Call to Worship for November 3 “That Which Has Been Our Delight”

“That Which Has Been Our Delight”

Last week, while driving through White Pass in Washington, I was struck by the beautiful fall colors in the trees, brought on by a few nights of freezing temperatures.  The trees were marking the season, the end of burgeoning growth, a time of slowing in nature in preparation for the long sleep of winter.

This is also a time of year when we humans may pause, gathering in and perhaps celebrating the harvest, and as we pause, remembering the changes in our lives over the past year.  These changes may include those with us only in memory, and we can share those memories and celebrate their lives in ritual.

Many cultures have independently found ways to mark the changes that come into their lives and have their own unique ways of honoring the dead. 

Here in California, with our strong cultural ties to Mexico and it’s culture, we are somewhat familiar with Día de los Muertos.  The celebration emphasizes celebrating the lives of the deceased, complete with food, parades, dances and parties. Celebrants believe that on this day, the spirits of the dead return to take part in the celebrations alongside the living.

Samhain ( “s’ouen”)

My own family background includes a substantial Irish component, with my mother’s roots in clan Cusack, from County Meath, Ireland.  There, Samhain (“s’ouen”) has been celebrated for many centuries.

It is said that at this time of year the link between this world and the other is at its thinnest, and the dead may return to this world using doors of the sidhe (“shee”) so they could warm themselves amongst the living.

Feasts are held in honor of the dead, with a place set for ancestors who may visit from the other world. After the large supper, the untouched plate of food is placed outside to be left for the sidhe (“shee”).

"i Morti" in Italy

In Sicily, children hunt for treats left by loving relatives no longer around. In northern Italy people leave their homes empty in case the dead want to visit. All over the country, Italians set an empty place at the table for people who no longer sit there.

Obon Festival

A traditional Buddhist festival in Japan celebrated a few months ago, Obon commemorates lost ancestors, whose spirits are believed to return then to visit relatives.

Traditionally, lanterns are hung in front of houses to guide the ancestors' spirits, dances are performed, graves are visited and cleaned, and food offerings are made.  At the end of Obon, floating lanterns are put into rivers, lakes and seas in order to guide the spirits back into their world. The customs followed vary strongly from region to region.

Chuseok (chu-see-ok)

Chuseok (chu-see-ok) is one of Korea's largest national holidays,  celebrated a few weeks ago, and traditionally marking the fall harvest. Marked with dancing, games and food, Chuseok is also a time for Koreans to honor their ancestors, and during the three-day festival, the living give thanks to the dead for their part in providing bountiful crops.

I note these special days and rituals not to somehow conflate or colonize them, but simply to recognize that the need to remember those no longer with us, and celebrate their lives is a human thing, larger than any single faith or culture.

Today we, as a Unitarian Universalist congregation, continue our own tradition, keeping in mind the many other traditions of our world, as we celebrate That Which Has Been Our Delight and worship together.