. 
    
3. St. Francis of Assisi created the first Nativity Scene.    
4. Martin Luther was the first person to decorate a Christmas tree with lights by adding candles to his tree after seeing the stars through the branches of a fir tree. 
     
5. The best selling recording of all time is White Christmas (written by Jewish composer Irving Berlin) and sung by Bing Crosby. Second is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer sung by Gene Autrey.
       
6. Santa Claus is based loosely on St. Nicholas of Smyrna who lived in the fourth century. 
    
7. The contemporary concept of Santa Claus came to what is now the US with Dutch settlers in the 1600s.    
8. On Christmas Eve, Bolivians cerebrate "The Mass of the Rooster" since they believe the rooster was the first animal to announce the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. 
     
9. The contemporary visual image of Santa Claus was created by cartoonist Thomas Nast in 1881.  
    
10. The poem now known as "The Night before Christmas" was written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822.    
11. The first Christmas card was created in 1843 and each year more than three billion cards are mailed in the US.    
12. 12.  During WW I, at Christmas time combatants on both sides put down their weapons and met in no man's land between the trenches to exchange gifts and holiday greetings.     
13. 13.  On the 12 days of Christmas my true love gave to me a total of 364 gifts costing $114,651.18. 
       
14. 14.  Christmas trees have been sold in the US since 1850 and more than 35 million trees are sold each year in the US.    
15. 15.  When Santa delivers presents on Christmas Eve, he travels 221 million miles, makes 842 million stops, and warms the hearts of 2 billion children. 
     
16. 16.  Because Santa is a mythic character he can be whatever color children wish him to be. J

Dec 17 Insight: Our Gift to You: Morsels of info about 16 (yes 16) mid-winter holidays

Our Gift to You: Morsels of info about 16 (yes 16) mid-winter holidays

(The December 17 Insight from Spirituality U. at Interfaith Paths to Peace)

The period from mid-November to mid-January every year is a veritable feast of holidays celebrated by Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Baha'is, and.Pagans. Here's a delcious sampling. Dig in!

Mid-Winter Holidays  
Select Celebrations for 2013-2014  

Nov. 13-14 Ashura (Islam)  At this holiday, some Muslims remember that the Prophet Muhammad fasted in solidarity with Jews who were observing Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Other Muslims recall the death of Muhammad’s grandson in battle. 

  

Nov. 27-Dec. 5  Chanukah (Jewish)  The festival of Chanukah (Hanukkah) begins at sunset on this date and continues for seven more nights. It is a remembrance of an effort to restore the Temple in Jerusalem after a period of desecration. Faithful Jews found only enough oil to light the temple lamp for one day, but the flame burned for eight. 

  

Dec. 6  Feast of St. Nicholas (Christian)  Some Christians revere the fourth-century bishop of Myra, a Greek province in Asia Minor. His reputation for piety may have inspired the legend of Santa Claus. The tradition of leaving gifts for children on St. Nicholas Day began in the Low Countries and spread to North America with Dutch immigrants. 

  

Dec. 8  Bodhi "Enlightenment" Day (Buddhist)  Buddhists recall that Siddhartha Gautama vowed to sit under a tree in what is now Bodhgaya, India, and not to rise until he was enlightened. The title Buddha means “awakened one.” 

Dec. 8  Immaculate Conception (Catholic)  Roman Catholics observe this day as the feast of the Immaculate Conception, believing that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born without original sin. 

  

Dec. 12  Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Catholic)  Observed by Catholics, especially those of Hispanic descent, the story of Guadalupe recounts a 16th-century apparition of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego, a poor Indian, on a hillside near what is now Mexico City. 

  

Dec. 21 Yule or Winter Solstice (Pagan)  The shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Juul, a pre-Christian festival observed in Scandinavia, featured fires lit to symbolize the heat, light and life-giving properties of the returning sun. Wiccans and other pagan groups celebrate Yule. 

  

Dec. 21  Yalda (Zoroastrian)  The Zoroastrian celebration of the winter solstice.  On this, the longest night of the year, Zoroastrians celebrate with customs intended to protect people from misfortune. 

Dec. 21-25  Pancha Ganapati (Hindu)  This five-day festival honors Lord Ganesha, considered to be the God of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth.  The celebration includes decoration of an image of Ganesha with pine boughs, flashing lights, tinsel and other colorful ornaments.  

  

Dec. 25  Christmas (Christian)  Observed by Christians since the Middle Ages as the birth of Jesus, whom Christians consider the one and only son of God and Savior of the World. 

  

Dec. 26  Zarathosht Diso (Zoroastrian)  On this date Zoroastrians observe the death of the prophet Zarathushtra  (known in the West as Zoroaster).  His teachings include the idea of one eternal God and that life is a struggle between good and evil. 

