Saving Christmas and Easter

Our ‘cultural celebrations’ Christmas and Easter are under attack – and we need to act!

Previous petitions on the Federal Government site are calling for more recognition of other cultural celebrations. Refer petition below

Petition Reference EN0720 The Muslim Community have 2 very important celebrations each year. Eid al adha & Eid Ul-Fitr. However the community feels they need more time to celebrate it & want it recognized within the wider community.

Current support for this petition is over 5,500 signatures

The Rite-On petition ‘Saving Christmas and Easter’ will be on the Government website for 30 days ( anticipated from Oct 17) . It is imperative our voices are heard. Time for the silent majority to be silent no longer!

Have your voice heard. Sign the parliamentary petition today
The petition is only available on the Government site for 30 days, don’t delay

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Australia is in a ‘culture-war’ with attempts to remove our cultural celebrations that have their origins in Australia’s Christian-Judaea foundations. Christmas and Easter are two of these events on Australia’s cultural calendar.

Christmas is a time for everyone to celebrate and observe the special meaning of this annual event. It is a time for family and friends to consolidate their special bonds, and for Christians, to reflect on their faith. For Christians, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and for non-believers, Christmas is a time of giving, sharing and celebrating the season of good-will towards all men.

The customs associated with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, lighting a Christingle, viewing a Nativity play, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, pulling Christmas crackers and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly.

The Christmas holidays are a time of reflection and relaxation as the year ends and a new year awaits. Children on school holidays enjoy a long summer break after a year of learning, as they get ready to start another school year. The shops are full of gifts and special foods, peculiar to Christmas; plum pudding, roast turkey, Christmas cake, mulled wine, brandy custard and much more. Sometimes Christmas is the ONLY time families take time out to be together and build stronger family bonds. Christmas is indeed a special occasion which has been celebrated in our nation since settlement. It is part of ‘who we are as a nation’.

Easter is another significant celebration in our cultural calendar.

Rite On Saving Christmas and Easter Our changing cultural landscape means we sometimes forget the special significance of Easter; a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly 30 A.D.

The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles), Good Friday (on which Jesus’ death is observed), and Easter Sunday. Although a holiday of high religious significance in the Christian faith, many traditions associated with Easter date back to pre-Christian, pagan times. All over the western world, people celebrate the ‘Risen Christ, and attend Easter Church services to reflect on their faith. Children look forward to Easter eggs signifying ‘new life’ and a holiday break.

Recently the word ‘Easter’ is been quietly removed off packets of Easter eggs. (4) and erased from advertising material.

Rite on Saving Christmas and Easter Is this due to ‘political correctness’, people taking ‘offense’, Australians forgetting the origins of the event, or purely another attempt to remove a significant event from our cultural calendar, denying our nation’s foundations in the on-going ‘culture wars’!

Many Australians find this deliberate social shift concerning and wonder what will replace it!

Some of the major retailers such as Woolworths, Coles, David Jones and Aldi, are removing Merry Christmas and Happy Easter, replacing them with Happy Holidays, Happy Ramadan and Happy Eid (5) The festivals from other religions are systematically replacing those of our own Christian heritage.

Whether believer or non-believer, Christmas and Easter are special events in our cultural calendar and reflect who we are as a nation. Our founding fathers were Christians. Our Constitution is unapologetically Christian. Our Common Law is based on the principles of the King James Bible.

Australians invite everyone to share in these special cultural events and accept people of all faiths -or no faith, however, it is becoming more prevalent that some communities wish to ‘shut-down’ these traditions, claiming offense and/or a secular shift in society. In stores, the Christmas Tree with a star on top (signifying the Star of David) is now known as the ‘Grand Pine Tree’ (1, 2) and Christmas cakes are being re-named ‘Festive Cakes’. (3) Some schools are banning students giving and receiving Christmas cards, because this may cause ‘offense’.

We are advised that Australia is the most successful Multicultural nation in the world, however, we must demand that our own culture, is not excluded. Migrants who come to Australia share in the benefits our culture provides. These communities are assisted with government grants to celebrate their religious and cultural festivals as part of ‘Multiculturism’. Most Australians are, however, Christian, or have a Christian background. Christmas and Easter are their significant cultural and religious events and should not be excluded or erased, from the cultural landscape due to political correctness or people taking ‘offense’

The majority ‘Australian culture’ should be given recognition in all aspects of ‘Multicultural Australia’ through grants, legislation and representation.

Rite on Saving Christmas and Easter If Australians don’t understand the origins of this nation’s cultural heritage, which has brought peace and prosperity, they won’t value and protect it, and may be willing to replace it with another culture and belief. Australia is a free and lucky country. Let’s resist the war on our culture, support the foundations of who we are, and celebrate it with joy and gratefulness. (7).

Lets’ save Christmas and Easter before they become distant memories

Act now! Sign the petition

The Petition

To the Honourable Speaker and Member of the House of Representatives.

We the undersigned petitioners, are concerned about the systematic and deliberate removal of Christmas and Easter celebrations. Businesses and schools are removing these celebrations due to some people taking ‘offense’.

Australia is a multi-ethnic nation; however, our own western civilizational culture and heritage was founded on Christian-Judea principles. Migrants coming to Australia share in the benefits this culture provides.

Migrant communities are assisted with government grants to help celebrate their own religious and cultural festivals as part of ‘Multiculturism’. Most Australians, however, are Christians, or have a Christian background. Christmas and Easter are their significant cultural and religious events!

We are concerned that the majority’s cultural and religious celebrations are being removed. Politicians join in Eid celebrations, Jewish and Buddhist Rosh Hashanah and Loy Thrathong festivals, but at the same time are allowing the cultural and religious heritage of the nation, to be quietly erased.

It is time to save Christmas and Easter; before they become distant memories, and our own cultural heritage is lost.

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We request the house to recognize the traditions of Christmas and Easter and encourage them to be openly celebrated across ALL sectors of society.

We also request the house include the majority ‘Australian culture’ in all aspects of ‘Multicultural Australia’ thru grants, legislation and representation.

Principal Petitioner:

Ron Hutchins, 23 Fountain Road, Buderim, Queensland 4556

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