At work in my department they told us we can put decorations in our (at home!) office but to try and stay religiously neutral. Meanwhile in my friend's department (same employer) they got an email to wish employees a happy Easter back in April, happy Mawlid (celebration of Muhammad's birth) back in September and happy Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah in October...

I'm an atheist so I don't celebrate any of these things and to me holidays should just be spread equally to give people long weekends, but I can't help but laugh at the hypocrisy when it comes to Christmas compared to all other holidays through the year...

[–] Grayox@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's honestly refreshing to hear that your friends department encouraged them to celebrate multiple different religious holidays. There shouldn't be any problem celebrating religious holidays as long as they are all given equal considerations and the company doesnt play favorites.

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

To me anything religious should be treated as such, something private that has nothing to do with your workplace and only secular holidays should exist considering holidays are imposed by the government and there's supposed to be a separation of religion and State (in my country anyway), but I know my opinion on this subject is pretty extreme.

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The holidays we have are so commercialized they hardly feel religious to me. Christmas and Easter are just times to spend with family, nothing to do with Jesus.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

What annoys me, and I'm Jewish ethnically but I'm an atheist, is the commercialization of Hanukkah. It wasn't even a major Jewish holiday. People just decided, "well, it's near Christmas and they used to give raisins. Good enough." I mean just make up a new holiday or something.

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Then people should have no issue with them being moved around so the holidays are equally divided throughout the year, right? There's no importance to them happening on the specific dates they do at the moment, right?

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd just rather add more holidays tbh.

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But that won't happen

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Canada's done it

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

There's only five true public holidays applied throughout the whole of Canada

Quebec has their National holiday but no civic holiday. Only four provinces out of ten (two of those only for government employees), the territories and jobs under federal jurisdiction have the truth and remembrance day.

Even counting all of them there's a big hole after the new year and the next one is... Good Friday which is 100% religious...

But at the federal level that's 12 holidays that could be separated to get rid of religious holidays and to give everyone one long weekend every month!

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

I guess I'm luckier than I realized. Thanks for the detailed info.