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| Aarti Ceremony, India |
“Just as we see that a small lamp drives away the dark of a whole room, so our doubts, sadness and fear are driven away by the constant renewal of our faith in the eternal light of Divine Love. In truth, we are like lamps that must be cared for. We must tend the wick of our mind, restore the oil of our life and relight the lamp of eternal love and truth that is in our heart. Diwali is the annual celebration of that rekindling of Divine fire within us.”
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| Lush Kauai, Hawaii |
Today in Hawaii Christmas is celebrated much as it is on mainland America, expect that Santa prefers garlands of flowers to his stuffy red suit, and his sleigh – an outrigger canoe – is pulled by dolphins rather than his usual reindeer! But, before Christmas made its way to the Hawaiian islands in the late eighteenth century, Hawaiians celebrated Makahiki, a New Year Festival in honour of the harvest and Lono, the god of fertility and rain. This ancient festival ran for around four months from the middle of October, during which time there were contests, tributes to chiefs and a ban on war. It was a time to take a break from the usual farming cycles, and give thanks to the earth. The current Aloha Week festivals continue the Makahiki traditions. There will be plenty of time to give thanks to the earth and appreciate Kauai’s uniquely lush environment on our Goddess Retreat this coming April. As Dr. Alexina Mehta says,
“Kauai is considered to be the most sacred or spiritual of the Hawaiian islands according to many different sources. They consider it to be the third eye of the Hawaiian Islands and the lush environment is really conducive to a nourishing, goddess vibe. …The focus [of the retreat] is on connecting with the highest expression of the divine goddess that’s in every woman, connecting with the beauty, the wisdom, the different energies of various mythic goddesses and exploring how those energies live within each of us; how to find balance with those different energies, and at the same time how to have fun, relaxation and enjoy all the beauty of the island.”
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| Olympia, Greece |
The Greek Orthodox Church is celebrating Christmas on December 25, the same date as the Catholic and Protestant churches. Greek traditions and customs at this time of year are rooted in the differences between light and darkness so apparent in December, and the date was chosen because it also marks the day many in the Mediterranean use to honour the Persian god, Mithras, the god of the Sun. Did you know that the word “carol” comes from a Greek dance called a choraulein, which was particularly popular in France! Of course, the Greeks are also famous for another festival we still celebrate today: the Olympics. As the writer and scholar Phil Cousineau, leader of our Greece journey, tells us:
“But there is another quality – a force – that deepens the mystery of these statues [of Olympians] especially in their connection to the Greek passion for athletic festivals, including the one the Greeks revered most of all, the Olympic Games. It is in fact the miraculous force that animates all great art as well as great athletes. Call it spirit, the divine spark, the breath of life – it is the transcendent element that lifts us up when you’re down and out, the source of courage, and the soul of inspiration. Strangely, we’re not quite sure where it comes from, where it goes when it’s crushed, or how to revive it. We just know we need to be in touch with it, which is one reason we turn to art, drama, poetry, and sports, especially the Olympic Games, the most watched television event on earth.” (from The Olympic Odyssey: Rekindling the True Spirit of the Great Games)
~ Kim Bridgett
Notes:
Makahiki description taken from the Hawaiian Dictionaries.
Quote from Jeffrey Armstrong taken from his Facebook page:
