Festival of Lights

I love a good show of light, there is no doubt about it.  And so does the rest of the world, it turns out, because festivals of light are common.  This picture is from a Diwali celebration, which looks to be the winner in terms of the celebration of light.  Such gorgeous, ornate, and elaborate displays are put on in India.  They have the tradition of color that helps to make the displays all the more  pleasing to the eye.

Today is the beginning of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.  Religiously speaking, it is a minor holiday, but it serves as a reminder of how powerful ritual is in the human experience.  Regardless of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, across the globe, man celebrates recurring events around the calendar.  The older the ritual, the more connected with our ancestors we are.  When we light menorahs tonight, we are following in the foot steps of people across centuries.  That need for connection and community--across geography and across time--is something that we all share. So tonight, lighting a single candle with a shamus ('the servant' or the kindling candle) and be connected to a tradition as old as people on this earth.  Back then they could not surf their smart phones lying in bed, but we can all share the inspiration of light.