Because I grew up singing traditional Christmas carols, mostly from snowy regions of Northern Europe, I imagined the Nativity occurring in the bleak midwinter when snow lay on the ground, deep and crisp and even. Besides, every year, our German Advent calendar was sprinkled with glitter.
So was there snow on the first Christmas? Possibly. It occasionally snows in Judea, and most years, they get a few flurries. But did the birth even occur in December?
December 25 was not established as Christmas Day until the Reign of Emperor Constantine in the year 336. Some scholars believe that the date was chosen around the Winter Solstice, at time when people already were holding celebrations. Others think otherwise. I’ll leave that debate to religious scholars.
Certainly, what we now celebrate as the holiday season is a meld of religious rituals, pagan customs and cultural traditions. I am told in addition to Hanukkah and Christmas, that at least a dozen religious holidays are celebrated in December. But why? Why now?
Well, to take a line from Camelot way out of context, “When the world is black and gray, what time would be more ideal?
This time of year, we long for Light and for Hope. In so many traditions, we light candles, feast with family and friends and sing songs while we hope for light to come into our lives.
Yesterday was the Winter Solstice. Thanks to the lag of the seasons, we still must endure winter, but from now on, the days, little by little, will become longer. And light will return to Earth. And we can be sustained by hope, especially if we take the time to get in touch with nature.
Whatever your faith or beliefs or traditions, I wish for you hope and joy this holiday season.
