As I've got older
(and far more outspoken about my disdain for religion) around this
time of year someone usually points out how hypocritical it is for a
self-confessed apostate heathen to celebrate Christmas.
Well, the thing is,
I don't celebrate Christmas...at least not 'Jesus's Birthday'.
In the past, I've
self-righteously pointed out how no-one knows when Jesus' Birthday
is, and the 25th was deliberately chosen specifically to
co-opt the ancient Roman festivals of 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis
Solis Invicti'… after all, the easiest way to stamp out a competing
belief system is to co-opt their rituals and festivals.
But, today I want to
ask another question. For all of recorded history, every major
culture has some sort of Festival on or around the Winter
Solstice...why is that?
Here's why: Because
for the vast majority of human history, Winter wasn't just a time to
put on a jumper and bitch about higher heating bills. It was a
terrifying, dangerous time. It's cold, nothing grows, fuel is in
limited supply...so you'd better hope your harvest was successful and
that the Winter is short and mild, because if it's not, people are
going to die.
...and that's what
the myriad of Winter Festivals are about. On the shortest day of the
year, in the depths of winter, when the darkness is longest and the
air is coldest, you gather around a fire with your family, friends
and loved ones and act like it's the last time you'll ever see them,
because it's a very real possibility that it might be. It's a time of
giving and sharing, because maybe not everyone has enough...and above
all, a time to tell the people you love exactly how much they mean to
you.
That's what this
time of year is about. It doesn't need God or Gods. It doesn't need
Prophets or Forest Spirits or supernatural beings to make it special.
For all of human history this has been a time of year for people to
come together for the common good.
So, basically, I
don't give a shit what banner you sit under for the rest of the year.
I don't care if you're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or worship
your dog's left testicle.
This time of year is
about getting together with your family and friends and celebrating.
It's about going out of your way to help people. What it's absolutely not about is drawing lines and dividing ourselves by arguing over what name we've
assigned to the things we believe in. If your neighbour is starving and you have food to spare, or they're freezing and you have space by your fire, it shouldn't matter what they call their God. If it does matter to you, I don't think you read your holy book properly, and if your holy book told you that's how to behave...then it isn't a book worth reading.
It's dark, it's
cold, but if we work together maybe we'll see the light again.
So Happy
non-denomination Winter Festival, people. We're halfway through the
darkness. Tell the people you love that you love them, and maybe I'll see eachother on the other side.
