Everyone’s holiday

Something new has been added to this Saturday’s holiday arade. Instead of the usual Christmas procession, this one will be a “Festival of Lights” for everyone.

When the Bangor Rotary Club organized the parade this year at the request of the city, it decided wisely to make it inclusive rather than exclusive, as it sometimes had seemed in the past.

After all, a lot is going on in the holiday season besides a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish observance, starts Dec. 22. Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, ends on Dec. 26. And Kwanzaa, the African-American “first fruit of the harvest” celebration is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

It will take a while for various groups to get used to taking part in the expanded parade, a little like the time it took for Rotary Clubs throughout the country to get used to admitting women into membership.

The Bangor Rotary Club has made a fine start by welcoming everyone to celebrate together the start of the holiday season. The parade starts at 4:30 p.m. And don’t worry if the weather is cold. The 50 floats and bands are supposed to take no more than one hour to pass a given point along the downtown route.