The Northern Virginia Ethical Society celebrates Winter Festival, borrowing from many traditions willingly and lovingly. As the cold weather drapes our shoulders, we nevertheless feel the warmth of the holiday season.

Ours is a festival of festivals -- a sharing of traditions and joy. All are welcome!

We join with the many faiths and cultures who hold this time sacred.  Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 21, and western Christmas is celebrated on the 25th.  As the world turns again towards the sun at the winter solstice, most cultures celebrate holidays dedicated to hope and renewal.   Our Buddhist neighbors will celebrate Bodhi Day on December 8 -- the date, according to Mahayana tradition, of Siddhartha Gautama’s presentation of the Four Noble Truths, the foundation of Buddhism.  Northern European cultures celebrate Yule with bonfires and feasting.  This holiday period belongs to many cultures and many voices.  We welcome them all.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate an ancient birth, Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate the festival of lights, a wonderful Bodhi Day for those following the Eightfold Path, and happy holidays to all who celebrate our many untold traditions. 

• More about Winter Festival 2008