A British Christmas

For practising Christians, Christ is the central theme at this time of the year. But recent trends have shown that Christmas is gradually becoming a traditional British holiday rather than a Christian one. It is increasingly taking on a secular and commercial character, with people of all faiths and no faith taking part in the merrymaking.

As a national holiday, it is now a time for families and communities to meet, make peace and share turkey!

These non-Christians told us how and why they celebrate Christmas.


Atheist - Sarah Davenport, personal assistant, Stockport

We're all atheists in my family, and we just see Christmas as a nice celebration. I just love the atmosphere. We really enjoy all the snow, the tinsel and the carol singers. It's a lovely time of year.

I especially love the build up to Christmas. There are massive amounts of present buying. We go to my parents' house and have Christmas dinner with crackers and on boxing day all the family come round with the kids and we have another meal. The house is decorated with trees, stars and we always watch Christmas TV.

We do recognise it as a date that's important to Christians, but we do it because we've always done it. My parents are atheist as well. I did go to midnight mass once, but I found it mostly boring. The religious bits annoyed me. We do everything to do with Christmas, except celebrate the birth of Jesus.


Hindu - Sonia Karia, presenter, Milton Keynes

We've celebrated Christmas ever since I can remember, and my parents have adapted to the culture ever since they arrived from Africa about 35 years ago. We've had the presents and the roast dinner forever, but we started to really go all out when I was about twelve years old. My parents saw it as a proud British tradition and thought it was a beautiful festive season. You just can't miss the atmosphere with all the lights and the shopping and you feel a bit like a Scrooge if you don't get involved.

This is the first Christmas that we're doing Christmas without my parents, as they're going on holiday, but I'm still going to my other half's on the day itself. Usually though, people would come round to our house and just chill and relax. The Queen's speech will be on, but normally we talk over it!

We celebrate Christmas like any average British family, but it's just that we're Hindu. My sister and I haul the Christmas tree out of the garage every year and decorate the house and we give each other presents.

And although my mum and I are vegetarian, my sister isn't so my mum cooks the turkey for her. We'll have a vegetarian option, but the food is all the same as the traditional Christmas. I know some families who have samosas and Indian foods, but ours is packed with parsnips and carrots and gravy as normal.

To be honest, we don't even think about Jesus, so the celebration of Christmas has no conflict at all with my faith as a Hindu. Christmas for me is about tradition and fun. It's about the warm feeling you get with your family and friends around a fireplace with you when it's cold outside.


Muslim - Temoor Raja, graduate, Bradford

We've celebrated Christmas since I can remember. I remember as children we would bring Christmas cards into the home and hang them up in the living room, having contests to see who had the most.

It was us kids who brought Christmas into the house, really, and my parents were quite happy to accommodate it. When I was five years old, I remember walking into the house and seeing a green Christmas tree on top of the television, decorated nicely with gold baubles. My dad did it as a surprise for us, and I can remember the magic of the moment to this day.

Christmas is so omnipresent in British society that you can't avoid it, but for me as a Muslim it doesn't hold any religious significance. We never had nativity plays in school and I don't remember being taught about Jesus at all. It was a state school but it was 99% Muslim, which is probably why the school never emphasised the religious significance behind Christmas, and it was always just a British holiday.

We had a very traditional celebration of Christmas when I was young. I can remember watching Christmas movies and Christmas Top of the Pops, and going late night shopping with my mum on Christmas Eve. When I was 8, I remember going to see Father Christmas and it was a magical feeling. We never bought any presents for each other or anything - we just liked seeing the lights.

Nowadays, we do Christmas without all the pomp and circumstance, but we will have the Christmas meal with a halal turkey, Brussels sprouts and roast potatoes. Everyone in the family comes to this meal on Christmas Day.


Jewish - Rabbi Jonathan Romain, Maidenhead

In a religious sense, Christmas has absolutely no significance for me but it clearly affects the whole country and there are national holidays to mark it. So we often use it for family get-togethers.

I like Christmas. I find that people are a lot more giving and friendly, and people genuinely have a sense of good will. It maybe a little bit of hype and glamour but people still feel noble and do generous things.

In our family we wouldn't have the lights or the presents, but we have had turkey. We enjoy the holiday and the time off which we spend with family and watch Christmas television.


Sikh - Anu Gurm, management consultant, London

I think my parents started celebrating Christmas when my older sister was born. When it was just the two of them they didn't really bother, but I think they didn't want her to feel left out when other kids at school were talking about how they would celebrate Christmas and getting presents.

When we were little it was me and my sister who did all the decorations but these days my father is keener than anyone. He takes the attitude that we should take any opportunity we can to laugh and celebrate so is always up for it. My first memory of Christmas was opening presents under the Christmas tree. I remember being really excited the night before and asking my parents if I could open one of my presents early and then waking up really early on Christmas morning to open them all.

I think it has now become a family tradition in the sense that we always do the same things every year-cook dinner, invite family over and give presents but at the same time it has a real 'British' feel to it.

There isn't a religious element to it really, but that's not so different from other families. Christmas is more a celebration of togetherness and family than it is anything else these days.

I will continue the tradition with my family, without feeling I am compromising my religion as it's become such a secular festival. December is dark and cold - why not take the opportunity to have a big celebration to cheer things up?


Pagan - Emma Restall-Orr, Chief Druid

The 25th of December was originally a Pagan festival about honouring the dead and giving thanks for what the darkness brings to our lives. It's about celebrating the longest night and the shortest day, and I've personally been celebrating the Winter Solstice to Midwinter period for twenty years.

For Pagans, it has always been about celebrating the darkest time of the year, what we regard as the womb of creation, because light comes out of darkness. It's celebrating the birth of a new cycle of life. In a way we celebrate the birth of the sun, but not the birth of the Son!

Many Pagans will watch the sunrise at Solstice, and in our family we give offerings to the God of the Sun. We'll be up before dawn and offer a libation of whisky to the land and leave nuts and seeds so that anything that comes along can eat it. Then we'll go back into the warmth and light a new candle, signifying the birth of the new cycle.

Usually, we'll give each other home made gifts like poetry and songs but not buy each other presents. Pagans find the commercialisation of Christmas distasteful and if we do buy, it's second hand.

We then have a feast, eating whatever is in season. About half of Pagans eat meat, but others are distinctly vegetarian so they won't eat turkey. But there would be roasted root vegetables and Brussels sprouts if they were seasonal and local.

There are many ways of finding the sacred and as long as people live with honour, then we have no conflict with anyone celebrating this time of year.


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