I have often wondered why Dallas would make all their Oktoberfest celebrations in September.  The journalist in me would normally research this to death.  The Dallasite in me just figures it is because they cannot possibly compete with the biggest state fair in the United States, which runs the month of October, and garners 2.25 million visitors each year; the Texas State Fair.  I am not really a huge beer drinker, but I enjoy getting out as temperatures start to cool … sort of.  It goes from being 105 to maybe 95.  Still, to me it hopefully signals the imminent beginning of autumn, which is my favorite time of year.  I was born during this season, and my late father and my little girl actually share the same birthdate.  I also love a good culture festival:  we have attended German, French, Irish, Mexican, Greek, and collective “world fests” which have celebrated cultures from India to Persia.  Oh!  And we love Chinese New Year and the Japanese Moon festival.  As Episcopalians we celebrate English holidays that are liturgical.  With each passing year I find we enjoy celebrating others.  As a teenager I grew up on the pow wow set, honoring Native American cultures, which are as vast and varied as they are similar.  This past summer in South Carolina we had a great time celebrating Africa’s traditions and arts.  It never ceases to amaze and humble me by how many similarities there are between cultures.  The Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho said:

Culture makes people understand each other better.  And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers.  But first they have to understand that their neighbour is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions.

And so it is with that spirit that I embrace celebrations of different cultures from all over the world.