Winter Festivals of Light and Faith
READING ~ I Will Light Candles This Christmas by Howard Thurman
I will light candles this Christmas
Candles of joy, despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all the year long.
READING ~ Our Sacred Fire by Elizabeth Harding
People have always known that fire was special. Long, long ago, before people made matches or candles or even made houses, people knew that fire was special. There was the great fire in the sky, the sun, which made the earth warm and made night into day. And there were the smaller fires that people made, fires that cooked their food, and kept them warm, and brought them light.
People honored the fires, because fire was special. Fire was more than human. Fire has power: it can create and it can destroy. It can bring light and it can burn. It can create and it can destroy. Fire can be wonderful, and fire can be terrible. We have to be careful with fire.
And so, people thought that fire was something sacred and holy. Some people even worshiped fire, and said that fire was a deity, like a goddess or a god. Other people said fire wasn’t actually the deity, but just meant that the deity was there.
No matter what they believed, people all over the world gave fire a special place in their religions. They had fires in their homes, of course, to cook food and keep warm, and they also had sacred fires in their temples. They set sacred lamps on their altars. They lit sacred bonfires outside on the hilltops and in the groves. They placed sacred torches near the graves of those who died.
We still do this today. In Washington, DC, near the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, burns an eternal flame that never goes out. In churches at Christmas time, many Christians light four candles on an Advent wreath. During the eight days of Hanukkah, Jews light the eight candles of the menorah. At Diwali, Hindus set small lamps all around the house.
And when Unitarian Universalists gather, we light a chalice. This is our sacred fire.
SERMON
“People have always known that fire was special.” (Elizabeth Harding)
Many religions have major holidays during the late fall and early winter months. Common themes across cultures include sharing with others, connecting with family, enjoying delicious holiday foods and meals and of course, fire - a theme of light overcoming darkness.
The religious holidays with a festival of light that we here in North America know best are probably Diwali, celebrated by Hindus, Hanukkah, celebrated by Jews, and Christmas, celebrated by Christians. A spiritual but not religious African American holiday celebrated in America and now around the world is Kwanzaa.
Diwali – which means string of lights - is observed on the darkest night of the Amavasya moon cycle. The Hindu calendar is a lunar calendar and so the celebration of Diwali falls in October or November of our Western solar calendar. Diwali is the annual celebration of the return of light after months of darkness.
To celebrate Diwali, there is fire, there is food, and there are gifts.
People set off fireworks, hang strings of electric lanterns, and light earthen oil lamps. Families and friends exchange gifts of sweets and fruit as tokens of good wishes.
Diwali is a festival that brings excitement, joy, and prosperity to the people. Diwali is the most sacred festival of Hinduism. It is celebrated it in every corner of the world.
Diwali represents the spiritual triumph of good over evil, and wisdom over ignorance. The lights of Diwali represent a time when we should extinguish all of our evil intentions and fantasies, banish all shadowy forces, and rekindle our enthusiasm for doing good.
Where does this festival originate? Why do Hindus around the world call this their most sacred holiday?
According to Hindu Mythology, this day symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. On this day, Lord Rama Came Back to his kingdom after completing the exile of 14 years. The people welcomed him by lighting up the whole state with small clay lamps. From that day people started celebrating this day as a festival of light. It reminds the faithful to follow the path of wisdom and truth.
The lighting of lamps to celebrate victory is also the story of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah, which means “dedication,” is the festival that commemorates the purification and rededication of the Temple following the Greek occupation of that holy place. The Jewish resistance to the occupation of the land and the desecration of their temple was lead by the Maccabee family.
Though outnumbered, Judah Maccabee and his fighters miraculously won two major battles, routing the Syrians decisively. They regained the temple and called upon the Jewish priests to reconsecrate and purify the temple. Priests found only one small flask of holy oil for rekindling the Temple lamp. Instead of burning for a single day, the oil miraculously lasted for eight. – The time required to procure additional oil.
Today, the holiday reminds Jews to rededicate themselves to keeping alive the flame of Jewish religion, culture, and peoplehood so that it may be passed on to the next generation.
To commemorate these events annually, Jews light a nine-branched candelabrum, called a menorah. This ritual gives the holiday its nickname—the Festival of Lights. Every evening for eight nights, Jewish families sing blessings and light a candle, adding one each night as the week passes.
And – of course – there is food and family and sharing. The giving of gifts is not an essential or even an important part of the religious observance of Hanukkah.
This year, Hanukkah will begin in the evening of Sunday, December 18th and ends in the evening of Monday, December 26th.
