UPDATE: Since this post was written, I have taken the liberty of twice modifying the proposed date/time. Yikes! Bear with me. In the current version of the holiday, Bridge of Light should be held on Dec. 31 (New Year's Eve). An alternative is to begin the candle-lighting ritual on Dec. 31 and conclude the ceremony on the morning of Jan. 1.
I have made two changes to the Bridge of Light Vision Statement. First, where the Statement read "will be held on January 1-6, 2006 CE", I have changed to read "will be held on January 1, 2006 CE." Second, where the statement read "Over the six days," I have changed to read "During the celebration..."
With these changes, I am responding to feedback from endorsers or potential endorsers that urged me to consider shortening the holiday from six days to a single day. Upon reflection over the past six months, I have come to agree with this recommendation.
I am optimistic that there will be enough energy, enthusiasm, and momentum for Bridge of Light to gain traction in the culture. However, I don't think we should try to push it. Asking people to give generously of their time and effort to celebrate a new ritual is one thing, but asking people to hold a candle-lighting ritual over six consecutive days is quite another.
I think it would be best to focus the energy of the celebration on a single day, rather than diffuse our energies. It is quite possible that in the modern era of MTV, video games, and "speed dating," our collective attention spans are simply too short to make a six-day holiday a realistic plan.
Having seen the wisdom of shortening the holiday to a single day, January 1 became the obvious choice. One of the guiding inspirations of the holiday was to create a sort of "Gay New Year." New Year's Day is already a public holiday in the US, which is a nice bonus. I can see no good reason to select another day.