Happy Chalica!

“Happy What?” you may be wondering.

I first learned of this last year and was quite excited to share it with my congregation! Well, it took a year to get a service scheduled in time to share the information and encourage fellow members to consider participating in this celebration. Chalica, is a seven day celebration of our UU Principles. A chalice is lit everyday for seven days and time is spent reflecting on and practicing a different principle each day! Chalica was conceived in 2005, therefore this year is the 10th Anniversary of something you may never have heard of, but may well become a new family tradition.

“Another holiday? Does that mean more to do, more to buy, more to cook during this already chaotic season?” NO…Not unless you want to.
Instead, take this opportunity to slow down and reflect on that chaos that ensues and why we might become so manic during this time. Do we really need to experience the stress of a superficial shopping season OR…create meaningful traditions with and for the people that mean most to us (including ourselves).

Celebrating a 7 day holiday may require a commitment so before you make that decision, do the UU thing and research the subject, approach it with an open mind and explore the concept. The UU World has offered a couple articles about Chalica, and for parents More For Your Holiday: Try Chalica .  Here is an article by a UU that raises some legitimate points to consider.

Why another holiday? Ya know how we are supposed to “Make Everyday Earth Day” and yet there is a day reserved on the calendar for Earth Day, (April 22) and how we ought practice the “Attitude of Gratitude” everyday and yet we just celebrated a day of Thanksgiving…I believe adding Chalica to your calendar may be a designated time to learn the 7 Principles if you are new to UU, or a time to get better acquainted with them, get a more in-depth understanding of what they are all about! As well as putting forth a concentrated effort into not only practicing those principles but also sharing our values!

A new tradition, huh? What are the ingredients of a tradition?
Music…
There are but a few songs to celebrate Chalica but they are wonderful and fun!
Thanks so much to UUs, Evan Austin & Dan Flores for their musical contributions.

Light a Chalice – Evan Austin
The Chalica Song – Evan Austin
The 2nd Chalica Song – Evan Austin
Chalica Song (Infinite Light) – Dan Flores

Food…
I googled “Unitarian Universalist’s Favorite Food”…the first three results were on Ethical Eating.
Well, that makes sense. But how to practice Ethical Eating during the Season of Indulgence?
My thought is to go ahead and celebrate, indulge when you are out and about with friends and family but practice being mindful when you are at home, feeding yourself and family during this time.

Here is an awesome guide on Ethical Eating from the UUA.

Gifts...
OMG! The best gifts of all (IMHO) are of the home/handmade variety! There are so many resources on the internet not only on why to give homemade gifts but what and how to get creative!

Here’s a list 10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD GIVE HANDMADE GIFTS that I liked right away, u’ll see why, check it out 🙂

Gatherings…

This year MqtUU members and friends will be opening our homes to fellow UUs and celebrating each evening from 6 – 7 pm with the lighting of the chalica, food, fun and fellowship to reflect on the principle of the day!

 

If and however you decide to celebrate this new tradition, please remember top have a…