An Islamist objected:
"What do atheists have to do with Eid? These poor people don't have any joyful festivals of their own."
Our Response:
The desire for joy, love, and celebration isn't exclusive to any faith; it's deeply embedded in human nature itself. It doesn't depend on a particular religion or belief system.
Universal Celebrations of Love and Life
Humans, across all cultures and creeds, spontaneously create moments of joy. Take, for example:
- Valentine's Day: Non-religious people chose February 14th to celebrate love, and billions worldwide (including countless Muslims) have embraced it. Why? Because love transcends every religion and every god. You can issue countless fatwas, brand love as immoral, or impose harsh punishments, but this fundamental human emotion will always rebel against rigid, unnatural restrictions.
- Mother's and Father's Days: Without any divine decree, non-religious people initiated these days to honour the profound love of parents. These are purely secular tributes to universal human bonds.
- Birthday Celebrations: These are celebrated globally, regardless of religious affiliation, marking the personal milestone of another year lived.
- New Year Celebrations: From firework displays to countdowns, New Year's Eve and Day are universally non-religious celebrations of fresh starts and the passage of time.
- Chinese New Year: Look at the Chinese New Year and other Chinese festivals; they've been celebrated for thousands of years on a steadfastly non-religious basis, showcasing millennia of secular cultural joy.
Religions BORROWED Festivals from non-religious Traditions
Many ancient festivals, often perceived as religious, actually have deep non-religious, cultural, and seasonal roots:
- Holi and Diwali: Holi, the festival of colours, is linked to the arrival of spring. Diwali was originally a harvest festival, marking the end of the business year and the start of a new one. Attempts were later made to link both these vibrant festivals to Hinduism, suggesting religions often incorporated pre-existing cultural celebrations.
- Nowruz: Iran's ancient Nowruz festival, celebrating the vernal equinox and new year, was originally non-religious. It, too, acquired religious overtones later, but its core remains a celebration of nature's cycle.
Western Celebrations Beyond Religion
The West also offers numerous examples of festivals with non-religious, or at least non-Christian, roots:
- Carnivals & Halloween: Many European and American festivals, like various Carnivals (e.g., Venice, Notting Hill) and even Halloween, have deep cultural or pre-Christian roots that are entirely separate from specific religious doctrines. They focus on community, merriment, and tradition.
- International Women's Day (March 8th): This is a purely non-religious and humanitarian observance, celebrating women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and advocating for gender equality.
- Pride Parades/Festivals (often in June): These are modern, entirely non-religious celebrations of LGBTQ+ rights, identity, and community. While some religious groups may express anger, we dance, we enjoy, and we proudly support our fellow humans.
In short, joy, celebration, and love are the inherent rights of every human being. No divine decree is needed for that.
Joy: Beyond Blood and Conquest
Think for a moment: Is joy only possible by spilling the blood of a sacrificial animal or celebrating a "victory"? Can the human soul's deepest thirst only be quenched within these narrow confines? Absolutely not! This limited view severely restricts the very idea of joy.
True joy isn't built on someone else's pain, nor is it the result of coercion or oppression. Genuine happiness stems from freedom, love, and a profound sense of humanity, a joy where every human smile is pure, authentic, and fearless.
Music and Dance: Life's Melody (which is non-religious)
In Abrahamic religions (especially Islam and Judaism), music often faces restrictions, and dancing for both men and women is almost entirely forbidden. Yet, have you ever considered that music and dance have truly flourished on non-religious foundations? People worldwide embrace these arts immensely because they are food for the soul, a vast ocean for expressing emotions.
Swaying to a melody, moving to a rhythm, these are natural expressions of human emotion. Non-religious people have embraced these inherent pleasures freely, and it's this very freedom that has inspired them to reach new heights in the arts.
Simply put, non-religious people enjoy their lives to such a full extent that it's challenging for religious people to even comprehend. This isn't merely an argument; it's a reality many experience daily. When paths to joy aren't confined by religious rituals or specific beliefs, the colours and delights of life expand exponentially. Acknowledging the vastness of human nature truly unlocks the door to genuine happiness.
Hassan Radwan