X Mas
So, today was Christmas. Christmas always brings controversy and debate as the overly religious segment of America battles with the overly whiny segment of the country. The religious folk want Christmas to be EVERYWHERE! Mangers in front of government buildings, angels flying around, etcetera. The whiny folk want Christmas to be NOWHERE! No evergreen trees, and a ban on the expression "Merry Christmas."
Here's the problem with the debate over Christmas and its religious connections, Christmas is not a Christian holiday. It isn't now, and it wasn't a long time ago.
Christmas is a secular commercial and family holiday more than it is a religious one. The very fact that it is called X-Mas indicates its lack of religiousness. If you watch TV, read magazines/papers, and generally pay attention to stuff around you, you'll notice that most instances of the word "Christmas" or some other sort of Christmas related theme is for a commercial purpose.
Christmas comes with an abundance of holiday related commercials. Of course, the retail sector of the economy receives a dramatic boom at this time, and companies compete for your gift-giving money. Heineken, Kay Jeweler's, McDonald's, Budweiser, Lexus, Coca-Cola, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Verizon, Victoria's Secret, and dozens of other companies put on Christmas based advertisements.
Christmas also brings a bevy of holiday related entertainment. Movies, TV shows, and even sports gear themselves around Christmas in order to get viewers. Classics that have become holiday traditions like It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer, and A Christmas Story; are all commercial enterprises that were produced in order to make money. They get re-aired on TV with tons of commercials and promotions. TV shows get in on the holiday spirit by making holiday specials. The NBA features a major game on Christmas day every year, sometimes two. The NFL had two games today, including an exceedingly rare Monday day game.
Now I'm not complaining about the commercial nature of Christmas. I don't think it is such a bad thing. I'm a capitalist, and a consumer. If companies want to slap on a Christmas label for their product, that's their decision. If people want to buy something that's from a holiday Christmas commercial, that's their decision. My point is, Christmas is about entertainment, giving presents, and getting presents. Of course, these three things can bring people together. They watch the shows and movies together, exchange gifts together, and consume the holiday related foods together. However, presents, red and green M&Ms and Best Buy gift cards have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.
A lot of people complain about the lack of Christianity in Christmas. "Christmas used to be about...blah blah blah." The problem is, that even if Christmas used to be about Jesus, its true foundations were not.
Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. Why? Well, it used to be celebrated on January 6th. It was then moved to the 25th. Was Jesus born on the 25th? Well, if there were actually shepherds in the fields as the Gospels say, then he wasn't. Also, if there was a mass census, why would there be one in the dead of winter? So why the 25th? It just so happens that the 25th of December was the Winter Solstice on the Roman Julian calendar. The Romans celebrated the Winter Solstice with the feast of Saturnalia, which honored the god Saturn. The holiday was one of the most popular amongst the people. There was an exchange of presents, drinking, feasting, and general merriment.
The 25th is also the same day as another Roman feast: Sol Invictus. This feast celebrated the end of shortening days and honored various sun gods. Sol Invictus was celebrated as the birthday of the Sun. The connection to the birth of Jesus being celebrated on the 25th is obvious.
It is possible that early Christians moved Christmas to the 25th because of Saturnalia. Perhaps the festival's popularity was drawing newly converted Christians back to their pagan roots, or preventing new converts from joining. It is a fact that celebrating the birth of Jesus was not a major part of the early church. Other events such as his baptism and conception were viewed as being much more important.
Eventually, the Church grew and began to absorb more and more cultures into itself. It became legal in the Roman Empire, and eventually became popular. The Early Middle Ages, when Christmas grew in popularity, was also when more Germanic peoples became Christians. Local winter festivals for the Solstice were adapted into a celebration of Jesus' birth. Christmas, as we know it, was born. It father was a pagan, and its mother was an early Church leader trying to generate good publicity.
So when people bitch about the words "Merry Christmas" on a public building, point out to them that the holiday is secular, and it isn't even based on a Christian holiday, but a variety of pagan ones. And the next time someone complains that Christmas "isn't what it used to be" say "praise Saturn," get naked and drunk, then run around town and dance around fires.
