The Reason for the Season

Pogo

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Dec 7, 2012
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Christmas / Winter Solstice / Yuletide... The coming holiday/holyday has deep ancient roots, only recently attributed to Chrisitianism, which had no birthday for its Savior until the fourth century AD, and even then was piggybacked onto already-ancient traditions of tree worship (see Christmas trees, mistletoe) and the concept of Nature rebirth (evergreens, holly) and sympathetic magic to bring back the light of the sun (christmas lights). Our most remote ancestors noticed the fading/resurrecting sun patterns from their earliest days. Being dependent on natural cycles for agriculture and hunting -- they had to.



As good an intro as any is --

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZgT1SRcrKE"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZgT1SRcrKE[/ame]


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU5QHDgMEXU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU5QHDgMEXU[/ame]


Won't be long before the sun starts to rise again.
Wheee_by_BurgerBunny.gif
 
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I think it a fascinating and informative topic and hope it stays up here and NOT get moved.
 
I am so eager for the sun to come back. I WANT MY GARDEN. Sigh.

Then we get easter. To "celebrate" His rising...with rabbits that lays eggs. Um. Ok. Eye roll.
 
I am so eager for the sun to come back. I WANT MY GARDEN. Sigh.

Then we get easter. To "celebrate" His rising...with rabbits that lays eggs. Um. Ok. Eye roll.

And then later at the end of October we'll celebrate the harvest with All Saints Day -- because ... uh... because of course only the saints harvested crops. Yeah that's it.
 
Recipe for Solstice Wassail

Particularly popular in Germanic countries, wassail is a hearty holiday beverage, a contraction of the Anglo-Saxon term meaning “be healthy.” Its long steeping time envelops your home in the cozy scent of cinnamon and cloves. Adding a liquor like brandy, to taste, will put some spirits in your holiday spirit. Serves 6–8.

2 pints and 1/4 cup brown ale or winter ale
3 or 4 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
Zest from half a lemon
4 apples
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup port
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large saucepan, pour in two pints of ale. Add the cinnamon sticks, lemon zest and cloves and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Score apples around their circumferences with a knife. Place in a baking dish. Cover with 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup of ale and all of the port. Cover baking dish and place in oven, cooking for 30 minutes. While apples are baking, place remaining sugar and spices into the saucepan, ensuring it’s well mixed.

When apples are done baking, place entire contents of baking dish into saucepan. Allow to cook over a low heat for another 30–40 minutes. Serve hot in mugs.
 
>> The winter solstice is celebrated by many people around the world as the beginning of the return of the sun, and darkness turning into light. The Talmud recognizes the winter solstice as "Tekufat Tevet." In China, the "Dongzhi" Festival is celebrated on the Winter Solstice by families getting together and eating special festive food.

Until the 16th century, the winter months were a time of famine in northern Europe. Most cattle were slaughtered so that they wouldn't have to be fed during the winter, making the solstice a time when fresh meat was plentiful. Most celebrations of the winter solstice in Europe involved merriment and feasting. In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun god and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log.

In ancient Rome, the winter solstice was celebrated at the Feast of Saturnalia, to honor Saturn, the god of agricultural bounty. Lasting about a week, Saturnalia was characterized by feasting, debauchery and gift-giving. With Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity, many of these customs were later absorbed into Christmas celebrations. <<

(source - with Stonehenge slideshow)
 
[MENTION=41527]Pogo[/MENTION] , how come you tagged me bruv?

As far as the zeitgeist videos, theyre largely propaganda in nature but the video "Future by Design" I'd recommend all day every day. If only man.

If only.
 
I'll drink a beer but no wassail (-:

I admit that every christmas every priest I've encountered comments upon the commercialism and/or secular impact on the season, when it's ironic to me that the original season was really more about a celebration based on the effects of the sun on everyday life during the season.

I'm not sure that the crucifixion myth isn't based on some reality of the Jewish Mystic named Jesus actually being hung on a tree with a death sentence for political reasons over the passover.
 
[MENTION=41527]Pogo[/MENTION] , how come you tagged me bruv?

As far as the zeitgeist videos, theyre largely propaganda in nature but the video "Future by Design" I'd recommend all day every day. If only man.

If only.

Just because I remembered you Hallowe'en thread, thought you might like. :thup:

I didn't agree with everywhere the Zeitgeist stuff went but they do have a decent historical comparison in Part 1 as regards Mithra, Horus et al.

I don't know the FBD video but if it's relevant, post it.
 
[MENTION=41527]Pogo[/MENTION] , how come you tagged me bruv?

As far as the zeitgeist videos, theyre largely propaganda in nature but the video "Future by Design" I'd recommend all day every day. If only man.

If only.

Just because I remembered you Hallowe'en thread, thought you might like. :thup:

I didn't agree with everywhere the Zeitgeist stuff went but they do have a decent historical comparison in Part 1 as regards Mithra, Horus et al.

I don't know the FBD video but if it's relevant, post it.

It's not relevant to the holidays, but it's relevant to the future of humanity and being a unified species.

Still interested?
 
[MENTION=41527]Pogo[/MENTION] , how come you tagged me bruv?

As far as the zeitgeist videos, theyre largely propaganda in nature but the video "Future by Design" I'd recommend all day every day. If only man.

If only.

Just because I remembered you Hallowe'en thread, thought you might like. :thup:

I didn't agree with everywhere the Zeitgeist stuff went but they do have a decent historical comparison in Part 1 as regards Mithra, Horus et al.

I don't know the FBD video but if it's relevant, post it.

It's not relevant to the holidays, but it's relevant to the future of humanity and being a unified species.

Still interested?

Sure, I trust your judgement. But maybe send me a PM if it's off topic.
 
ok itll be a pm.

Reason I brought it up is because the man behind the idea is also affiliated with these Zeitgeist videos.
 
Kris Kringle

If you look for a derivation you commonly find Kris Kringle conflated with the central European Christkindl meaning "Christ child" but that's erroneous. (Kind is the actual German word for child; see Kindergarten, "garden of children"). Possibly the similarity of kindl with Kringle has caused this confusion, but they're two different words from two different areas.

"Kris Kringle" is more at "Christ of the Wheel". It's not southern German, but Old Norse kringla, meaning ring or circle. . A kringle (common pastry) actually looks like this:

Kringle6.jpg

In seasonal mythology Kris Kringle is a sun god re-born each year on the winter solstice. So he lives on the "wheel" (circle) of the year.
 
The Reason for the Season

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIcoa0oI5Cc]Christmas Carol 1984 - Scrooge explains clothing... - YouTube[/ame]
 
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"Every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!"- E SCROOGE
 
"Every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!"- E SCROOGE

That Christmas movie is my favorite. [George C.Scott ] It surely did turn around the spirit of E. Scrooge. It showed him the real reason for Christmas.

My second favorite Christmas movie is The Christmas Card as it really sends home the true meaning of Christmas, without being cheesy, and it was Hallmarks most successful film. [2007] It was filmed in the pristine beauty of my Victorian town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and it was snowing all the way through. A very touching and interesting movie. It is based upon a true story. The real people live there and it happened that way.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZoW8y_bF20]The Christmas Card - YouTube[/ame]
 
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