The recent thread on Christmas reminded me of a conversation I had with
my buddy Chris some time back.  He picked Halloween as his favorite
holiday because it had, in his words, "nothing to do with religion."
Being the contrarian that I am, I put forth the argument that Halloween
is our *most* religious holiday, dealing as it does with matters of
spirit, mysticism, the supernatural, and a pre-scientific approach to
natural forces and cycles.  Meanwhile, holidays such as Christmas,
Easter, and even St. Patrick's and St. Valentine's Days, have lost most
of their religious significance, and are observed today as secular /
commercial festivals.

We then got into a debate over whether patriotism -- the belief in the
inherent goodness of one's country -- constituted a "religion," thus
making such American holidays as Independence Day, Memorial day, Labor
Day, etc. religious rather than civic / secular in nature.

I'm not sure what the moral of this story is, other than:

a) every holiday has more layers of meaning than we suppose (which is
part of what makes them so wonderful), and

b) don't get into any conversations with me and Chris.

With best wishes to all for a joyful and festive week of August 31,

Eugene Dillenburg
Lead Developer, Philippines Coral Reef exhibit
John G. Shedd Aquarium
1200 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois  60605

V:      (312) 692-3136
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"The unofficial strike committee have increased their demands to
thirteen reasons why George III was a bad king."

-- M. Python, 1970