Merry X-Mas!
Here's the problem with the debate over Christmas and its religious connections, Christmas is not a Christian holiday. It isn't now, and it wasn't a long time ago.
Christmas is a secular commercial and family holiday more than it is a religious one. The very fact that it is called X-Mas indicates its lack of religiousness. If you watch TV, read magazines/papers, and generally pay attention to stuff around you, you'll notice that most instances of the word "Christmas" or some other sort of Christmas related theme is for a commercial purpose.
Christmas comes with an abundance of holiday related commercials. Of course, the retail sector of the economy receives a dramatic boom at this time, and companies compete for your gift-giving money. Heineken, Kay Jeweler's, McDonald's, Budweiser, Lexus, Coca-Cola, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Verizon, Victoria's Secret, and dozens of other companies put on Christmas based advertisements.
Christmas also brings a bevy of holiday related entertainment. Movies, TV shows, and even sports gear themselves around Christmas in order to get viewers. Classics that have become holiday traditions like It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer, and A Christmas Story; are all commercial enterprises that were produced in order to make money. They get re-aired on TV with tons of commercials and promotions. TV shows get in on the holiday spirit by making holiday specials. The NBA features a major game on Christmas day every year, sometimes two. The NFL had two games today, including an exceedingly rare Monday day game.
Now I'm not complaining about the commercial nature of Christmas. I don't think it is such a bad thing. I'm a capitalist, and a consumer. If companies want to slap on a Christmas label for their product, that's their decision. If people want to buy something that's from a holiday Christmas commercial, that's their decision. My point is, Christmas is about entertainment, giving presents, and getting presents. Of course, these three things can bring people together. They watch the shows and movies together, exchange gifts together, and consume the holiday related foods together. However, presents, red and green M&Ms and Best Buy gift cards have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.
A lot of people complain about the lack of Christianity in Christmas. "Christmas used to be about...blah blah blah." The problem is, that even if Christmas used to be about Jesus, its true foundations were not.
Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. Why? Well, it used to be celebrated on January 6th. It was then moved to the 25th. Was Jesus born on the 25th? Well, if there were actually shepherds in the fields as the Gospels say, then he wasn't. Also, if there was a mass census, why would there be one in the dead of winter? So why the 25th? It just so happens that the 25th of December was the Winter Solstice on the Roman Julian calendar. The Romans celebrated the Winter Solstice with the feast of Saturnalia, which honored the god Saturn. The holiday was one of the most popular amongst the people. There was an exchange of presents, drinking, feasting, and general merriment.
The 25th is also the same day as another Roman feast: Sol Invictus. This feast celebrated the end of shortening days and honored various sun gods. Sol Invictus was celebrated as the birthday of the Sun. The connection to the birth of Jesus being celebrated on the 25th is obvious.
It is possible that early Christians moved Christmas to the 25th because of Saturnalia. Perhaps the festival's popularity was drawing newly converted Christians back to their pagan roots, or preventing new converts from joining. It is a fact that celebrating the birth of Jesus was not a major part of the early church. Other events such as his baptism and conception were viewed as being much more important.
Eventually, the Church grew and began to absorb more and more cultures into itself. It became legal in the Roman Empire, and eventually became popular. The Early Middle Ages, when Christmas grew in popularity, was also when more Germanic peoples became Christians. Local winter festivals for the Solstice were adapted into a celebration of Jesus' birth. Christmas, as we know it, was born. It father was a pagan, and its mother was an early Church leader trying to generate good publicity.
So when people bitch about the words "Merry Christmas" on a public building, point out to them that the holiday is secular, and it isn't even based on a Christian holiday, but a variety of pagan ones. And the next time someone complains that Christmas "isn't what it used to be" say "praise Saturn," get naked and drunk, then run around town and dance around fires.
Merry X-Mas!
posted by rob | 11:12 PM
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