reposted from: http://www.suffolkhumanists.org.uk/node/535
Chris Street comments are in bright green;
highlights in yellow blockquotes.
Submitted by Margaret Nelson on Wed, 24/10/2007 - 15:53. Humanism
We’re often asked what Humanists do at Christmas. It’s generally assumed that the festival based on the winter solstice (the shortest day) is Jesus’s birthday. That’s what a lot of people refer to as “the real meaning of Christmas”. What they may not realise is that:
- It’s highly unlikely that Jesus was born on 25 December;
- The Christian nativity story is very similar to other stories of baby deities born to virgin mothers; it’s not unique.
- The Christian Church didn’t celebrate Christmas until the 4th century, as it took a dim view of all hedonistic hoo-ha enjoyed by the pagans at that time of year;
- There’s been a midwinter festival of one sort or another in Europe, Scandinavia and the Middle East for thousands of years, since long before the Christians claimed it;
- “Traditions” like Christmas trees, cards, gifts and turkeys are all fairly recent. The Victorians, particularly Prince Albert, had a lot to do with their introduction.
Some Humanists regard the festival as a time to enjoy good food and drink with family and friends, but without going OTT because they regard the commercialisation of the season as irritating and wasteful. Others prefer to ignore the whole thing, which is difficult. There used to be special get-away-from-Christmas holidays for Humanists, who’d go and stay somewhere Christmas-free – I don’t know if they still happen.
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