#1 – Trace of religion

New Years. Christmas. When I take a second and think about it, I do not like any of these celebrations… The reason is somewhat simple: I am not a fan of religion, and these traditions are linked to christianity. I teach spanish, and going through the country´s history with my students I am always dumbfounded when I realize how much wrong has happened in the name of christianity. A couple of key-words would be the Inquisition and the colonization of the New World.

I find it very hard to remember that celebrating Christmas is a religious act, and since I am not religious I should not celebrate it. But society leads us to think in certain ways, and much like the San Fermín festival in Pamplona every year, we are a bunch of bulls that run in the direction society wants us to…

I am all for celebrating the winter solistice, which in 2014 fell on the 21st of december. The problem is that in the noise from all the Christmas propaganda screaming at me from society I always seem forget it. This might be one of my New Years resolutions for next year: Celebrate what truly feels right to celebrate.

Mariann