Traditional, Comercial or Religious

[Brian Bush]

The Pagan festival of Saturnalia was incorporated into Christmas by the Romans. Saturnalia was the midwinter festival celebrated by most pre Christian peoples particularly in Northern Europe where the days beginning to lengthen was an important sign.
The Christian festival of Christmas was a convenience for the early church in their conversion of the 'pagans'.
The timing of Christmas, the birth of Christ, was almost certainly not at mid winter. It would have been a very foolish Roman Emperor that decreed 'that all the world should be taxed' and had to return to their place of birth in mid winter. The thought of the entire population of the empire on the roads at that time of year???
Visiting Turkey a few years ago I remember a trip to the town claimed to be the birthplace of ST. Nicholas. He was probably a revered individual that did good works that was subsumed into the 'Christian' mythology.

 

[REDWOOD]

There is nothing mythical


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MartinL]

Visiting Turkey a few years ago I remember a trip to the town claimed to be the birthplace of ST. Nicholas. He was probably a revered individual that did good works that was subsumed into the 'Christian' mythology.

So they lay claim to at least two of our saints?

The Pagan festival of Saturnalia was incorporated into Christmas by the Romans. Saturnalia was the midwinter festival celebrated by most pre Christian peoples particularly in Northern Europe where the days beginning to lengthen was an important sign.

Winter Solstice, too cold to be dancing around stone circles before sunrise, so they sat around the chimney, got well lagged and imagination did the rest?

We've started what has become a bit of a tradition in our house,
Green flames from "Magic Yule-Logs" in the wood burner on Christmas eve and day.
Impregnate small logs with Barium Nitrate (around now). When dried out, they burn with a green flame inside the stove, Homage to the Green Man on the front of our house!
Might pop one in the Pubs log basket this year?

 

[Brian Bush]

There is nothing mythical


Sorry Redwood, I had no intention to offend.
The early Christians, through a number of councils, originally at the behest of Emperor Constantine, Nicea, Carthage, Constantinople to name just 3 did produce a sanitised version of the story. They also excluded some texts from the bible that were written at the time of Christ or just after. Today we call this censorship. This version of the life of Christ and the early Christians was based on stories passed down, in most cases by word of mouth. The stories of other people, The Norse Saga, The Anglo Saxon Chronicle etc. that were originally passed by word of mouth contain much that would be considered myth and legend woven around the truth. I therefore consider it sensible judgement to believe that some of the story of Christ has been adapted and embroidered to suit differing times in the past.

 

[Finman]

.
No mystical. Santa is as real as Robin Hood. Robin Hood took from those, who had too much. Santa gives to those, who have already too much.
.
.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

.
No mystical. Santa is as real as Robin Hood. Robin Hood took from those, who had too much. Santa gives to those, who have already too much.
.
.

Well said Finny - really should get a 'like' button on here

 

[Finman]

.
We do not have in our culture Saints. We have no celebrations for that. When I read Wikipedia, it is said that "every western country do that and do that". We do not know, who are Santa claus or Santa Nikolaus.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So they lay claim to at least two of our saints?

As well as our favoured meat offering at Christmas!!

 

[B+.]

What do you want for Christmas?

I can't have what I want

 

[Erichalfbee]

I can't have what I want

Oh B+ my heart goes out to you at this time of year especially

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm in Berlin sampling the Christmas markets so another glass of gluhwein will do thanks. Just met a chap selling honey. Says he spent time at Buckfast abbey 30 years ago

 

[Finman]

I can't have what I want

Remember how usefull would be money!

.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Oh B+ my heart goes out to you at this time of year especially

I'm with Dani on this one.
To a lot of us the tinsel and trimmings mean little.
The early morning Christmas service in our little chapel was very close to my father's heart (Taken far too young) and one of the last good memories is of the first time my father took both me and my brother to the service - also the first time I read the bible there; as the sun rose we noticed it had begun to snow and we walked out to our first white Christmas.
I now take the service and am always conscious of my mother's concerned eye upon me as I sometimes have to take a very deep breath mid sentence before continuing.

 

[For want of a better word]

The end to world poverty, starvation, wars.........

a day off would be nice

Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

The end to world poverty, starvation, wars.........

a day off would be nice

Yeghes da

Buy a property from moon.

 

[MuswellMetro]

I am again looking forward to our ritual of going to the local Christmas tree sales place on about the 23rd of December, picking the most misshapen and unlovable potted tree from the pathetic remaining selection, bringing it home and giving it the best damn Christmas that we can - warmth, light, water, all the decorations and trimmings - before planting it in the field near its predecessors to have a good life.

On the basis of this loosely(!) Pagan approach, I'll go for 'traditional' please, and have my Santa dressed in green not red

Having seen your House recently, i thought a roof might be a more appropriate Christmas present

 

[MadAnt]

In Eastern Europe gifts are given on St Nicholas day which is earlier than our Christmas day which was made to suit the church when the old calendar was changed from the Julian to the Gregorian.Their Christmas day falls on the 7th January. Like wise some parts of Wales still celebrate the old new year(Hen Galan).

7th Jan is orthodox Xmas.

 

[Brian Bush]

There was rioting in some parts of the Uk when we changed from Gregorian to Julian calendar and again when it was realised that leap years had not been taken into consideration and a deduction in days was made in one year to put the calendar back on schedule. People were convinced they were being cheated of several days of their life.

 

[birdsandbees]

I want nothing more than to spent time away from the torture chamber known as work with my family, eat well, drink a bit, go for chilly walks with the dogs and return to a nice warm fire.
I'm an atheist but for me it's a mid winter break from the monotony of getting up in the dark and getting home in the dark, time to take a deep breath before the start of another year.

 

[yeogi75]

I want nothing more than to spent time away from the torture chamber known as work with my family, eat well, drink a bit, go for chilly walks with the dogs and return to a nice warm fire.
I'm an atheist but for me it's a mid winter break from the monotony of getting up in the dark and getting home in the dark, time to take a deep breath before the start of another year.

im the same, I packed up work this year still got one year before pension , but cant be arsed to do the last year