@LadiesofHive Community Contest #266 questions for the week are:

1️⃣ Many holidays are celebrated this time of year: Hannukah in the Jewish tradition, Yule/Solstice in Neo-Pagan and ancient traditions, Christmas in Christian households, Bodhi Day in some Buddhist traditions... Have you ever celebrated with others in a tradition that is NOT your own? If so, tell us about it. If not, would you consider it, and which holiday would you choose as your first such experience?
~ 𝐀𝐍𝐃 / 𝐎𝐑 ~
2️⃣ If your family celebrated a holiday when you were a child, do you still have an ornament, decoration, or ritual item that was used when you were a child? If so, what is it and its significance to you?

It's festival season and the vibe is colorful and positive. Everywhere there are lights and decorations. This is the best part of the year. For me festivals are a joyful time. I have grown up in a diverse environment, stayed in many different places with diversity and because of that for me every festival is important. My first job where I worked there were maximum Catholics, even my Father's home, where we stayed there were many Catholics, so Christmas became like my own festival. In my school, I had many Hindu friends, and they would invite me to their home during Diwali, and Diwali became my own festival. For 10 years I have been living in Middle East and hence Eid has also become my own festival.

I have not only been part of their celebrations but also celebrated at my own place. On every Christmas I set up a tree at home, we have a Christmas party with family and friends. On every Diwali I decorate my home with lights, do rangoli at my door step, make sweets, have friends come over, and we all celebrate it together with sparkles as if it's my own festival.

Source

Ganesh Chaturthi festival is not mine again but it is one of the most important one for me, as I have very strong faith in Lord Ganesh, and I do the 2 days Ganesh rituals at my home from the 9 day long festival.

I enjoy every festival and respect them, I like to celebrate them because I believe they bring joy in to our lives, they bring the spark in our lives, and these are the ways where family and friends unite in love. We forget all our differences and celebrate together. There are no boundaries of religions in celebrations, these are the celebrations of humanity where we become part of each other's culture and enjoy the moments of life together.

There is no just one holiday that I will like to celebrate. I will like to celebrate all of them, and I do that. Whichever holidays are celebrated in my country, they are all good as mine. The boundaries we create are all in our hand whether we want to retain them or dissolve them. This is also the beauty of India, not only me but almost every Indian does this, they are a part of each other's traditions, culture and celebrations.

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