What's Da Buzz?

I’ll cover two holidays in this entry. The holidays are Halloween and Christmas. Hope you are ready as there are quite a few little tidbits of information I’ve recently picked up.

Why am I doing two holidays? That is because the comparison of Halloween in the USA vs. the Philippines is very short. Halloween is celebrated as yet another marketing ploy to sell costumes, candy, and party supplies. It originated 2,000 years ago as a druidic holiday in Ireland, the UK and northern France. On the night of the October 31st, they celebrated Samhain. We do not celebrate or participate in this holiday in the USA for two reasons. First, it is a druidic or pagan holiday and we’re Christian. Second, we don’t celebrate this druidic holiday in the Philippines. Instead, we take the day to honor and remember friends and family who has passed on. Give me traditions steeped in the respect and honor of loved ones over candy and stuff anytime.

The origins of Christmas and many of the traditions are similar to Halloween especially the version here in the USA. It is true that December 25th is the day in which we celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. However the true origins of that day are less than honorable. The choice of December 25th was made by the Catholic Church in order to lure pagans into the Catholic faith and away from celebrating the Winter Solstice (the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere) and not any kind of historical reference of when the date actually took place. There is a key detail to remember and that is Geography Class 101.

Europe has 4 seasons including winter. The geography of where Christ was born, lived and died has it on the same latitude as Florida and no true winter as is defined in Europe, Canada, and northern USA. The Philippines also does not have winter as it is so close to the equator. So the reasoning behind the choice of December 25th would make no sense to those who have never experienced winter and its solstice. One other minor detail about the standard celebration of Christmas, the getting and decorating of the Christmas tree is forbidden in the Bible and particularly in the book of Jeremiah.

How are they different? In the USA, you have groups that are actively trying to remove Christianity and the public celebration of Christian holidays despite what their Constitution says particularly the 1st Amendment. Instead fraudulent ones are made up such as Kwanzaa and heavy commercialization focusing on Santa Claus and more retail sales of stuff, candy and party supplies. In the USA, it is a “family” holiday that centers on the getting and giving of stuff with a big meal afterwards.

In the Philippines, Christmas is on the same day courtesy of what the Catholic Church decided on so long ago. Christmas is not a day focused on the exchange of stuff but instead on celebrating another year of your family being together. There exceptions based on the decision of a family, business and sometimes schools. A large meal is put on that is for the swarm of relatives and all of the strangers that slip in for the free food too. It is celebrated with parades during the day and fireworks and all manners of making noise at midnight.

In the USA, you will hear people casually say or advise to “move Christmas” to a time that is easier to celebrate when there are schedule conflicts. What they do not understand is it is impossible to “move Christmas” in the Philippines when the entire country celebrates it at the same time – loudly.

Thank you,

Anah

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