Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to quit celebrating Christmas if you quit believing in god! Most holidays, Christmas included, have a strong secular component. There is nothing in the bible about Santa Claus or decorating fir trees—there are actually admonitions against decorating trees!—nor is there anything about the Easter Bunny or crème eggs. We can separate the joy of tradition from the false supernatural underpinnings. Atheists should—and do—feel free to keep celebrating any and all traditional holidays, if they so wish.

       Even solemn holidays may be represented in a secular manner. Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of fasting for the atonement for sins, may be recast as a day for self-reflection and renewal, where one should look inward and make decisions about how to be a better person in the coming year. Holidays of remembrance fit in extremely well with the Atheist viewpoint, for we recognize that fairy tale rewards such as an afterlife do not exist. The only true value of our lives after we are gone is our impact on others and on the world, partly through their remembrance of us.

       But there are also a few additional holidays that many Atheists observe or celebrate, which should be covered here. The first and most recognized one is Darwin Day, February 12th. This is the birthday of Charles Darwin, the man who first put forth a robust theory of evolution, and directly challenged established church teachings about the origins of animals and man. Darwin’s works, On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, threw clear scientific light for the very first time on the age-old question, “where did we come from?” In spite of the attacks of religionists, Darwin’s core theories have held up to all scrutiny, and are now accepted as tantamount to scientific fact. We celebrate his birthday as a reminder of the advancements of science and the ending of theistic superstitions.

       On October 12th, we celebrate Freethought Day. The date was chosen because it marked the end of the superstition- and religion-inspired Salem witch trials. On October 12th, 1692, the Governor of Massachusetts, William Phipps, issued an edict stating that evidence of a spectral (a.k.a. supernatural) nature was inadmissible in legal proceedings. Sometimes the week around October 12th is celebrated as Freethought Week as well, and the week may also include what has been termed “N-Day” a day for non-believers who wish to do so to publicly declare their non-belief, in word or by displaying symbols of Atheism.

       Also, many holidays, religious and nonreligious, came about as seasonal celebrations relating to crops and weather. The English and Welsh had certain holidays designated as “quarter-days” (Lady Day, Midsummer Day, Michaelmas, and Christmas) that fell almost exactly on the solstices and equinoxes. Some countries, such as Latvia, still celebrate Christmas on the winter solstice. Easter often falls quite near the spring equinox. Most northern Europeans still celebrate Midsummer Day on the summer solstice, and the Chinese calendar has a Mid-Autumn Festival on the full moon nearest to the fall equinox, which is also very near the dates of the Jewish High Holidays. As the marking of time was an important human trait in the times before reason, so it may continue to be important even with the advent of logical discovery.

       So, some Atheists celebrate the turning of the seasons as a way to mark the passing of time, and to take a break from the hectic schedule of daily life. They serve as an alternative to traditional holidays for some, while many others simply add a secular meaning to an existing traditional holiday. The spring Equinox (usually March 20th in the northern hemisphere) can be celebrated as a holiday of renewal and rebirth, much as the season of spring brings us forth anew the trees and the flowers. Similar return-of-spring messages are found in the traditional holidays of Easter and Passover, which include greens and eggs in their modern celebrations, and in Holi, the Hindu festival of color.

       Midsummer Day in the northern hemisphere (the summer solstice, on or around June 21st) also serves as World Humanist Day, a celebration of the spirit of humanity. As mentioned earlier, Midsummer Day is celebrated as a secular holiday in much of northern Europe—in other parts it is celebrated as the feast of St. John—and is often celebrated by a feast and the lighting of a bonfire. The day is especially important in Scandinavia, and there are celebrations in Scandinavian communities in the United States in New York City and in Minnesota.

       The fall equinox (usually September 22nd in the U.S., sometimes on the 23rd) also falls during Banned Books Week. Originally started by the American Library Association, this week serves to remind us of the loss of intellectual liberty if we do not remain vigilant, and of our thankfulness for the freedoms we have. It is always within a week or two of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival (as previously mentioned), which is celebrated by reuniting with family, lighting lanterns, and eating moon cakes.

       And, the winter solstice (December 21st in the northern hemisphere), falling near Christmas, is often celebrated as a time to gather together with friends and family, to send cards and give gifts, to celebrate the end of another year, and to anticipate the coming of the New Year. Humanists also recognize a winter holiday, HumanLight, timed (on December 23rd) to be near both traditional holidays and the solstice. The solstice and the other seasonal holidays are used by Atheists to mark the passage of time, just as traditional holidays have done for people throughout history.

