Christmas is it's own self-contained little religion
Offline Hotly contested origins. Magical deity figureheads. Allegorical myths. Absolute, bichromatic moral utterings. Dogmatic demands that you either get with the program or get the Hell out of the way, because only bad & nasty people hate Christmas.
...I just thought of all of the obvious parallels this afternoon. Christmas isn't just a religious holiday - it's a religion. One that retailers happily abuse to their fullest extent to squeeze every penny they can out of the average consumer, one that parents use to browbeat children into tidy little clones of themselves and one that just about every friggin' person uses to slide into a numb delusion for a few days that, somehow, the 'Spirit of Christmas' has made the world a magical and wonderful place for just a day or so ('Aww. If only every day could be like Christmas')
Fuck, I hate Christmas.
At least New Years follows right on it's heels to make-up for some of the suckage.
"Natasha has just come up to the window from the courtyard and opened it wider so that the air may enter more freely into my room. I can see the bright green strip of grass beneath the wall, and the clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. Life is beautiful. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full."
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
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Xmas does not have hotly contested origins. It's December 25th. That is the Winter solstice. Check yourself. That's when the days start getting longer again. That's it. Forget that BS about celebrating the birth of sonny Jesus.
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
I know, DG. What I meant by 'hotly contested' was that Christians will never admit to the fact.
The solstice is on Dec 21st. The 25th is when the "3 kings" constellation lines up on top of the morning star at sunrise in the east. Thus telling ancient astronomers for sure that the days were getting longer and the people could celebrate the gift of the 3 magi (kings) the return of the sun.
I was in Guyana last week pointing the "3 kings" out to some religious friends and telling the real story of the magi. I'm no astronomer but I believe those three stars are now called "Orion's belt". And my friends are now more skeptical of religion.
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
____________________________________________________________
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"God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks please. Cash and in small bills." - Robert A Heinlein.
depends on who you ask. here in central europe, it's on the 24th. for the greek catholics and the orthodox, it's on january 6th, which is also epiphany or three kings' day, and survives in appalachian folklore as "old christmas."
america's christmas sucks. europe's rocks. in almost every city there's a month-long christmas festival with stalls selling grilled sausages and pork chops, traditional candies, chocolate-covered fruits, mulled wine (including an incredible wine made from honey), hot rum punch, beer, etc. everybody gets very full and very drunk and the whole town square erupts in paroxysms of joy. it really is like the old slavic festivals, not the cheaply dignified, saccharine, bing crosby, woolworth's bullshit: one turkey dinner, 10 minutes of ripping colored paper and BOOM, see ya next year.
oh, and here saint nicholas comes at the beginning of december on his feast day and leaves a couple small gifts (usually candy) in your boot. on christmas day, little baby jesus brings the gifts. i shit you not. the whole thing is deliciously surreal.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
Huh?
You're thinking of the celebration that comes with the event. The solstice (I made a mistake btw, it's between Dec. 20-23, not 25th) has nothing to do with culture. It's the twice-annual occurance when the Earth has max. tilt with respect to the sun.
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
the winter equinox has nothing to do with culture, you're right, but christmas does and your words were
i'm just saying that christmas isn't always identified with the winter solstice, and that is a cultural thing.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
...See what I mean now, DG?
Ummmm. Solstice is in June and December.
Equinox is in March(vernal) and September(autumnal).
Solstice is distance. Axis of earth directed toward or away from Sun maximum point. Opposite in both hemispheres. Summer here. Winter in Australia. due to distance and angle of Earth.
Equinox is equal day and night. Thus equi- equal nox- night.
Winter solstice hasn't always been between 20-23 of December.
I agree that it isn't hotly contested origins though. The pope said "Christmas is here to contest these pagan winter solstice rituals!"
Same thing with All Saint's Day and Samhain. Lupercalia and Mardi gras. Easter and fertility ritual. etc.
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