Is anyone really annoyed that the brittish government (not even people from the ethnic minorities themselves) have said that people from ethnic minorities are offended by me calling my christmas lights christmas lights, and that they should be called winter lights. Most people of other faiths that I know say the government is being rediculous, and that they don't care what the lights are called.
Would blair dare to tell the muslims or jews they couldn't call their holidays and decorations by their real name? No. So they think it offends minorities, well having to call them winter lights blooming well does offend me.
rant over - what do you think?
2006-09-22 22:06:03 · 24 answers · asked by fatal_essence 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
christmas lights really have nothing to do with the birth of christ. there is no reference to angels or sheperds or wise men stringing lights around the stable. they are left over from pagan winter celebrations. so technically they are winter lights.
2006-09-22 22:09:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
I think that I understand where you are coming from. The lights that we use at Christmas are supposed to represent the star that settled over Bethlehem and therefore are Christmas lights. But, importantly, it is only a representation only. It is possible that they are supposed to represent the Yule Log - so that makes it a pagan tradition! The Jewish religion does a similar thing with the Honika lights - which many Christian families now display at Christmas because they look good. The Christmas Tree, well, we can blame that one on Prince Albert, so it is a fairly recent idea - although the idea of bringing 'evergreen' branches such as holly and ivy into the home is definitely of Pagan origin and so is mistletoe.
So many of the seasonal decorations that we use now have multiple thoughts and reasons behind them. The idea was to draw 'pagans' into the way of thinking of the Christian.
Why is Christmas dated when it is? It is unlikely that Christ was actually born at that time of year - but it is based on the old pagan festival of celebrating the return of the sun after the winter solstice. It was supposed to encourage the pagans to join in rather than remove their ancient celebration.
Most importantly, thank you so much for saying 'Christmas' rather than 'Xmas.' What is the 'X' supposed to suggest? Basic algebra here, maybe! Now, that is something that really offends me!
Although brought up as a Catholic, I no longer practise - but if you are going to celebrate the season then surely you should believe in what it stands for.
So, this year again I will have my Christmas Tree and my Christmas Lights and my Christmas Dinner (and what happened to that, turkey is of American origin and based on Thanksgiving!). I shall have my Christmas Pudding (made illegal by Oliver Cromwell!). I will give and recieve gifts - but I doubt if any will contain either gold, frankinsence or myrrh!
Not sure about this, but I believe that Ramadan is during the month of October and is a month of fasting, so I find it difficult the relate it to Christmas! Surely nowdays Christmas is just a time of excess!
2006-09-23 05:36:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Let's just stop *****-footing about and cow-towing down to these absurd ideas that keep cropping up. I look at it this way: I'm English, born and bred, and when I was a child I was brought up to believe that all of the lights, trees, and parties were all part of the CHRISTMAS celebrations. I shall continue to do so whatever: I shall string up my CHRISTMAS lights, put up my CHRISTMAS CARDS, decorate my CHRISTMAS TREE - I'll probably even have a CHRISTMAS FAIRY on top of it. On CHRISTMAS DAY I shall cook and eat my CHRISTMAS DINNER, then open my CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, and at some time during the day I shall listen to or watch The Queens' CHRISTMAS MESSAGE. In the evening, me and my family and friends will all get together to have a CHRISTMAS PARTY at which we will no doubt have a CHRISTMAS DRINK or three, and during the CHRISTMAS BANK HOLIDAY period I will no doubt do a lot of things the same as most other people will at that time of the year, including having a few days off from work.
AT ALL OTHER TIMES OF THE YEAR I do not interfere with nor pass comment upon anybody elses' religious festivals, so for that reason alone, I WILL NOT BE TOLD BY ANYBODY WHAT I CAN OR CAN NOT DO DURING MY OWN RELIGIOUS (!) FESTIVAL, and anybody who tries will be given a two worded message about sex and travel, and one of those words is not OFF.....
Has anybody noticed that the stupid yankee-yahoo system has prevented the word P U S S Y appearing in front of the word 'footing' in my opening sentence? And there was me, stupidly thinking that I was on the UK/Ire site - i.e. speaking ENGLISH, not yankee slang, for that's all it is!
