November saw me involved with lots of Interfaith activities, including the National Launch of Interfaith week, attended by National Faith representatives, Interfaith bodies, education bodies and both the former and the current Faiths minister. I attended a meeting of 40 National faith representatives, representatives of local and national interfaith organisations and education organisations, as reported in a previous blog post, exploring the possibility of forming a new National Interfaith body to fill the void left by the closure of the Interfaith Network.
I also attended some meetings concerning Religion and Worldviews education in my role as Belief and Education officer. The Government has expressed interest in the creation of a National Curriculum for Religion and Worldviews education, something that has not existed before, to the detriment of perception of RE. This will require the RE community to reflect on many aspects of the subject and how best to create a curriculum that serves teachers, learners and society. One of those RE meetings was convened at the request of the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, discussing the contribution that Religion and Worldviews education makes to a more cohesive society. It is good that we’re able to be a part of these important initiatives that have potential to be so beneficial for the whole of our society.
And so to December and Winter in the Northern hemisphere. It’s a time when we seek sanctuary from the oppressive cold and dark, a time when we gather together in our families and in our communities as a symbol of sanctuary and support when daylight hours are short, food to harvest is scarce and isolation could be perilous.
There are a number of religions celebrating festivals in December. From 7th to the 15th December, Jews will be celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of light. The word Hanukkah means ‘dedication’ and celebrates a time when the Jews won a battle against the ancient Greeks to practise their religion freely. To celebrate the victory, an oil lamp was lit in the temple, but although there was only enough oil to burn the candle for one day, it miraculously it burned for eight days.
We Pagans celebrate Winter solstice on 21st December and Yule from 21st December to 1st January, celebrating the rebirth of the sun and a return of longer days of sunlight.
There is also the Christmas festival on 25th, celebrating the birth of the Son (of God) while Pagans celebrate the (re)birth of the sun.
Kwanzaa is a secular festival celebrating the history, values and culture of the African-American community, celebrated from 26th December to 1st January.Cold, dark and oppressive times have led to our respective communities celebrating coming together, enduring and overcoming those challenges with hope and a promise for the return of brighter and better times. So too, is the case for both Interfaith, nationally, and for Religion and Worldviews education.
Brightest blessings for your gathering s together during the December festivals and your Winter Solstice celebrations.
Mike Stygal
Belief and Education Officer
Contact me here