Festive celebrations..

Up until my trip to the Far East a couple of months back, I had not realised how ignorant people in my country are to the festive occasions of people from other creeds and religions. I am serious on this issue. The lack of understanding and respect is non-existent amongst many more people in this country than I had imagined.

When I went out to Malaysia in October, Eid celebrations had just come to an end and preparations were underway for Diwali. You talked to various people and one could never assume by looking at the person, their preferences when it came to festive celebrations. It was broadly and pleasantly acceptable that people were free to celebrate whichever celebrations they desired to and the color of your skin or any other element did not matter. If you so desired, you could celebrate them all and most of all every single person happily greeted each other and knew exactly when these celebratory days were. No one was clueless. In fact they were all clued up well on the details of various festive occasions The shopping malls were all true to the spirit of Diwali at the time, having just taken down their decor from Eid. This was the true spirit of genuine people who lived side by side accepting all faith and all festive occasions.

Most people in my country are ignorant. They can't even bring themselves to wish you well on Eid or ask if you had a good Eid. But turn the coin, and the minority are almost backed into some shitty corner to utter well wishes on Christmas, and should you make a mistake to not, my Goodness, it's almost like a crime that you should be hung, drawn and quartered for.  Not so literally I suppose but it the attitude posed to you that sucks.

It doesn't bother me, I know enough about the Christian faith, the reason behind Christmas. Sadly those who supposedly celebrate it don't. They are so vain and uninteresting unless it has a materialistic approach to it. The true moral and spiritual significance to the faith and celebrations are completely lost. I find people submerged in spending hundreds and even thousands of pounds on gifts, decorations and food. There is no covetous from me as I think about this, just simple sadness to be amongst people who are so grasping and I dread to think that people of my faith would ever turn in this approach. For when we celebrate, the spiritual significance is still there, it's beautiful and its genuine, it's for a cause encompassing every possible element in life.

I do the cards, and the gifts to a degree, mostly because it's a good time to keep in touch with people you don't get to see often, to share with them a little of what you would desire for oneself. I wish well and I enjoy Christmas to an extent openly and happily. But I’d love to see a day when the majority would be as courteous to the minority when it comes to festivities!

One can only hope for change..:)

Aisha