Well, it’s a little late, but same to you Gustavo. I enjoy your comments.

Wow, so not all Muslims everywhere have succumbed to the two-Eids-only-all-else-is-bid’a syndrome…

Good for Persians and Afghans for having the sense to hang onto their holidays, unlike some of us North American converts.

Shia have more than two religious holidays. The Shia calendar is filled with various minor pilgrimages, mostly to shrines and sacred destinations in Iraq.

I have heard that there are only two lawful holidays among some more zealous reverts, and everything else is wrong.

But various Muslim cultures have secular holidays.

As for the “Iranian” peoples of the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, and the Caucus region celebrating the old Zoroasterian holidays, since Islam’s emergence, these holidays have lost much of their original religious significance, and are merely an opportunity to socialize and eat.

I see nothing wrong with that.

Some argue that Yalda is the precursor to the Christian holiday Christmas. The solstice is also associated with the birth of the ancient Iranian god Mithra (sun god), who had a huge following in the ancient Roman empire around the time of Christ. But then again, there were like 23 other competing “messiahs” in first century Palestine.

Some reverts think they are better Muslims since they are not influenced by culture, but the reality is, they have succumbed to a pre-fabricated notion of “Gulf Arab culture as Sunnah culture” syndrome.

Religion is an aspect of culture, culture is merely the accumulation of all human activity.