GardenBanter.co.uk - Merry Christmas

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:57:07 -0600, Jangchub
wrote:

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:46:03 -0800, wrote:

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:17:12 -0600, "Dioclese" NONE wrote:

Merry Christmas

How about "Happy Chanukah"?

Or "Sensual Saturnalia".

Is Saturnalia from Stregha?
Victoria

http://gotbodhicitta-wangmo.blogspot.com/
Updated daily when able.

Saturnalia was a popular Roman festival held in mid-to-late December
where aristocrats and plebs lalike let it all hang out, big-time.

It was one of the late December rites in many cultures, originally to
implore the sun to return. In primitive cultures, you can imagine how
scared people were as they saw the sun disappearing earlier and
earlier each day. Christmas, Chanukah, Islamic Eid al-Adha, Roman
Saturnalia, and no doubt many others, stemmed from this primitive
fear.

Tbe Christian church, using the time-honored practice "If you can't
beat 'em, join 'em", took over pagan wells, shrines, etc. They
scheduled celebration of the birth of their Christ in order to co-opt
pagan rites held at the dying of the sun rather than in the Spring,
when he was presumably born. "There were shepherds abiding in the
fields, keeping watch by night..." Not in late December!

Many Web sites for Saturnalia.

HTH

Pers.