This whole episode makes me want to bash my head into a brick wall for the rest of the year without stopping.
Here's how I see it. *pulls out his big bold marker pens again!* I'm going to talk to myself for a bit, you're free to listen.
DECEMBER IS LADEN WITH RELIGIOUS AND NONRELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS! Let's take a look at just some of what's celebrated in December.
Christmas (Roman Catholicism/Protestantism/Anglicanism):
Christianity for most divisions is celebrated on the 25/24/26th (see below). The Orthodox churches disagree with this and celebrate it in spring, January 6 or 7th I think.
I should note that this is not the only Christian holiday/festival celebrated in December. Advent, the four-week season of pentinence leading up to Christmas, quite a few saints, Holy Innocent's Day, and the Feast of the Circumcision are all celebrated sometime in December.
(Unless, again, you're Orthodox, which you'd celebrate Advent later.)
Yule/Yalda/Karachun (Astratu, some/most sects of neopaganism):
Various pagan/shamanistic religions have or had holidays on that date, too. Yule is probably the most recognizable and is officially celebrated by followers of Asratu (Norse/Germanic paganism).
Kwanzaa:
Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday observance held from December 26 to January 1 honoring African-American heritage, primarily in the United States. Straight from Wilkipedia so I don't mess things up. The holiday isn't religious but faith is a part of what's celebrated. So I dunno.
The Extreme of Winter (Dhong Zhi):
Traditional Chinese festival celebrated around December 22nd. I'm not sure if it has a reigious significance, but it does seem to be related somehow. Descriptions I've read tie the holiday into concepts like the Yin and Yang.
Hanukkah:
Even though Judaism has its own calander, the holiday period is always celebrated sometime in December in the Gregorian one. Sometimes it starts in late November, though.
There's a few more I'm not thinking of too--aside from the birthdays of famous people like Sir Issac Newton, who was born on the 25th (I think?).
Boxing Day:
We Americans don't hear about this Canadian holiday that much, but if you ever sneak across the border on the 26th you'll see that the entire nation has gone mad and is re-enacting the Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield match, punching and biting eachother's ears off.
... Wait, no. Seriously, it's a somewhat Commonwealth/European holiday that is also known as St. Stephen's Day or the Second Day of Christmas. Here in the U.S. we celebrate on the 24th and 25th.
(I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody with that joke.)
WOW, THAT'S A LOT OF HOLIDAYS. BUT WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU PLAYING AT, TREV-MUN?
*ahem*
At first glance, you mght think I'm about to say we should say 'Happy Holidays!' during the season, right?
Well, no. Why's that?
"Happy holidays" would be more applicable if the mass of other holiays during this month were recognized by the department store chains and whatever else. However, when you go into a place like, say, Wal-Mart, it's overwhelmingly celebratory of Christmas.
Heck, I don't think that even the other Christian holidays are given any notice.
So my bottom line is, "a horse is a horse is a horse." Until other holidays are significantly recognied, there's really no point in saying "Happy Holidays!" when all you're selling is CHRISTMAS RELATED STUFF.
If you don't want people saying "Merry Christmas" to you in department stores, then maaaaybe you should think about petitioning to have the holidays you celebrate represented more, eh?
BUT TREV-MUN, CHRISTMAS HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH CHRISTIANITY! IT'S JUST A NAME FOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE!
You will note that I have now locked Mistle Rose in the chumble fuzz room for that comment. She can come out when she's learned her lesson.
Why would I do that to her? Because it most certainly DOES mean something to Christians, y'know, since it celebrates the one man that the freakin' religion is central to. Furthermore, since Christmas is celebrated by Orthodox Christians in January (on the 6th I believe) ... and since the date is NOT tied to the Winter Solstice, which is painfully apparent this year since the Solstice is on the 21st, the comment is mostly ignorant and mildly offensive of her to make.
Let's take a more realistic approach to that. The Winter Solstice is rarely the date of a few religious/nonreligious holidays and whatnot that occur on the 24th/25th. As I pointed out, it's mostly Christian (Catholic/Protestant/Lutheran/Anglican) and neopagan (Asratu/etc), if they don't celebrate Yule on the exact date of the Winter Solstice.
Christmas itself has become so commercialized that yes, it has developed secular traditions that are more widely recognized and celebratable by non-Christians. (I am speaking solely of Christmas here, not the other holidays that share in the same dates) However, it still has a HUGE religious significance for Christians themselves.
SO HERE'S THE MAJOR POINTS IN SUMMARY!
- There are indeed many holidays in December, but only one is given any significance by the markets.
- Christmas very much has a significance for Christians.
- It is not a metaphor for the Winter Solstice, but for the birth of Jesus Christ.
- It is not typically celebrated on the Winter Solstice, and in fact is not tacked to it at all, but remains on the 25/24th of December, or the 6th/7th of January (or so).
- Unlike other Christian and non-Christian holidays, it pretty much dominates department stores at this time of year.
- Until other holidays get more recognition by department stores, they should call it for what it is: "Merry Christmas."
Thank you and good morning!
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