Christians celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th. Christmas is not actually a religious festival of lights – as Diwali and Hanukkah are. The light, the fire, the candles associated with Christmas are the four Advent candles – one candle is lit each of the four Sundays before Christmas and the fifth, center Christ candle, is lit on Christmas – or during the Christmas Eve religious service.
It is the contemporary, often more secular, observance of Christmas that is a festival of lights. We have evergreen trees adorned with all kinds of lights – no longer candles in most places and homes. Many people, Christians and non-Christians put candles in their windows to drive away the darkness of December and to welcome people with the warmth of the flame.
Kawanzaa is a modern holiday dating to the mid 1960s. Begun here in the United States, this is a seven-day festival of light and family, values/principles, culture and yes, food celebrated from December 26th through January 1st.
Each of the days of the celebration is dedicated to one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani). There also are seven symbols of the holiday: fruits, vegetables, and nuts; a straw mat; a candleholder; ears of corn (maize); gifts; a communal cup signifying unity; and seven candles in the African colours of red, green, and black, symbolizing the seven principles. On each day the family comes together to light one of the candles in the kinara, or candleholder, and to discuss the principle for the day. On December 31, families join in a community feast called the karamu. Some participants wear traditional African clothing during the celebration.
These holidays of light remain an important part of religious ritual, faith, or spirituality for many people. The historical, religious, and cultural significance cannot be ignored or understated for those whose practice is deeply rooted in the stories and meaning of the holiday.
The winter religious holidays use the ancient power of fire – candles and now often electric lights – to remind us that there is always a return of the light and that darkness does not last forever. It is a celebration of truth and wisdom, kindness and generosity.
Next Sunday we will celebrate the Winter Solstice –the ancient religious celebration of darkness giving way to returning light.
Now people living of all places and cultures express great joy in lighting up the winter night with fire and light. There is a spiritual value to these celebrations that make the long dark nights more joyful than dreadful. Spirituality does not require religion, though the two are often found together. What these festivals of light do for us is to bring light into darkness. They lighten our spirit and open us to see, feel and experience wonder and to share in various celebrations.
Of course, we know that as the earth turns and makes its annual trip around the sun, the length of light and darkness in our days is ever-changing. Yet, the darkness is not easy. It is no accident that ancient festivals have been set to occur in the dark months and feature fire. We need the light of life and spirit in our darkness. Not as way of restoring good and vanquishing evil – for the light and dark are neither good nor evil. But dark is difficult, and infusing the dark night with our own created versions of light enlivens us. The proof really is found in the number and variety of festivals – both religious and secular – that occur during the darkest times of year.
When we take a simple inventory of winter festivals of lights from around the world, it seems there is something for everyone and something everywhere.
Lyon, France has a festival that lights up the entire city. It is one of the oldest city light shows.
Berlin, Germany and Montreal, Canada have festivals.
Niagara Falls is wonderfully light during December nights.
There is a national light festival in Reykjavik, Iceland and the opera house in Sydney, Australia has one of the best light show displays ever a number of days anywhere in the world.
Viet Nam and Korea have these amazing festivals of lanterns where rice paper lanterns are filled with combustible gas (not unlike a hot air balloon) and all together thousands of lanterns are lit and release to drift upward filling the sky with points of light.
Closer to home here in Maine – perhaps you have been to the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden Lights Aglow show. It is spectacular.
Here in Castine – we trim the town with greens and light up street lamps and trees. Our own Meeting House hosts a tree again after two years of no indoor festivities and celebrations. It is good to be together under the Castine UU tree again.
Everywhere, towns have a town Christmas or holiday tree that is adorned with lights and ornaments of the season.
Perhaps you’ve watched the televised lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City the end of November or will tune in to see the lighting of the National tree in Washington, D.C. – which happens tonight at 8:00 p.m.
There are as many ways to celebrate light in the darkness as there are people, nations, religions and families. The light seems always to lift our spirits and help us through the darkness. Go – light your candle. Let its tiny flame bring light and warmth into your heart and soul.
Trim your tree and string lights all around it. Watch the lights that glitter and gleam across the night sky in small little patches or in great wide bands across a whole city.
The light of our flame does not deny the dark or the difficulties of this life, but it does help us cope and bring each other through dark seasons and dark days.
For those of us who light candles as ritual of faith, may we remember the words of Howard Thurman.
I will light candles this Christmas
Candles of joy, despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all the year long.
"Hold out your candle for all to see and take your candle and go light your world." (Chris Rice – Go Light Your World)
However you choose to light up the darkness this season, may you find joy, hope, peace and love, and may share that light everywhere you go.
Blessed Be. I Love You. Amen.
