A 2020 Christmas and a reflection on other religious holidays

As the holiday season comes to an end and the new year is growing ever near, we Take Back The Power hope that everyone (who celebrates Christmas) managed to enjoy theirs . It was a Christmas like no other with many isolating, or being unable to see their families due to last minute tier 4 restrictions changing a lot of people’s plans. We as a team hope that even in these weird times you were able to find some joy in the day.

Whilst we send our wishes of a Merry Christmas to those who celebrated the day, we’d also like to take the time to acknowledge other religions that weren’t met with the same opportunity to celebrate special events this year due to the pandemic. As Boris announced relaxation of the strict covid rules for Christmas, it gave us time to reflect on the many other religions such as the Muslim festivals of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the Jewish Passover and new year (Rosh Hashanah), Diwali celebrated by Hindus, and so many more religious events that weren’t given the same relaxation of rules and so were affected by lockdown restrictions.

To see these religions not allowed to gather for celebrations or worship whilst many were allowed to for Christmas, it can feel as though they have been pushed to the side or deemed less important. We as Take Back The Power, a group of many different religious backgrounds/belief systems recognise the unfairness of the situation and wanted to speak on the issue in recognition and solidarity. We feel all should be treated equally especially in a time where all lives are at risk, as no belief, holiday, celebration or religion should be treated as more important than another.

As we all know, the virus is still as serious as ever and restrictions seem to be getting tighter, which means many of us will be going into the new year in isolation. We hope everyone is staying safe and is in good health. May 2021 give all of us the opportunity to celebrate and/or with our family and friends once again.