Participation in Festivals of other religion

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Ajay_Dsouza_1

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By this month end there will be Deepavali (a Hindu religious festival)…To my knowlegde I had read Vatican Letter from Inter-religious dated around 2007 saying “Happy Deepavali for Hindu brothers”…

Wanted to know with what mindset and to what extend is it permissible for a Catholic to celebrate festivals with Friends of other religions…?
 
I don’t recommend celebrating it with friends because it could look like you are adopting hindu beliefs.

And Link?

Plus, it was probably saying happy… because of respect for the people. I would say happy hanukkah to a jew, but that doesn’t mean I want people practicing Judaism, when they could become Catholic, etc.
 
Swiss_Guy said:
I don’t recommend celebrating it with friends because it could look like you are adopting hindu beliefs.

And Link?

Plus, it was probably saying happy… because of respect for the people. I would say happy hanukkah to a jew, but that doesn’t mean I want people practicing Judaism, when they could become Catholic, etc.
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You guys crack me up. Go to a Diwali festival and tell me what you see. Pretty much like a county fair. Food for sale, clothes for sale, jewelry, booths set up with local Indian realtors and dentists advertising their business, people dressed in colorful native costumes, and traditional dancers to watch and an occasional Bollywood performance.

You are practicing a whole lot more Hinduism than that when you go to a yoga class. THAT is getting into some deep Hinduism.

Your friend
Sufjon
 
WHat I meant in celbrating with friends is actually from the social point of view.
Example: I am given a sweet (bought from bakery) etc…which would prompt me to wish him back. Which inturn could prove myself celebrating with them(atleast partially)…

The Church letter from Council for Inter-religious dialogue…greets them also…with love and respect
Links are:
vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20041108_diwali_en.html
vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20071105_diwali_en.html

I will have to face the situation with love and respect too:thumbsup:…but worried about my ignorance and scruplousness:rolleyes:…
 
Ajay_Dsouza said:
WHat I meant in celbrating with friends is actually from the social point of view.
Example: I am given a sweet (bought from bakery) etc…which would prompt me to wish him back. Which inturn could prove myself celebrating with them(atleast partially)…

The Church letter from Council for Inter-religious dialogue…greets them also…with love and respect
Links are:
vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20041108_diwali_en.html
vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20071105_diwali_en.html

I will have to face the situation with love and respect too:thumbsup:…but worried about my ignorance and scruplousness:rolleyes:…
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Just go and have a good time.

Your friend
Sufjon
 
Ajay_Dsouza said:
By this month end there will be Deepavali (a Hindu religious festival)…To my knowlegde I had read Vatican Letter from Inter-religious dated around 2007 saying “Happy Deepavali for Hindu brothers”…

Wanted to know with what mindset and to what extend is it permissible for a Catholic to celebrate festivals with Friends of other religions…?
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What would you expect your Hindu friends to do to celebrate Christmas? Join in Diwali to that same level and no more.

rossum
 
Sufjon said:
Just go and have a good time.

Your friend
Sufjon
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All due respect but I think the OP is looking for the Catholic teaching on the subject (which may or may not agree with what you’ve suggested).

For what it’s worth I think it’s fine to join in the festivities (indeed, you can’t really avoid them in my neck of the woods, the fireworks start early and finish late), just avoid any religious rituals you may come across. The question of Prasad has been raised before (possibly even by me, can’t remember), regarding the eating of food offered to other gods. Perhaps someone a little more knowledgeable will weigh in here.
 
Of course we can partake in the celebrations but we must always avoid two things:
  1. Never partake in any worship or any practice of their spirituality
  2. Never eat any foods sacrificed or offered to their gods
 
There is no problem in participating the festivals of the other religions.They can enjoy the program in the festivals .But in Hindu festival other religion people are not allowed to enter inside the temple of Hindu god because of different rituals of Hindu Gods or Goddess.
 
brian1234 said:
There is no problem in participating the festivals of the other religions.They can enjoy the program in the festivals .But in Hindu festival other religion people are not allowed to enter inside the temple of Hindu god because of different rituals of Hindu Gods or Goddess.
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There may be certain sections of a Hindu Temple that only Hindus, or only priests, may enter into, but most, if not all, Hindu Temples in American allow non-Hindus into them (excluding those certain sections, of course).
 
This brings up something I wanted to ask.

Is it acceptable for a Catholic to participate in a passover celebration among Jews? I can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t be, because after all it’s connected to Moses in the Old Testament, who we believe to be a true prophet. I know my friends who are protestant have gone to passover celebrations.
 
CompSciGuy said:
This brings up something I wanted to ask.

Is it acceptable for a Catholic to participate in a passover celebration among Jews? I can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t be, because after all it’s connected to Moses in the Old Testament, who we believe to be a true prophet. I know my friends who are protestant have gone to passover celebrations.
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There were conciliar prohibitions against Christians sharing meals with Jews, and I think Passover would have been included:
[A] council in Elvira (Spain) in c. 305 had tried to keep Jews and Christians apart by ordering the latter not to share a meal with Jews, not to marry Jews, not to use Jews to bless their fields, and not to observe the Jewish Sabbath. These objectives remained constant for centuries. For example, the prohibition against sharing a meal with Jews was repeated at Vannes (465), Epaon (517), Orleans III (538), and Mâcon (583)…

When these prohibitions were officially, or conciliarly, lifted, I have no idea. But, certainly, Vatican II signaled a new, more positive, age of Catholic-Jewish (and Catholic-Muslim, Catholic-Hindu, etc.,) relations.
 
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