Celebrate the birth of Christ

1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think is a book that I picked up and bought without browsing through it or looking for a review. It is a guide to the most impressive thoughts in history. The first idea in the book is Human Control of Fire.

The author Robert Arp is a philosopher and he looks at this progression of ideas not from a historical perspective but from a philosopher’s perspective.  In his introduction, he has an interesting discourse on “ideas,” beginning with ancient Greece and Plato. But that is too long to discuss here and I will reserve it for another column.

I have used this book as reference for several columns. This time I looked it up because I was looking for a topic on Christmas. I wanted to take a break from my usual columns on politics, religion, geopolitics and economics.

The concept of Christmas as an idea was quite intriguing. Usually we see Christmas as a religious topic or as a Western feel-good story.

By the way, ever since I started writing columns, I have always had a little difficulty writing about Christmas. Even then I remember that I always used to mentally grapple with topics like the meaning of Christmas. I always ended up with an article with a religious theme or some attempt at defining Christmas as being a festival centered on children.

In Arp’s book he categorized ideas by historical age. I found it interesting that Christmas was included among the ideas of the Ancient World. Here is what Robert Arp wrote:

“Christmas: The Christian commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ:

“The birth of Jesus Christ has been celebrated in December since the second century but it was not until 354 that Bishop Liberius of Rome finally declared Dec. 25 to be the event’s official date. ‘Christmas,’ the English term for the celebration, means ‘Christ’s Mass,’ the mass for the celebration of Christ’s birth.

“There are two main theories regarding its celebration specifically on Dec. 25: first, that the date of Christmas was set in opposition to the Roman Feast of the Invincible Sun which was celebrated on the 25th, the original date of the winter solstice and second, that the birth date of Christ was calculated to be exactly nine months after March 25, the date on which early Christians believed he was conceived. Whatever its origin, the observance of Dec. 25 had spread throughout the majority of Christendom by the end of the fourth century. Christmas became a public holiday in Rome in the early sixth century on the order of Emperor Justinian.

“Most Protestant sects retained the celebration after the 16th century Protestant Reformation, although Puritans tried to stop the celebration of Christmas in the 16th century. The restoration of the English monarchy in 1660 led to a reformed, more secular celebration.

“The Christmas tree is a relatively recent innovation, having originated in Germany as late as the 16th century when fir trees were decorated with fruits, candies and tinsel. Christmas greeting cards originated in the 19th century in England while Christmas presents may have originated with a New Year exchange of gifts in pagan Rome. The figure of Santa Claus was an amalgamation of features of a Christmas saint Nicholas of Myra with the elements of the Germanic god Thor, whose home is in the polar regions. Christmas is one of the most important celebrations in the Christian world, and its effect on the Western cultural calendar has been profound.”

While there may be debates on the origin of Christmas, the theologian David Friederich Strauss said this: “The supernatural birth of Christ, his miracles and ascension remain eternal truths, whatever doubts may be cast on their reality as historical facts.”

The Christmas tradition has many symbolic figures, most of which originated in the Western world. I have always felt that the Christmas tree was not the right symbol for Christmas in the Philippines. The pine or fir tree is alien to most Filipinos.

The most appropriate symbol for Christmas would be the nativity scene or the Belen which is the Spanish word for Bethlehem.

The nativity scene takes its inspiration from the accounts of the birth of Jesus. It is represented by the people and animals who were present during or right after the birth of Christ. There are the shepherds and the Three Wise Men.

St. Francis of Assisi is known to be the creator of the first live nativity scene in 1223 at Greccio, Italy. His motive was to place the emphasis of Christmas upon the worship of Christ rather than upon material things.

In too many places, even in non-Christian countries, Christmas is now celebrated purely as a commercial holiday. Even in Christian homes many celebrations are centered on commercial aspects. We need to remember that the word Christmas is derived from the birth of Christ. That is what we should be celebrating.

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