Human Light (December 23rd): Established in 2001 by the New Jersey Humanist Network, the festival has spread to 15 other US states. Designed as a secular alternative to Christmas, its name was chosen for "its emphasis on humanity (as opposed to the supernatural) and the light of reason", according to the organisers (www.humanlight.org).
Typical events include: readings from humanist writers, a candle-lighting ceremony, science demonstrations for kids, music, song, and dance. The big event in New Jersey this year is a buffet dinner in the planetarium. Ann James of the Humanist Association of Ireland says it has considered hosting a Human Light event in Ireland but "we are not bothered". She sees no benefit in renaming the 25th "Xmas", pointing out what some don't know, namely that "X" stands for "Christ" (coming from the Greek letter "Chi").
Yule (circa December 21st): Celebrated as a neopagan festival, Yule coincides with the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. A Yule festival predating Christianity was celebrated in Germany and Scandinavia, and customs still linger as part of today's Christmas festivities. The lighting of the Yule log, the eating of ham, the hanging of holly and mistletoe are all remnants from ancient Yule. Neopagans celebrating the event today draw on mythology around the solstice, and often mark the occasion with vigils from dusk to dawn. "Traditional healer" Joe Mullally is an annual celebrant of Yule. He goes each year to a stone circle off the N81 near Blessington to herald "the birth of the sun". Later, he has a celebration with friends. There is no chanting or pagan rituals, only a buffet featuring "the fruits of winter".
Winterval (mid-winter): Compromise festival embracing Christian, Neopagan (solstice, Yule), Jewish (Hanukkah), and secular (New Year's Day) events around Christmas-time. It has never really caught on despite the valiant efforts of one local authority in the UK, which used it as the focus of a three-month collection of multi-faith and secular events in 1998.
Birmingham City Council was accused of political correctness and "censoring" Christmas by the local Church of England hierarchy.
The city's Winterval did involve some carol singing, and the planting of Christmas lights in the trees around Birmingham cathedral, but that wasn't enough for Bishop Mark Santer who believed Winterval to be "a way of not talking about Christmas".
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