h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

At the moment, while humans are Earth bound and follow their individual religions, at the end of the year we have many festivals including Halloween, Guy Fawkes, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. I'm sure there are lots of others. But each year the religious festivals (Halloween/All Hallows’ Eve, and Christmas) become less and less about religion, and more about the parties (and presents) and festivals such as Guy Fawkes and Thanksgiving have less and less to do with the history behind them. And, once we leave our native planet the new year may well be at different times; around the globe it's already at different seasons.

So, to solve all this, what we're after is a new, single excuse for a party that humans in the future can use throughout the settled worlds.
So, what would it be called? How would it be celebrated?

Over to you lot!

I'd be happy to see just the one festival, in my cynical way I can't help but feel we're being pressured into buying things constantly to party from October through to January, and the stuff is in the shops near all year around.

I think date wise it should be on the last day of Earth's year, a reminder of where we came from

I know what you mean, Pastey, no sooner has one thing ended than another pops up. The Cooperative have had 'Reindeer Droppings' in store for weeks and it's only just turned October.

I don't think we should limit ourselves to just the one, though. 3 or 4 at regular intervals throughout the year (however long that year may be on our new world) Something to look forward to *every* season.

The date we left earth should be a major one and if it took us a while to get there, the date we land on our new planet (if it's not too close) should be even bigger - we've settled on our new home afterall.

I'd have to think about what we could 'celebrate' for the other two.

So 'every 365 days' we have a party wherever we are in the universe?

Could work, but depends on the day length. Might need a formula.

One festival repeated every 12 parsecs

A festival every 3 earth months. Celebrating, light,thankes, love and family.

Isn't that the Pagan system? 30 April, 31 July, 31 October, 31 January?

Lot to be said for pagan festivities!

"I've bought a new pair of shoes day " would be great but would occur every weekend in our house!

" the great feast of payday" is another popular one here.Let there be much takeaway food and alcoholic beverages, oh and some choccy for the wife and kids!

Almost forgot the most important as it only occurs when certain planets align. " the Time of the Great Unplugging" this rare festival happens usually when there hasn't been I've bought a new pair of shoes day for a while, and the feast of payday has been overlooked.

Then and only then shall the Son come forth from His bedroom, leaving behind His almighty computer and Box of the all consuming X and actually spend time with the lower members of His tribe.

Oh happy day!

Only one festival a year? No way!

It may very well be true that they use festivals to sell us things, but that's no excuse to scrap festivals. It is, however, a reason to liberate ourselves from the notion that "festival" = "spend as much time as you can in a supermarket".

I think I can say it all with...

























































B

Oh, I reckon there should be lots of individual festivals per planet, but what I reckon is that there should be one main one that everyone across them all shares.

Maybe to commemorate the leaving date of the first colonists, maybe to celebrate the day I take over the world

But I do wonder if we're losing the significance of the festivals we currently have. Pagans don't celebrate Halloween by sending their kids out aggressively begging for chocolate, Christians don't believe the main point of Christmas is making sure their kids have the latest popular toy (don't even get me started on Easter), so rather than hanging on to these festivals that are no longer what they were, perhaps future generations could actually celebrate something again, rather than using it as an excuse to get drunk and spend too much money?

I like the idea of the year end festivals, there's a lot to be thankful for at the end of one year and the start of another. I also used to like harvest festivals, even though I went to a religious school, it was in an agricultural area of the country so they celebrated these without religion being involved too much.

I really HATE with a vengeance the tyranny of Christmas, when in the UK at least, it has turned into a stressful time when everything has to be perfect, depending on how much time and money you have available to spend.

It's just one thing after another, food, presents, clothes, decorations, more food, drink, wrapping presents competitively. I've just got rid of presents I was given last year that neither fit nor suited me, that still have the tags on. I've got bath stuff that brings me out in hives ( opened unfortunately else the charity shop would have had those too) You may think I sound miserable, but I really don't need to be given anything at all. Maybe vodka or nice wine. But vases? More scarves? no thanks. Please give the equivalent money you'd spend on me to a charity, or a food bank.

Christmas used to be a pleasure, so I'd not miss it if we went back to something simpler.

On another note, I am due to visit Lanzarote soon where it will be Dia de los Muertos. I need to go and polish my husband's memorial gravestone and buy some special flowers, and light some candles.

So, I do think we'd be better to keep traditional festivals, but move away from mass commercialism. I mean, who on earth actually benefits from plastic reindeer on your front lawn emblazoned with electric lights? Same goes with all the disposable halloween stuff - I don't mind people dressing up, and partying, but those plastic spiders and skeletons that end up in the bin are just wasteful. Makes a profit for the manufacturers and retailers of course. Surely we can have fun without junk?

signed
Ms Scrooge

This is one of the problems I personally have, although I think each year there's more and more people share this view:

We don't celebrate anymore; we shop.

well said Pastey, that encapsulates my feelings entirely.

I saw a noticeable decline in the Christmas tat here last year. I can't decide whether it was the recession or the poor weather causing it. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

This week I noticed Pimlico Plumbers (a landmark on the railway line near Waterloo) had put all the Christmas roof decorations up. A bit early methinks.

"who on earth actually benefits from plastic reindeer on your front lawn emblazoned with electric lights? Same goes with all the disposable halloween stuff - I don't mind people dressing up, and partying, but those plastic spiders and skeletons that end up in the bin are just wasteful." [Lanzababy]

I guess a lot of things are relative. The climate I live in is not appropriate for real reindeer, so plastic ones would be the only viable option *if* I felt the need for any kind at all -- which I don't. Spiders and webs? I have those in the places where I've never dusted, and they stay there all year around.

I have ornament balls that stay up all year. There's a tree-shaped cookie jar with Old Country Roses motifs along the sides -- beautiful, and welcome all year. I collect really nice Christmas tree figurines, and keep them where they can brighten up the interior of my house. Christmas is an aesthetic statement for me.

But to get back to the original topic of this thread: I don't believe that the human race will ever live on any planet except this one. The holidays we have now will be what we have for the foreseeable future.

Why d'you think we'll never leave this plant paulh?

Roots are too deep, probably.

Christmas ( and hallowe'en) for that matter are times we all get together as a family, its not about the money spent its about time spent having fun. Yes we over-indulge when we can afford it , never had plastic reindeers but we do try and make things look fun whilst the kids are young enough to enjoy the Christmas Spirit. We've never been religious in our celebrations , its just a time to relax and show each other we care and bugger everything else for that short time. Although we do hate New Year and the morose celebrations of surviving to clock up another digit on the calendar, give me Santa any day!

Always been big on Hallowe'en, must be the pagan in us, and yes we go all out with spiders webs, fancy dress and fangs etc and we have a bloody good time doing all the 'tacky' stuff.

Celerations are just that, time to celebrate, whether its a god,a good harvest or just being with family for a few days, enjoy it in whatever form you choose to!!