The infamous War On Christmas didn’t seem to materialize this year or at least I have not heard about it. Perhaps O’Reilly isn’t running his mouth as much this Christmas as he has in years past. I wouldn’t know since I don’t watch or listen to him.
The news did run a segment today with two marketing guys who claim businesses who say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” risk losing business. I think the economic meltdown is a bit more of a threat to businesses these days than “Happy Holidays”.
I do think however that it’s time for people to reclaim The Winter Festival. “Christmas” existed thousands of years before Christ was born. Jesus isn’t the reason for the season. The reason is that December 25th is the shortest day of the year known as Winter Solstice. Cultures who live in regions where it is currently winter recognize and celebrate during this time. Lights were used symbolically to “reignite the sun”. Also, since the days are short and the nights cold and long lights were lit (candles, fires) as a way to buck the winter blues.
In Scandinavian countries they called it Yule. They would get the biggest log they could find and bring it back home. This log would be lit and burn all night long during which there was much feasting and celebrating. Eating food in the dead of winter and celebrating with family and friends was another way to get through the harsh winters. Food is scarce and times rough in winter. Celebrating helped get their minds off the freezing cold.
Evergreen trees were valued symbolically since they stayed green all through the harsh winter. No one is sure when the practice of cutting down an evergreen, bringing it in doors, and decorating it began but it was a while ago.
In the U.S. the practice started after Queen Victoria had a Christmas Tree in her house in 1841. She was married to a German, Prince Albert. Germans at the time would bring an evergreen tree in the house and decorate it. The practice caught on and eventually made its way to America.
In Rome the celebration was called Saturnalia and included feasting, drinking, and role exchanges where masters would become slaves and slaves become masters for a day. In Ancient Greece the festival was called Brumalia.
Throughout the world human cultures spontaneously celebrated at this time of year for a number of reasons including the solstice. It was a way to buck the dog days of winter. What Christians did was piggy back on to existing Holidays that people were already celebrating. In order to make it relevant to Christianity they decided to make December 25th the day Christ was born. Oddly enough, they kept much of the pagan trappings that surround Christmas since people weren’t about to stop practicing the fun parts of Winter Festival.
Evergreens were decorated with apples to remind them of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. Apples later gave way to ornaments. Angles were placed on top and Stars of Bethlehem incorporated to bring a more Christian feel to the tree. The feasting, drinking, and celebrating stayed much to the chagrin of Church leaders. Gift giving also remained.
Indeed up until the late 1800’s Christian churches in America discouraged the practice of Christmas. In our early Puritanical history it was even outlawed. Why? The reality is it’s not a Christian holiday. It’s a pagan holiday that Roman leaders decided to plop Christianity on to since the Pagans were already celebrating it at this time and since Christianity was becoming the predominant religion.
People can believe Jesus was born on December 25th but he wasn’t. And saying so doesn’t make Winter Festival a Christian holiday. It never has been a Christian holiday. It’s been a natural spontaneous human trait all over the world to celebrate at this time of year long before Jesus was a twinkle in God’s eye.
If Christianity should ever cease being a religion or get replaced by another religion, this time of year will continue to be a time of celebration. Most likely that new religion will incorporate its own symbolism and meaning into the holiday just as Christianity did; Just as Rome did with Saturnalia and the Greek Brumalia.
This time of year is a time to remember the Spirit of Saint Nicholas, an actual person who was very generous giving to those who were needy. It’s a time of year to celebrate with family and friends, drink, eat, and be merry. It’s a time of year to shake off those winter blues with what we now call Christmas lights. We celebrate the Evergreen’s ability to survive harsh winters by chopping one down, bringing it in the house, and decorating it. We also exchange gifts which is another way to drive away the winter blues.
The humanity of this time of year is Winter Festival.
If Christians really want to take this holiday away and make it all about Jesus then they will have to drop all the pagan trappings they are so fond of. No more Christmas Trees. No more gift giving and feasting in excess. No more Christmas lights, reindeer, Frosty The Snowman, Santa Claus, or mass consumer spending. On December 25th they can go sit in the church all day and pray on Christ’s Mass.
The rest of us will continue to celebrate Winter Festival. Of course Christian won’t do that so we will have to endure yet another year of them insisting that Jesus Is The Reason For The Season when he is not. We will have to endure yet another year of them getting offended if someone doesn’t say Merry Christmas while they celebrate Jesus’s birthday with pagan trappings and excess that would make even the Romans blush.
Merry Winter Festival. Let the War On Christmas begin!
