Marc 7
Aqeel AhmadAnd so this was Christmas.
February 2nd 2012 19:58
With all the preparation, the shopping, the cleaning , the cooking, the gift giving and receiving the I think I forgot to buy something feeling, Christmas comes and goes in a flash every year. How many of you survived Christmas. I believe the overwhelming majority will say that they survived through it.
There’s a feeling of relief for many when Christmas and Christmas Eve have passed. It’s the holiday hangover. Not the typical hangover from too much alcohol but the hangover of over consumption of everything. We live in a society that values consuming so much that we have lost focus on what Christmas is really all about. Why do we celebrate Christmas on Dec 25th?? Is this really the date on which Jesus Christ was born?
Why do we put up a Christmas tree? What does it symbolize? Where does Santa Claus fit in to all of this? We seem to follow all these traditions without even knowing or understanding what any of it really means and yet we do it over and over again with ritualistic fervour.
We become slaves to these rituals without really knowing it. I find it fascinating how Christmas seems to be this mixture of Pagan rituals, Christian religious symbols and folklore. How did all of this come together to create our modern day Christmas?
Are we celebrating the Birth of Christ or the winter Solstice? Was Christmas created by the Romans to replace the pagan rituals and give the Christians their religious holiday?
Sometimes it’s better not to ask too many questions I guess. What I love about Christmas is being with family, seeing good friends and spending time together. Oh and let’s not forget all the amazing food and wine. But still it lingers in the back of my mind.
What are we really celebrating? Where did it all come from? The more research you do the more questions arise. Have I peeked your curiosity?
It would seem that the Egyptians and Romans we’re celebrating “Christmas” long before Jesus was born. Fascinating isn’t it?
Did you know that Santa Claus was Turkish and that his name comes from his Dutch nickname Santer Klass??
Definitely food for thought!
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