Your feast is my fast

Think about it for a moment. You see the Christmas tree lights twinkling in sitting room windows all around you, the cribs in public places, carol singers at street corners and the flurry of present-buying for the fast-approaching deadline of December 25th.

But, you are not a part of it. Christmas is for Christians, and you are Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist. How does it feel to live in the midst of a people preparing for the biggest religious festival of their year and yet not participate in it?

Joe Briscoe is a spokesperson for the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland. "Although we do not celebrate the birth of Jesus, a lot of Jews do participate in the festivities that take place. It is a holiday for Jewish people," he says.

Arif Fitzsimon of the Islamic Cultural Centre, Clonskeagh, Dublin says he doesn't feel excluded from the Christmas celebrations. "It is not something that is important to us, and we have our own time to come together, celebrate and give presents."

In fact, many of the people I spoke to point to the celebration of their own religious festivals, some of which regularly coincide with Christmas. One is the Jewish festival of Chanukah, which involves lighting candles over eight days to commemorate a small band of warriors who overcame the Romans to bring purity back to the Temple. Briscoe claims the lighting of candles at Christmas time dates back to this Jewish festival of Chanukah.

Christmas also falls within Ramadan, the annual period of daylight fasting for Muslims, this year. "Ramadan started on December 7th this year and continues for a lunar month, which means we will be fasting on Christmas Day," says Arif Fitzsimon. At the end of Ramadan, there is a three-day celebration, Eid Ul Fitr, during which there are feasts and presents for the children. "When you live in another country with a different belief system, you learn to accept. I don't think Muslims feel drawn into it because it doesn't have any significance for them or their children - just like Christian children don't feel drawn into things when Muslim children celebrate their eids."

However, Rabia Najjair, a Muslim Irish woman and mother of seven children, points out that many of the rituals of Christmas - such as bringing trees into your home, Santa Claus etc - are pagan in origin. Also conscious of the rise of racism in this country, she believes people should extend their "season of goodwill" all year round. "What bothers me is the adamant manner in which people say things like, `how dare you not celebrate Christmas' and `it's outrageous that you don't buy presents for your children'. They honestly think that it is cruel that Muslim children are not let out to discos and Christmas parties."

"Having grown up a Catholic, I remember Christmas as a rosy time of year but in actual fact, it is a time when people get drunk and overeat," she says. "As an adult, I feel sorry for people and the amount of money they end up spending at Christmas time. It has gone far beyond anything Christian."

Her daughter, Eftaima Najjair (17), adds that as a Muslim attending a Catholic school, she doesn't expect presents at Christmas and her friends don't expect her to buy them presents. "The odd friend would buy me something but it is against my religion to drink alcohol; I don't go to any of the Christmas parties."

The Buddhist perspective on Christmas is different to both the Islamic and Jewish ones. "We celebrate it like anybody else because we are not an ethnic community as such. Most of us are Western, so many of us will have family Christmas, the presents and all that, but won't go to midnight Mass. In many ways, we'll celebrate it in the same way as many non-religious Irish people do," says Michael McLoughlin, a member of the Dublin Buddhist community.

Siofra O'Donovan is a practising Buddhist and writer, based in Co Wicklow. She says that as a Western Tibetan Buddhist, you are taught not to reject Christian traditions. "Buddhism is a way of life rather than a replacement religion," she says. "I value Christmas as a time for family to come together but in the light of modern society, I think it is a shopping festival. Personally, I keep things on a lower key. For instance, I am making my Christmas presents this year." The magical tradition of Santa Claus bringing presents to all good children is another part of Christmas which, if we are to be honest, sometimes gains greater prominence than the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus. So, how do non-Christians deal with this aspect of Christmas?

"St Nicholas was a Christian saint so we don't believe in him. That's not to say that some Jewish families don't practise the myth of Santa Claus coming down the chimney," says Joe Briscoe. "We also have a children's dimension to Chanukah, during which time all my grandchildren will expect presents from me."

Rabia Najjair says: "I teach my children good moral standards, so I don't need somebody dressed up in a red suit to do that for me. Many Irish grandparents want their grandchildren to have Santa Claus and toys. I explain to newly converted Muslims not to be too harsh about this aspect, and I didn't stop my own parents giving my children presents at Christmas time."

And what of the tradition of Christmas dinner? Do non-Christians join in this ritual feasting in mid-December? "We do eat turkey on Christmas Day," says Joe Briscoe. "Christmas Day is a holiday for us."

"Many Buddhists will be tucking into turkey on Christmas Day, although some of us are vegetarian," says Michael McLoughlin.

"No, we don't eat turkey or anything like that. In fact, as I've said, this year Christmas Day falls within Ramadan so we will be fasting during the day," says Rabia Najjair. Does she miss the traditional Christmas fare? "No, I never liked turkey anyway," she laughs.