Holidays and Traditions

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Unitarian Universalists honor and celebrate a wide range of holidays and occasions over the course of a year. Unlike other faith traditions that use a single lectionary (a collection of scripture readings appointed for a given day or occasion), the topics and themes for Unitarian Universalist worship services are usually chosen independently by worship leaders in congregations. These include unique UU traditions, like the Flower Ceremony.

MMUUF has created our own traditions for celebration and remembrance, drawing upon many sources, and inspired by UU traditions. For example, we may celebrate various religious holidays like Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, and Hanukkah with a focus on the universal themes of the great faiths of the world – birth, light, rising again after setbacks, the true wonder of every child.

In another tradition, we start each Fellowship year in September with a UU Service called Gathering the Waters. We observe a holiday like Mothers’ Day by celebrating all caregivers in our lives. Some UU holiday traditions connect typically secular celebrations with our spiritual selves.

St. Valentine’s Day celebrates love, the Solstice welcomes renewal and starting again, and Halloween connects us to our ancestors. Each holiday stirs us to reflect on our gifts, our challenges, and our capacity to do good in the world.

View and download the 2016-17 UUA Worship Calendar, which includes faith-based and secular holidays that UU congregations often celebrate. The calendar also includes monthly worship themes used in popular theme-based ministry programs.

Upcoming service

Living Traditions – Artistic and Literary Expression and Indigenous American Worldviews

Heath Vittum Fuller April 28 - 9:30 am

This talk will provide a very brief introduction to some of the artistic and literary traditions of Turtle Island (Indigenous America). Both visual and literary forms of expression have been, and continue to be, important vessels for Indigenous worldviews. Spending time with, and centering, these perspectives is valuable for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that these are the traditions that have known and interpreted these lands and waters for thousands of years. We will learn a bit about the history of colonization, the attempted genocide of Indigenous peoples, and the clear attempt to destroy traditional lifeways and worldviews. That will be followed by a brief overview of cultural preservation, survivance, and the ongoing living artistic and literary traditions that carry these cultural perspectives into the modern world. A few contemporary artists and writers will be introduced, and resources will be provided for further research and learning.

Heath was born and raised in Vermont but traveled and lived in many places before returning home. Heath holds a BFA in Theatre and Religious Studies from New York University and an MA in Religious Studies and Art History from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. They have academic experience in Religious Studies, Art History, Feminist Art History, Cultural Anthropology, Theatre, and Literature. Heath is committed to the study of meaning making systems and the artistic and material practices and cultures of all peoples. They believe that the study of these elements of culture can help us to understand and care for each other, leading to more profound understanding, empathy, and compassion between individuals, communities, and cultures. Heath is now grateful to live with their amazing family on a rich and vibrant part of the land that sweeps up the side of Mt Mansfield.

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Mount Mansfield Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Services: 2nd & 4th Sundays, September-June 9:30AM