Secularists see ‘HumanLight’ as new December holiday

(RNS) Add another holiday to the December dilemma — HumanLight.

In addition to Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, secular humanists have added a new celebration to the crowded calendar. HumanLight, observed on or about Dec. 23, is a secular celebration of human potential that is growing in acceptance.

This year, at least 18 groups, from New Jersey to Florida and Pennsylvania to Colorado, have ceremonies planned. And at least one government building that displays holiday scenes has added HumanLight to the roster: the county courthouse in Wabash, Ind., displays a yellow, white and red HumanLight banner on the same lawn as the Christian creche.

“The key to understanding HumanLight is to understand it is a holiday that is humanity-based,” said Patrick Colucci, vice-chair of The HumanLight Committee, a volunteer group which helps promote awareness of the holiday.

“It is about celebrating and experiencing a positive vision of the future that we believe humans can build together by working for a more just, more peaceful and a better quality of life for all.”

HumanLight evolved from meetings of the New Jersey Humanist Network, of which Colucci is a member. In the late 1990s, members began asking each other what they could do to celebrate during December.

“The December holiday period is always a discussion for those of us who are nontheistic,” Colucci said. “What are we going to do if our families want us to go to church? Should we celebrate Christmas even though we don’t want to? The question came up: How come there is no holiday for the nonreligious?”
Human Light

They also wanted a way to celebrate that did not involve a man in a big red suit.

“It was an issue when families in our group started to have young children,” Colucci said. Try explaining to a five-year-old why you don’t celebrate Christmas, or Hanukkah.

“That is why HumanLight has a very strong focus on family and community and building that among humanists and the nonreligious,” Colucci said. [More]

SOURCE

Religion News Service