i believe in holidays. but a "secular holiday" is internally inconsistent. an oxymoron. holy days are important. to cut out a slice of time and raise it up, and savor it. i can't usually savor secular holidays. the surrogates of holiness are generally dissapointing, and often nauseating: poultry, shopping, and televised football form the Thanksgiving triumvirate. i turn to geoffrey ravilious as the ball drops:
Me: 'what if there was a ball dropping on the temple mount to mark rosh hashana? and a count-down?'
Geoff: "the ball would have to be an apple, and it would drop into a bowl of honey."