RE: Is it really politically correct to say Happy Holidays, or is it just being polite?
November 17, 2014 at 1:35 pm
Quote:what's more you have taken a day we have adopted to celibrate the birth of Christ, and devalued it.
You stole it first, drippy.
http://www.motherbedford.com/Christmas.htm
Quote:In 350 A.D. Pope Julius I decreed that from that time forth the 25th of December would be acknowledged as the date of the Nativity. All of Christendom accepted that decree except for the Armenian church. To that denomination, the Nativity is celebrated on January 6 each year. It should be noted that Julius I's decree came only thirty-seven years after Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Toleration which effectively legalized the Christian religion. Prior to that time anyone who professed the Christian religion were persecuted. In 303 A.D. the Nativity was "celebrated" by Emperor Diocletian by having nearly 20,000 Christians burned to death.
The 25th of December was chosen by Pope Julius I partly to counter or replace the festivals normally celebrated on or near that date. The day was commonly known throughout the Persian Empire as the Dies Solis Invicti Nati, or the Birthday Of The Unconquered Sun. The Romans celebrated the Saturnalia at that time of year because a solar solstice occurs about that time. In Mesopotamia, the people celebrated their god Marduk's struggle against the forces of chaos. The Greeks believed that the latter part of December was when the god, Zeus would renew his annual battle against Kronos and the Titans. The effort by the Christian Pope to counter these established holidays with a solemn celebration of the Nativity was intended to purge the world of the debauchery and raucousness that they induced in the general populace. The Saturnalia, in particular, was very hedonistic; people indulged in all manner of (often drunken) revelries and gaiety. They indulged in parties and exchanged gifts with one another.
The intention of the Christian leaders like Pope Julius I was not to force a sudden change on the common people. Instead, they hoped to gradually replace the "pagan" customs with Christian ones. Gregory the Great wrote, in 597, that the pagan rituals not be removed "upon the sudden", but rather be adapted "to the praise of God." As a result of this approach, many of the traditions we indulge in today come from sources originally not part of the Christian tradition. The lights on the Christmas tree are descended from candles, which descend themselves from the Norse belief in lighting fires to help Woden and Thor battle the evil of winter. Presents given out at Christmas descends from the Saturnalian practice of exchanging gifts. The decoration of our homes with evergreens descends from the early Celtic belief that the harsh effects of winter could be wished away with the plants that did not lose their green color. The colors we cherish as Christmascolors, red and green, comes from the holly plant's berries and leaves. The holly plant was revered by the early Romans and hung about their houses during the Saturnalia, supposedly to ward off witchcraft.
Just regurgitated bullshit, drippy. You'll have to learn to deal with it.
