<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->May be somebody should advice VHP to celebrate Dec 24th night as Mithrotsava and should add some elaborate pujas for Surya-bhagavan for his return. This should rather be a 3 day celebration: 23 - the longest night, 24 - his re birth and 25 - welcome celebration.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Why should our response - in our capacity as Hindus - be influenced at all? Is 25 December a traditional Hindu celebration of Surya Bhagavan? We already have Pongal/Makara Sankranti to commemorate our New Year and show our Surya how greatly we value and love him (not to mention the daily Surya Namaskarams many Hindus perform).
We are not Romans to suddenly adopt the fixed 25 December (which they themselves had to institute as a holy-day). Was this the traditional date among Persian followers of Mithras? And even then - beyond the wishful musings of the "Acharya S"-es of the world - was this the traditional date when *we* (Hindus) celebrated Surya?
We may choose to honour Roman memory and their celebration of Sol Invictus Mithras by celebrating the festival too, as we may also decide to celebrate Lupercalia - the Roman festival of love - on 15 February. But I was not aware that we were in need of turning 25 Dec into a *Hindu* festival. Randomly instituting festivals in this manner trivialises the meaningful, non-random Hindu festivals we do have, making them look arbitrary and reactionary in the association.
We are not Romans to suddenly adopt the fixed 25 December (which they themselves had to institute as a holy-day). Was this the traditional date among Persian followers of Mithras? And even then - beyond the wishful musings of the "Acharya S"-es of the world - was this the traditional date when *we* (Hindus) celebrated Surya?
We may choose to honour Roman memory and their celebration of Sol Invictus Mithras by celebrating the festival too, as we may also decide to celebrate Lupercalia - the Roman festival of love - on 15 February. But I was not aware that we were in need of turning 25 Dec into a *Hindu* festival. Randomly instituting festivals in this manner trivialises the meaningful, non-random Hindu festivals we do have, making them look arbitrary and reactionary in the association.