Diwali, Eid, Hanukkah and Christmas.

Even though Bradford isn't what I expected it would be like [I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was not it.  But people here laugh when I tell them that, and they typically respond, 'yes, Bradford is not like most English towns' so I suppose that is reassuring.], there are many things that I really enjoy about it.  One of those things being that it is so multicultural and there are so many different religions present.  

In the past month we were able to go to a Diwali Festival (it was a 

little later than normal.)  Diwali is a Hindu festival, the Festival of Lights, celebrating the inner light, which is pure, true and is something bigger than "us".  There was a lot of speaking in languages we didn't know, but it was fun to watch some of the 

dancing and see what goes on at a Diwali festival.  

Eid is a Muslim holiday which celebrates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael, which was celebrated on Monday.  I tried to get Rayan, a little girl in the class I help out with, to explain Eid to me, but as a 6 year old, all she told me was that it was a time to eat lots of goodies, and to see people.   Last weekend we went to a Christmas/Eid dinner at Touchstone.  It was nice to be able to come together with women of a different religious background than my own and celebrate together.

Then we are off to a Hanukkah service on the 21st at the local synagogue.  I didn't even know that there was a Jewish community present here, until we were invited to the service by Paul F.  I am just excited that we get to be a part of so many different religious festivities, even though they are different from my own traditions and views.  

Somewhat relating to this post, this morning we met with woman, Frankie just to talk about our experiences here.  She asked how to explain our faith, and then "Mennonite" to her as if she had no idea what Christianity was.  It was hard to make it succinct and accessible.  How can I relate my Christian faith to the Muslims that I am in contact with?  In the States, virtually everybody has some idea what Christianity is, but in Bradford, it wouldn't be all that uncommon.  So here I am, learning about Muslims and Hindus and Christianity in a secular European country.  

ps.  Christmas is quickly approaching.  I love Christmas.