2006-09-23 05:40:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Let me correct one thing Radio said. There is already a grand festival that all the agnostics I know observe and celebrate. It's called Christmas.
All the agnostics, Jews and Moslems I know observe Christmas. I don't see them at midnight Mass, but they exchange presents. They take several days off work (if they are able to). They go visiting. Some Jews rename the holiday as Chanukkah, but the real Chanukkah was only a minor feast in the Jewish calendar. At "Chanukkah," most Jews observe Christmas in a Christmassy way.
Incidentally, the only people I know who will not observe Christmas are not agnostics, etc., but certain Christian sects. The Jehovah's Witnesses, for instance, feel commemorating the birth of Jesus to be a great sin, and go out of their way to find some way to be at work on Christmas Day.
2006-09-23 05:25:28 · answer #4 · answered by Anne Marie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm sure you could get picky and say that Christmas lights etc aren't really Christian and this might be true. But that's not what this is about, is it?
It's about the downgrading of Christianity to avoid offending people who decided to come and live in ths country. That is crazy.
And I speak as a person who for most of her life, never celebrated Christmas because of my religion and as an immigrant.
British people are far too considerate of other people's opinions. It is time to be so self deprecating.
2006-09-23 05:15:32 · answer #5 · answered by True Blue Brit 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you are right. Even Christmas post cards, when they are not addressed specifically to one person (e.g. from websites, etc.) write Merry end of year and Happy new year to be politically correct! This is ridiculus. I have muslim friends who send me Christmas cards, because they are rational people, they may not be Christian but they know I am. I also know a family where they celebrated Easter 3 times, because it was an Greek -orthodox lady married to a Jew living in a catholic country. I even consider polite to wish merry christmas to a muslim: it is a wish after all, to have a nice time at this time of year when it is Christmas for me. I would accept the inverse too, for ramadan.
2006-09-23 05:18:17 · answer #6 · answered by cpinatsi 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would say put them "CHRISTmas" lights up and have a very Merry CHRISTmas when it gets here and if people are having a problem with it then they can start their own holidays and use their WINTER lights then. The reason for Christmas is Christ so those of you who do not like it ....TOUGH! Everyone wants to celebrate Christmas and forget the reason why. Well folks, the reason is Jesus Christ!
2006-09-23 05:15:28 · answer #7 · answered by The_answer_person 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I agree with every word you've said there....and for the people who are saying Christmas lights are related to what Christmas is really all about...how do you feel about not being able to buy Christmas cards with the Virgin Mary on them, just in case someone might get offended?
This country is going down the gutter...
2006-09-23 05:18:11 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I am. I think it's really stupid. I'm in the states and it hasn't come to an actual law about it. But there is pressure to be "politically correct" and not say Merry Christmas. Sorry, but I'll be Merry Christmas-in it up... like or not.
And like you said, it's hardly fair that the other "minority religion" holidays are allowed to be referred to by name... and it's considered enlightened. We should all be treated the same way.
But Emma you should get off it with your "Yankee slang" business. P u s s y-footing is slang too. It's Brit slang. Not that there's anything wrong with it; but don't fail to call it what it is.
2006-09-23 22:31:35 · answer #9 · answered by Holly 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im sick of hearing about the british government bending over backwards to accomodate all the minority groups, its about time they realised, they are exaclty that..minority.. and as such, should keep to themselves and not inflict their stupid ways on the rest of the population. Whats that saying..."when in Rome?" If these other cannot simply accept that they are living in a white christian society, then they should vacate the island and go elsewhere, but they should not be permitted to inflict their beliefs and ways on the majority. The problem is that there are so many people moaning, but they dont do anything when it comes to the crunch, i.e they dont put their vote where their voice is. I am living as a foreigner in another country, but I learnt he language and cope with the fiesta days, I dont moan stating I should get my bank holidays etc, or the spanish should speak english....
2006-09-23 05:11:10 · answer #10 · answered by SunnyDays 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
You have the right to call them any type of light you want. Only if you let others tell you what you can call them do you give up that right. So Merry Christmas and turn on your Christmas Lights.
2006-09-23 05:18:24 · answer #11 · answered by Donald S 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