Unity Day (Solidarity)

Unity Day is an unofficial humanist holiday celebrated on December 30. The day is intended to be an alternate winter holiday that can be celebrated by people of any religious or non-religious belief system. Patrons of the holiday celebrate both diversity and commonalities of the shared human experience, and promote unity through social solidarity, transformational activism, and promoting positive self-awareness.

Secular Roots

Unity Day was conceived as non-religious holiday that could be celebrated annually by individuals who do not feel comfortable celebrating popular December holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah, due to their religious overtones. The holiday does not exist in order to replace these holidays, but to provide a celebration of humanist principles that people of many belief systems can appreciate.

Subculture

Unity day is currently celebrated only by a small minority, who GeneRally represent a subculture of atheists, agnostics, deists, and pagans. For this reason the celebration generally exists unheard of by the majority of the population. However it is typically still highly anticipated and fervently celebrated by those who recognize it.

Traditions

Because of the holiday's focus on diversity and individual expression, patrons are encouraged to avoid typical activities and instead create their own personal and family traditions based on the things they personally find enjoyable and fulfilling. However there are a few general practices that adherents tend to participate in during the season of solidarity.

Encouragement

It is a common seasonal occurrence to send cards out cards to family, friends, and acquaintances, however those who celebrate Unity Day usually include with these personalized messages of encouragement and appreciation. The messages often reaffirm the Recipient's positive qualities and contributions.

Selflessness

Because of the spirit of activism, community service is a common occurrence during the season. Every person is encouraged to volunteer their time to a benefit of their choosing at least once during the month of December. Additionally the concepts of reciprocity and 'paying-it-forward' are embraced, and individuals try to continually commit random acts of kindness, always keeping the needs and concerns of others ahead of their own.

Gift Giving

Gifts giving is a staple tradition of the season, but is often viewed as having been to commercialized and having overshadowed many of the other positive qualities of the season. Because of this, those who celebrate Unity Day attempt to be conscientious of the gifts they give in variety of ways. For example, aside from choosing very personalized gifts, it is common to seek out the most environmentally and worker friendly products available. Price is also kept in mind, as a more expensive gift is not thought to necessarily be a better gift. Many people give gag gifts that cost relatively little and reflect the fun and humorous nature of relationships.

Donations

Keeping those less fortunate in mind, many people choose to donate a percentage of their holiday spending to cause of their choice. This amount varies, but 25% is typically viewed as the minimum. For instance, if an individual anticipates spending $400 on gifts, decorations, and other seasonal trappings, they would adapt their purchasing habits and donate $100 of that.