  

Dec. 26-Jan. 2  Kwanzaa  A week-long celebration held in the United States United honoring universal African American heritage and culture. It features activities including the lighting of a seven-candle candelabra and culminates with a feast and gift giving. It was first celebrated in 1966–1967. 

Jan. 1  Gantan-sai (Shinto)  Much like Christmas for Christians, Gantan-sai has become a national holiday in Japan.  Shintos visit shrines and pray for the renewal of their heart, prosperity, and health in the year to come.  

Jan. 5  Guru Gobind Singh's Birthday (Sikh)  Sikh’s celebrate his birthday in December or January. Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa order for observant Sikhs.  He also instituted the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, as the final and ultimate Guru.  

Jan. 6  Epiphany or Theophany (Christian)  Western Christians commemorate the visitation and bringing of gifts to the baby Jesus by the "Three Wise Men" from the East, and thus Jesus' physical manifestation to the Gentiles. 

Jan. 19  World Religion Day (Baha'i)  This celebration calls attention to the harmony of spiritual principles and the oneness of the world's religions.  It also emphasizes the fact that religion is the motivating force for world unity, a key concept for Baha'is throughout the world. 

Dec 10 Insight: The Difference between a maze and a labyrinth is, well, "A-Mazing"

People often confuse Mazes and Labyrinths, but they are actually complete opposites.

A maze is designed to confuse you, trap you, and even kill you. A labyrinth, on the other hand, is designed to comfort you, lead you to your goal, and then set you free.

You may remember the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. In that story, a monster called a Minotaur is placed in a maze and eats young people who get lost in the maze’s intricacies. Theseus ties a string to the door of the maze, and unfurls the string as he seeks out and slays the Minotaur. He then uses the string to retrace his steps to the maze’s entrance.

You might be familiar with corn mazes or mazes made from hedges.  You may remember Jack Nicholson and the maze in the film, The Shining. In every maze a key concept is that you can’t immediately see or find your way out.

A Labyrinth is very different. First it is usually installed at ground level so that you can always see exactly where you are and where your goal lies. And even though labyrinths come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, there is usually only one way in and one way out. The classic example is the labyrinth that was constructed in the floor at Chartres Cathedral in the early 1200’s. A quick glance seems to show a series of 11 concentric rings with an open area at the center. But that initial look is deceptive.

I remember the first time I walked a labyrinth. It was at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. The labyrinth there resembled the one at Chartres but was constructed from dirt and small stones and sat at the base of a beautiful mesa. 

I had read about labyrinths and had allotted myself about half an hour to walk the one at Ghost Ranch. As I entered it, my first steps around a ring took me to the edge of the labyrinth’s core. I thought, “This is nothing. I’ll be done walking in 5 minutes.”

As I continued walking, I suddenly found myself almost back at the entrance. My footsteps then led me back and forth, nearer my goal, then farther away. I laughed out loud as I had a sudden epiphany: walking the labyrinth perfectly mirrored life’s spiritual journey. 

The twists and turns (finding yourself on the verge of the goal and a moment later back at the starting point) is much like the struggles and setbacks in our efforts to reach spiritual fulfillment. But if we trust the labyrinth we can be assured of reaching the goal. And because there is usually only one way to the center and one way out, the labyrinth reminds us that once we reach a point of spiritual accomplishment, there is nothing left but to retrace our steps to the beginning of our journey and help others reach THEIR spiritual goals.

Labyrinths can be found in many communities. There are perhaps a dozen or more in the Louisville area. But you can buy hand held labyrinths that can be “walked” with your finger or a stylus. It is possible-and even easy-to draw a simple labyrinth on a piece of paper.

For more information about labyrinths visithttp://www.veriditas.org/

Why do Jews Celebrate Chanukah (and how do you really pronounce it)?

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

First, let’s getting something straight. Because Chanukah usually falls in December, some folks mistakenly think it has something to do with Christmas, or—as I heard somebody say once—“It’s the Jewish Christmas.” Well, it’s not. Chanukah has nothing to do with Christmas, Christianity or any Christian holiday. It is a distinctly Jewish observance.

And while it is an important Jewish holiday, it is not considered by Jews to be one of the Jewish “High Holy Days” (in the way that Christmas is seen as one of the major Holy Days for Christians).

Chanukah is an eight-day celebration that commemorates two miracles that occurred in the Holy Land. The first was the triumph in the 2^nd century BCE of a small and greatly outnumbered group of Israelites called the “Maccabees” over a much larger group of Greeks who occupied the country and tried to force the Israelites to adopt what they considered an un-G!dly lifestyle.

The second miracle is tied in a visual way to the celebratory activities during Chanukah. When they liberated the Temple from the Greeks, the Maccabees found only enough oil to keep the Temple’s Menorah (a candelabra) lit for one day. At the time it took eight days to produce and purify the oil.  Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days until the new oil was ready to be used. During Chanukah, Jews enkindle candles on a nine-branched candelabra called a Chanukiah. The first night the celebrants enkindle one light along with a central candle called the Shamash. The second night they enkindle two lights and the central candle etc.

