Interview:

What type of holidays do you celebrate?

“We do Christian and Buddhist things at the same time, we go to church on Christmas, then do New Year Sri Lankan stuff.”

What do you usually do for Christmas?

“Stay for the service.  Then go home.”

Do you do anything else?

“We usually have dinner on Christmas.  Usually with family.

Sometimes we go for midnight mass.”

From whom did you get this tradition from?

“Found out from parents.  It’s a way of learning about my grandparents on my mom’s side of the family.  I think my mom isn’t really Christian either.  I think my mom is agnostic too, but she just takes the traditions as well.”

Background:

The informant himself being agnostic, still celebrates holidays as a means to get closer to his parents.   He also stated that he is most likely going to inherit the traditions similar to how his mom has from her parents.

Analysis:

While the particular practice of celebrating Christmas was not particularly different from most other families, what stood out to me was the common way in which traditions get passed down.  Rather than it being necessary because of the religion, it becomes a means is a means to have connections to parents and family members.  I found similarities in his story as what happens in my family, where my family goes to temples in Taiwan to pray for good luck to accompany relatives.