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From: west@sdcsla.UUCP (Larry West)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.singles
Subject: Re: Christmas {report} card
Message-ID: <748@sdcsla.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 15-Dec-84 05:22:40 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcsla.748
Posted: Sat Dec 15 05:22:40 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 17-Dec-84 03:12:34 EST
References: <2028@nsc.UUCP> <207@lsuc.UUCP>
Reply-To: west@sdcsla.UUCP (Larry West)
Distribution: net
Organization: UC San Diego: Institute for Cognitive Science
Lines: 33
Xref: watmath net.religion:5133 net.singles:4925
Summary: 

In article <207@lsuc.UUCP> dave@lsuc.UUCP (David Sherman) writes:
>In article <2028@nsc.UUCP> chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuqui[The Time Traveller]) writes:
>|| ... Many religions have major holidays in the
>|| month of December...
>
>Not to flame an article such as this one, but "many religions", Chuq?
>Christianity is the only religion I know of with a major holiday in December.
>Judaism has only a minor holiday.
>
>Dave Sherman

Actually, many religions have [had] celebrations on Winter Solstice -- the
days start getting longer again, thus assuring the coming of spring.
This is, in fact, why Christmas is celebrated in December, rather
than in July, the most likely time of the birth of Jesus.   There
were old ("pagan", Roman, Greek, etc.) holidays at this time, and
Christians picked the date for the same reasons (rebirth, etc.) --
plus, it's easier to change the meaning of a holiday than
to start a new one.

These holidays are no longer major perhaps because we have more
confidence (less thankfulness?) that spring and summer will return.

But it's also unclear as to whether Christmas counts as a "major"
Christian holiday.   A major commercial holiday, yes.

	-- Larry West, UC San Diego, Institute for Cognitive Science
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-- 
	-- Larry West, UC San Diego, Institute for Cognitive Science
	-- UUCP:	{decvax!ucbvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!sdcsla!west
	-- ARPA:	west@NPRDC	{{ NOT:  }}