But the eight days of Chanukah are celebrated in a variety of other ways as well. It is traditional to eat foods fried in oil (related to the miracle of the lamp oil) such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (a type of jelly doughnut) as well as dairy foods.

In many Jewish households children play with a special type of toy top called a dreidel. Children are also given gifts of money, sometimes in the form of gelt, chocolate “coins”wrapped in gold foil.

During Chanukah many Jews increase the level of their charitable giving. They may also add additional wording to their daily prayers and Grace after meals.

 How do you correctly pronounce “Chanukah” and how do you spell it? According to the chabad.org web site, “In the Hebrew, Chanukah is pronounced with the letter chet. The chet’s ‘ch’ sound is not enunciated like the ‘ch’ in child; rather it’s a guttural, throaty sound—like the ‘ch’ in Johann Bach—which does not have an English equivalent. The letter ‘H’ is the closest, but it’s not really it. So while some people spell and pronounce it ‘Chanukah’ and others settle for ‘Hanukkah,’ they really are one and the same.”

The word Chanukah means “dedication” or “induction” in keeping with the fact that the Temple had to be purified after it was liberated.

Chanukah begins on the 25^th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. Unlike the Western calendar, the Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle. So, even though Chanukah usually occurs in December, this year it begins on Thanksgiving.

For more information about Chanukah visit:

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/605036/jewish/Chanukah-FAQs.htm

Nov 26 Insight: Is Thanksgiving THE Interfaith Holiday in America?

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

I think Thanksgiving is THE Interfaith holiday in America. Here’s why. Thanksgiving incorporates two powerful elements common to all religions: shared food and expressed gratitude. Let me explain the food part first.

I like to explore what I call the “core mythology” of religions. As part of my exploration, I once told a Jewish friend that I thought the core myth of Judaism was “exile and return.” She said, “That’s almost right; it’s actually, exile and return…Let’s go eat.”

I instantly had an epiphany: shared food is a key element of ALL religions; e.g., Jesus died for our sins…let’s go eat; there is no god but God and Muhammad is his Prophet…let’s go eat. And so on and so on. Moreover, I have learned by experience that one of the most useful tools in interfaith work is a meal shared among folks from different religions.

And here are a few observations about food at the first Thanksgiving in 1621. Compared with our contemporary menu of traditional items, we might be surprised to learn that the Pilgrims and Native Americans may have munched on such exotic foods as lobster, swan and even seal meat. We might be just as surprised to learn that the first menu didn’t include such Thanksgiving staples as pumpkin pie, ham, sweet potatoes, or cranberry sauce!

These days, in addition to turkey and dressing and pumpkin pie, the menu may include Middle Eastern hummus, Indian pekoras and even Japanese sushi. Because Chanukah starts on Thanksgiving this year the table may also include potato pancakes and soufgoniot (jelly doughnuts).And the gathering for dinner in a household may include Christians and Muslims, Hindus and Jews, Buddhists and Baha’is.

It is appropriate to note that the idea of devoting a day to Thanksgiving isn’t uniquely American.  A number of countries around the world celebrate some kind of thanksgiving day or festival. Canada observes Thanksgiving in October. Among the other nations that observe some form of national gratefulness are: China, Israel, Brazil, South Korea and India.

The spirit of thanksgiving is infused with gratitude (as the name implies). A close examination of just about every religion reveals that one of their common spiritual practices is an expression of gratefulness. The monk David Steindl-Rast reminds us that gratefulness is in fact the heart of prayer. The first Thanksgiving was offered as a consumable prayer in gratitude for the community’s survival of a long and painful winter and a scorching summer. That first Thanksgiving reminds us to express gratitude even when things aren’t going well in our individual lives or the world around us.

It wasn’t until we were in the midst of our horrible Civil War that Thanksgiving Day became a national event. President Lincoln in 1863 called on Americans to observe a Thanksgiving Day in November each year. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, but during the Great Depression, President Roosevelt tried to move the observance up a week (as a way of stimulating the sputtering pre-Christmas economy). But there was such an uproar that, Thanksgiving was returned to its original place on the calendar. Score: gratefulness one; shameless consumerism zero.

For more information about the history of Thanksgiving visit:

http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving

Nov 19 Tip: Why do Some Religious People Fiddle with Beads?

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

Actually, they’re not fiddling, they’re praying. In fact the word “bead” comes from the Old English word for prayer.

And it’s more than just some people who pray with beads. Religions comprising more than half of the planet’s population encourage their members to use prayer beads. These religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism, the Christian Orthodox Faith, Islam, Sikhism, and the Baha’i Faith.

