Godless but not joyless

So, when you don’t believe in God or follow a specific religion, what do you celebrate with others? Just because I’m not religious doesn’t mean I’m anti-social—I still want to spend time with family and friends, which often happens around religious festivals.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about turning religious festivals into social events. For example:

Christmas becomes a time to decorate the house, meet friends, and enjoy good food.

Yugadi or Hosa Thodaku could be about playing games with friends and sharing a great meal.

Ramzan becomes a chance for food walks with friends.

Deepavali could focus on cleaning the house, lighting lamps, and maybe reading or sharing poetry.

That gives us one festival every quarter. Besides that, we have around five birthdays to celebrate each year.

Really, all you need is good company, good food, and a reason to come together—and that reason can be anything you choose to create.