# ADSactly Culture: Fun Alternatives to Christmas

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As Christmas time draws near, I figured I would share with you something that has always fascinated me and that is, the many alternatives (not really religious) that exist in opposition to Christmas. I always have fun when reading about them and I figured you might too!


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## 1. Holiday
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You might have heard of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It seems to have fallen somewhat lately, but I remember a couple of years ago, it was quite happening in this era of internet. Everyone seemed to have heard something and they always managed to come up with some silly (looking) tradition or law. I remember the first time I heard of them it was through a friend who'd decided to join, more as a joke rather than anything else, though I don't know if he's still a member.
As you might expect, Pastafarians (as the members of this pseudo-religion like to be called) reject all formal holidays (Christian or otherwise) as well as any pre-defined dogma. But even they have come up with a sort of alternative to Christmas.
Around this time of year, they get together for Holiday. There are no known Holiday rules or traditions, as far as I can tell. I suppose it's sort of a free for all, choose your own adventure type of thing. But they do celebrate it. 

Oh, did you know that for Pastafarians, every Friday is a holiday? Talk about good fun...
Bobby Henderson, the creator of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster actually thanked Walmart and even President Bush (back in 2005) for using the phrase 'Happy Holidays'! I bet you've used it yourself once or twice lately, haven't you?



## 2. Yule

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Yule is a very old nature holiday that is still celebrated today. It marks the beginning of winter and it is celebrated on the 21st of December (winter solstice, when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun), which is the shortest day of the whole year (and the longest night). And you thought you were just tired...

It's a very special day that has been celebrated ever since Druid times, long long ago. It's one of eight solar holidays (which used to be very popular), along with the Summer and Spring equinox as well as the Eve of May. Today, Yule is not as widely-celebrated as it once was, but many Wiccans and modern-day Druids still mark the day by honoring the sun, meditating, singing pagan carols and lighting Yule logs. 

Did you know that this is where the Christmas log cake originates from? The Tronchetto (as it is known in Italian) or the Buche de Noel (French) is exactly what you would expect – a delicious chocolate cake, shaped just like a tree log. In the past, I've made tronchetto for Christmas myself and now it turns out, I'd been honoring the Sun. It's a good thing that – like Pastafarians – I don't much care for traditional holidays either and the log really is yummy!

Yule is celebrated in places with special significance, such as Stonehenge in England or the Cerro del Gentil pyramid, in Peru.

## 3. Newtonmas

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I had such fun with this one, as I didn't even imagine such a holiday could exist. I'm not very big on science. For some weird reason, we've never been able to get along, but this holiday is somehow right up my alley – I like the idea of celebrating things that are important to you, not to the general majority. 
Anyway, Newtonmas is celebrated on the 25th of December, just like Christmas, and it is, as you might've guessed, a celebration of Isaac Newton's birthday. 
Now, the more science-y people of the bunch might be a tad confused, as Newton's official birthday is not, in fact on Christmas, but on the 4th of January, so quite a bit away. 
But the thing is that back in the 1600s, when Isaac Newton was actually born, the English were using a different calendar. Some of you may know that there are two calendars that do cause confusion now and again – the Old Style calendar (or the Julian calendar) and the New Style Calendar (the Gregorian calendar, the one most of us go by today). 
But back in 1642, the English were using the Julian calendar, which showed Newton's birthday as the 25th of December, hence Newtonmas. The English (along with the Welsh, Irish and the colonies) only switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, and then, all the old birth dates, like Newton's, were changed to fit the new calendar. But originally, we can assume that yes, Isaac Newton celebrated his birthday on Christmas, which couldn't have been much fun, since everyone was probably busy with that. 
Anyway, happy birthday to the great Isaac Newton and Merry Newtonmas! 
(If you're looking for a good Newtonmas gift, a science book or some research papers are a sure win!)

## 4. HumanLight


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This is another interesting one, and with a good concept backing it. HumanLight is an atheist holiday that aims to take all the good bits about Christmas and keep them, while eliminating all the consumerist stuff that's associated recently as well as (of course) the religious aspects of Christmas.
It is a holiday of hope, compassion, love, kindness – all those wonderful things that make up the Christmas spirit. It's a time of giving and of being with your loved ones. There are no rules to it, no traditional foods or what not, just be kind. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? And it's something we could celebrate far more often than just once a year, I'd say.
It was created by the New Jersey Humanist Network and it was first celebrated in 2001, so you could say it's quite an old holiday!

It's not celebrated on actual Christmas, but on the 23rd of December. Happy HumanLight, everyone!

## 5. Festivus

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I've saved my favorite for last. Many of you are probably familiar with the cult series Seinfeld that aired throughout the 90s and starred young comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his crazy, anti-social bunch of friends. 
Well, in its 9th season, the show introduced an alternative sort of Christmas that one of the characters celebrates. It was called Festivus (also on the 23rd of December) and although similar to Christmas, it had some very different traditions. Instead of a tree, the character put up an aluminum pole with no decoration whatsoever. People would gather with their loved ones for a Festivus dinner, during which they would air their grievances (naming all the ways in which the others had disappointed them during the past year) and would then proceed to the feats of strength which was basically a wrestling match, where guests had to fight the head of the household and pin them down.
Oddly enough, Festivus was actually inspired by show writer Dan O'Keefe's real dad, who celebrated every year by putting a clock in a bag and nailing it to the wall, refusing to explain why.


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Anyway, whatever you and your family celebrate this year, I hope you have a great time together! 

# Happy Holidays! 

Authored by: @honeydue 

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