Some Thoughts on Holidays
The following is not intended to offend, merely express a personal opinion.
Every time I turn around I feel as if I see another Facebook status, or another news article about how everyone is trying to "take the Christ out of Christmas." That’s upsetting to me, because of my own beliefs, but the responses to these posts have ranged from a misplaced sort of "pagan superiority complex" to a "burn ALL the witches!" response from other Christians, and both of these reactions are equally ridiculous.
Now, let’s just get something out there. "Christmas" is not in fact of Christian origin. Nothing about it is Christian, from the time of year at which it is celebrated, to the supposed "traditions" of it. That said, the modern traditions don’t much resemble their pagan roots, either. Originally the festival celebrated at the end of December was one that occurred around the time of the winter solstice (generally around the 21st), as an expression of joy and thankfulness that the shorter days were at their end, a celebration of the return of the sun, in many cultures. Some of those cultures deified the sun, and viewed him as a consort of the Goddess.
Yule, Modranect, Winter Solstice, Pancha Ganapati--all are holidays that take place between the 21st and the 25th. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winter_festivals is a really decent list for many other "winter" holidays, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Solstice#Observances has a nice section on how the solstice is observed in various parts of the world.)
Furthermore, Jesus wasn’t even born in December (nor was it a "Christian" thing, to celebrate birthdays--that’s also of pagan origin), making a "celebration of the birth of Christ" a fallacy in the strictest sense (though I think it is more than acceptable to share this time of year with others--that’s kind of the point of it all). Some research suggests that he was born in August or September, but not December. Now, someone who was born in late December and to a virgin mother was the god Mithra, an ancient Iranian god of light, truth, and goodness. (The academic and anthropologist in me finds the parallels between this god and Jesus highly intriguing, especially considering the origin, since that same part of the world later gave rise to Christianity, but I’ll spare you the tangent...)
One theory regarding where we probably get the date of December 25th from, ties the celebration back to Sol Invictus, a Roman sun god (yes, I know--shocking that they had their own gods, too, not just the Greek transplants!). The Philocalian Calendar, from 354 AD, gives the 25th as the date for a festival called Natalis Invicti--The Birth of Invictus. After all, the Romans are largely responsible for the spread of Christianity, so it is only common sense that some of their other, older, traditions might have melded with the new ones. In fact, most customs (religious or otherwise) were spread through the conquering of cultures, and then supplanting them with the victor’s own beliefs and customs, so there is nothing special or unique about the transfer of one religion’s feast day with another’s.
The point of this post, in the end, is that this "high point" in the middle of the dark months is a global celebration, regardless of religion. Christians, Wiccans, Hindus, etc., all rejoice in the fact that "finally!" the days are getting longer again! What individual spins they put on the traditions of their own faith is irrelevant, and ultimately pointless to argue about. We all love celebrating with our families, we all enjoy the sudden uprising of "community" that inevitably occurs at this time of year. It doesn’t do anyone any sort of kindness to come down on their personal beliefs--t is, in fact, injurious and a form of bullying. This is not the time of year for such behavior; there is never a time of year for that behavior.
I’m not saying do celebrate Christmas or do not celebrate it. I’m only asking that you know what it is you’re celebrating.
Every time I turn around I feel as if I see another Facebook status, or another news article about how everyone is trying to "take the Christ out of Christmas." That’s upsetting to me, because of my own beliefs, but the responses to these posts have ranged from a misplaced sort of "pagan superiority complex" to a "burn ALL the witches!" response from other Christians, and both of these reactions are equally ridiculous.
Now, let’s just get something out there. "Christmas" is not in fact of Christian origin. Nothing about it is Christian, from the time of year at which it is celebrated, to the supposed "traditions" of it. That said, the modern traditions don’t much resemble their pagan roots, either. Originally the festival celebrated at the end of December was one that occurred around the time of the winter solstice (generally around the 21st), as an expression of joy and thankfulness that the shorter days were at their end, a celebration of the return of the sun, in many cultures. Some of those cultures deified the sun, and viewed him as a consort of the Goddess.
Yule, Modranect, Winter Solstice, Pancha Ganapati--all are holidays that take place between the 21st and the 25th. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winter_festivals is a really decent list for many other "winter" holidays, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Solstice#Observances has a nice section on how the solstice is observed in various parts of the world.)
Furthermore, Jesus wasn’t even born in December (nor was it a "Christian" thing, to celebrate birthdays--that’s also of pagan origin), making a "celebration of the birth of Christ" a fallacy in the strictest sense (though I think it is more than acceptable to share this time of year with others--that’s kind of the point of it all). Some research suggests that he was born in August or September, but not December. Now, someone who was born in late December and to a virgin mother was the god Mithra, an ancient Iranian god of light, truth, and goodness. (The academic and anthropologist in me finds the parallels between this god and Jesus highly intriguing, especially considering the origin, since that same part of the world later gave rise to Christianity, but I’ll spare you the tangent...)
One theory regarding where we probably get the date of December 25th from, ties the celebration back to Sol Invictus, a Roman sun god (yes, I know--shocking that they had their own gods, too, not just the Greek transplants!). The Philocalian Calendar, from 354 AD, gives the 25th as the date for a festival called Natalis Invicti--The Birth of Invictus. After all, the Romans are largely responsible for the spread of Christianity, so it is only common sense that some of their other, older, traditions might have melded with the new ones. In fact, most customs (religious or otherwise) were spread through the conquering of cultures, and then supplanting them with the victor’s own beliefs and customs, so there is nothing special or unique about the transfer of one religion’s feast day with another’s.
The point of this post, in the end, is that this "high point" in the middle of the dark months is a global celebration, regardless of religion. Christians, Wiccans, Hindus, etc., all rejoice in the fact that "finally!" the days are getting longer again! What individual spins they put on the traditions of their own faith is irrelevant, and ultimately pointless to argue about. We all love celebrating with our families, we all enjoy the sudden uprising of "community" that inevitably occurs at this time of year. It doesn’t do anyone any sort of kindness to come down on their personal beliefs--t is, in fact, injurious and a form of bullying. This is not the time of year for such behavior; there is never a time of year for that behavior.
I’m not saying do celebrate Christmas or do not celebrate it. I’m only asking that you know what it is you’re celebrating.