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A Christmas column AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 12/20/2011

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

A Christmas column

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW
Ken Fuller
12/20/2011
Regular readers who assume that my silence on the subject of Christmas stems from belief — or, more precisely, the lack of it — are not entirely wrong. But there is another reason: since I first visited the Philippines in late 1989, I have rarely been able to suppress a smile (or, should the mood take me, a grimace) at the wildly inappropriate practice of Christmas songs and carols, many of which have a snowy theme, being played in shopping malls in a tropical climate. This is, of course, an example of US commercial imperialism, just as the practice of Christianity itself arises from Spanish colonialism.

Has Christmas ever been celebrated without Christianity? Yes — although it didn’t go by that name. In pagan times, Northern European peoples celebrated a mid-winter festival. In some places, this was associated with the god Odin (in Anglo-Saxon this is “Woden,” from which “Wednesday” is derived). But gods were not — and are not — a necessary component of such a festival, because one often needs cheering up during a bleak northern winter, and a festival is as good a way as any of accomplishing this..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111220com4.html

1 comment

Jesusa Bernardo said...

gising, mga pinoy/tagailog. mga banyaga ay naiiling sa kasikatan dito ng mga pamaskong kanta talking of snow when there's no snow in this country. gee.

"I have rarely been able to suppress a smile (or, should the mood take me, a grimace) at the wildly inappropriate practice of Christmas songs and carols, many of which have a snowy theme, being played in shopping malls in a tropical climate. This is, of course, an example of US commercial imperialism, just as the practice of Christianity itself arises from Spanish colonialism."

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