Thu use of b

eads to count prayers dates back to at least the eighth century BCE. Hindus were perhaps the first to use them.

Hindus and Buddhists use a rosary-like string called a Mala that usually contains 108 beads.  Those who use them in spiritual practice pass the beads through their fingers as they repeat mantras such as “Om Mani Padme Hum.” The 108 beads sometimes reflect a number of faults that we may need to overcome.

It is believed that through caravan trade, the use of prayer beads traveled to the Middle East in the second half of the first millennium CE where the Sibha was adopted by Muslims.  In Islamic spiritual practice, Muslims using beads usually recite the 99 names (or, more accurately, qualities) of Allah: The Merciful, the Compassionate…

It is not clear whether there is a connection between the use of prayer beads by Muslims and Christians, but Catholics in Western Europe also began to pray with beads sometime in the late first millennium CE.

Praying the Rosary involves Catholics in reciting the Apostles Creed and a number of prayers including: the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be. The Rosary ritual also includes meditation on a number of different stories from the life of Jesus. It should be noted that while Catholics—and some Anglican—pray the Rosary, mainstream Protestants generally see prayer beads and prayers to Mary as idolatrous or at the least, spiritually un-useful.

Some Baha’is use strings that have either 95 or 19 beads (19 reflecting their unique calendar) in offering prayers of praise to God five times a day.

Praying with beads can have a variety of benefits. Because we count the beads with our fingers, prayer beads bring a tactile quality to the prayer experience. Beads can help to get us “out of our heads” (out of the thinking process) and into something more experiential. They can calm us down when we are tense, anxious, or angry. Praying with beads can enable us to focus or concentrate on the spiritual activity at hand (pun intended).

Since praying with beads is often done “out loud,” it can bring verbal expression to prayers that are usually recited silently.

Praying with beads may remind us of the many beautiful qualities of God (in the case of the Muslim Sibha). It can enlist us in re-affirming our key beliefs (The Catholic Rosary)

It can remind us (gently) of the faults we must overcome in order to be happy (Buddhist Mala)

Since advanced practitioners can finger their beads while also doing other activities, the use of prayer beads can help us to pray without ceasing (as St. Paul invites us to do).

For more information about prayer beads visit:

http://anthromuseum.missouri.edu/minigalleries/prayerbeads/intro.shtml

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_beads

Or read the book Beads of Faith (published by Louisville’s Fons Vitae Press

https://www.fonsvitae.com/tabid/58/pid/26/item.aspx

Nov. 12 Insight: Original Sin, Original Blessing (and a wry observation from Mark Twain)

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

The concept of “Original Sin” arises from the story of the tempting of Adam and as told in “The Book of Genesis” in the Bible.

In that story, God places the first humans in the Garden of Eden, and warns them that if they eat the fruit of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they will die. A serpent that dwells in the Garden tempts Eve.  She and Adam taste the fruit. God finds out, expels them from the Garden, and saddles them (and the Serpent) with curses. [NOTE: Genesis does not say that the fruit was an apple or that the serpent was a snake.]

As a result of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, all of their descendents bear a stain of sinfulness that is transmitted to them via procreation (as a sort of sexually transmitted spiritual disease). This makes all humans prone to sinfulness; even a child is in an inherited state of separation from the Divine, with a natural tendency toward sin.

In line with this belief, it is taught that only God can wipe away the stain of Original Sin through Grace, and that Jesus died on the Cross to free people who believed in Him from sins that would lead them to Hell.

Thomas Merton has a very different way of thinking about all of this. His concept is sometimes called “Original Blessing.”

The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia says, “Original sin is not so much an inherited sin passed on from one generation to the next as it is the loss of that original blessing (or innocence) in which the human person was able to see reality as it is. Original Sin, the total alienation from ‘the inmost ground of our identity’…is the accumulation of veils of illusion that cover reality and make it appear to be what it is not.

“The fall so alienates us from the Real that the true God becomes an idol, the true self becomes a false self and created nature is grasped not in the unity that expresses its true status, but in isolation and separateness.” In Merton’s view, by devoting ourselves to a lifetime of contemplative prayer and practices we can recover our Original Blessing and reconnect with God.

Finally, Mark Twain had an unusual (and amusing) take on the concept of Original Sin that put the blame squarely in the lap of God. In Twain’s view, God should have realized that if he forbade Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would immediately munch away. Twain asserted that God should have instead forbidden them to eat the serpent. They would have devoured the serpent, and there would have been no temptation, and, thus, no Original Sin. [Smile].

For more information about Original Sin visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/originalsin_1.shtml

For more information about Thomas Merton’s concept of Original Blessing read the item about Original Sin in The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia.

For more information about Mark Twain’s view of Original Sin, read his novel, Pudd'nhead Wilson.