       Beyond traditional holidays, and the more important days such as Darwin’s birthday, Freethought Day, and the seasonal days mentioned above, some Atheists also recognize other days of the calendar as being special. Earth Day (April 22nd) is a celebration of the world in which we live. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, the culmination of the environmentalist movement of the 1960s. The concept was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson, who first conceived of it in the early 1960s. Although we celebrate what was originally an environmentalist holiday, the Good and Moral Atheist need not follow a liberal political philosophy on environmental issues. Maintaining a reasonable stewardship of the earth and the environment has become a mainstream issue, with liberals and conservatives dividing on how best to implement these initiatives. Our duty is to “strive to better the world in the time we have,” according to the second tenet of the Good and Moral Atheist.

       Hume Day, May 7th, celebrates the birth of British philosopher David Hume (1711-1776). Hume was probably the most influential skeptic and naturalist of the 18th century. His works, the Treatise of Human Nature (1740), the Enquiry concerning Human Understanding (1748), and the Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), plus his Dialogues concerning Natural Religion (published after his death, in 1779) influenced such important thinkers as economist Adam Smith, philosopher Immanuel Kant, and 19th century biologists Charles Darwin and Thomas Huxley. The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) supports the celebration of the birthday of Hume on their site. Additionally, in the United States there is a “National Day of Prayer” on the first Thursday in May, which Freethinkers counter with Hume Day or a similar day called the “National Day of Reason.”

       August 11th is Ingersoll Day, in honor of Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899), Illinois Attorney General and author known for his defense of Agnosticism and attacks on church doctrine. Ingersoll, known as “The Great Agnostic,” was a prolific writer and a speaker in extremely high demand, and he often spoke about freethought and humanism, in addition to giving his views on slavery and suffrage. Humorist Mark Twain once said of Ingersoll, “What an organ human speech is when employed by a master.” Ingersoll, a veteran who fought for the North in the American Civil War, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.

       Church-State Separation Week is the last week in November, coinciding with Thanksgiving in the United States. It recognizes the progress that people the world over have made in divorcing our systems of government from the shackles of religious interference. It also is a time to reflect upon the horrors that can arise in countries where religion is state-enforced, and the countless battles and wars that have been and are currently being fought over religious doctrine.

       Soon after that is Human Rights Day, December 10th, which commemorates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on December 10th, 1948 without dissent by the United Nations. The declaration came about after three years of work by the Commission on Human Rights, which included among others former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The protection of civil rights is so extremely important to Atheists—and to humanity as a whole—that it is embedded in the Five Tenets of the Good and Moral Atheist, as the tenet of Freedom.

       Finally, there are a few lighthearted “holidays” that many Atheists enjoy celebrating. April Fools’ Day (April 1st) is an especially fun day that Atheists have adopted as part of their calendar. The concept of playing tricks, and exposing how those tricks work, resonates strongly with the philosophy of naturalism or rationalism. Interestingly, such “spring fever” holidays near the Spring Equinox fall on the calendars of traditional religions as well, with the green attire and green beer of the adopted Irish holiday of St. Patrick’s Day, and the plays, carnivals, and drinking of the Jewish holiday of Purim both falling in mid-March.

       Halloween (October 31st) is another such humorous day that Atheists enjoy. And, with some fundamentalist churches now shunning the practice of dressing up and trick-or-treating, recognizing Halloween is also a way to stand up and count ourselves as being against superstition and myth, and to let our children be children and have some harmless fun.

       To summarize, here are the commonly-recognized days of importance to the Good and Moral Atheist, in addition to regular holidays such as New Years’ Day and nation-specific holidays similar to the United States’ Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Independence Day. The holidays have been arranged by season, and the more important ones have been bolded. Websites with information on some of these holidays can also be found in the Book of Resources.

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

       Since Atheist and Humanist communities, especially in the United States, are currently still small, little in the way of standard celebrations have so far been set forth, and many Atheists simply observe only the secular portions of traditional holidays like Christmas and Easter. However, Midsummer Day bonfires are common throughout Europe and the Scandinavian communities of America, Darwin Day and Freethought Day are fairly widely recognized, and Solstice cards are becoming more common around the December holidays. With the growth of Atheism and of communication avenues such as the internet, more traditions are being established each year.