Re: Why is Christmas on December 24?
Lennart Regebro (hda9lre@hda.hydro.com)
7 Apr 1995 07:23:57 GMT
In article <95093.172323JREY@ESOC.BITNET>, <JREY@ESOC.BITNET> says:
>My question is then:
>why Dec. 24th, if the solstice is 21-22? Is there any tiny variation of
>solstices which produces a few day shift along the centuries? Or this is not
>the reason? Any other theory?
Sound reasonable. There is no shifts anymore, the solstice is always on
the 21st, but with less accurade calendars these things did shift before.
Another reason could simply be that they didn't want it on exactly the
same day, just in the vicinity. :)
>Now we are in Easter, why is Easter the day it is? Actually, when I was a child
>I was very surprised that Easter and Christmas were not separated 6 months
>(though I agree it would not make sense to celebrate the death of the sun the
>day in which it is the most powerful, in the sommer equinoce, but at that
>time I did not think of those things).
Mid-summer festivals aren't a salubration of the death of the sun. Its a
salubration of the sun when it is at its peak. Mid-summer festivals
are still the second popular holiday in sweden, although it never have
adopted any christianity. We're stubborn in Sweden. :)
Easter is when it is, because its at the same time as the jewish easter,
which I think is a salute to the jewish peoples outmarch from egypt.
So, if you want to know why easter is at easter, you'd have to look
into the jewish easter.
> I read in a science-fiction book, in
>which a imaginary society was described, that they had a very important
>celebration "the Friday of the week of the first full-moon after the
>spring equinoce". I am not sure, but I think that this agrees with our actual
>Easter. Is it right? If so, why?
He has probably taken it from easter, yes.
This could be a reason of course. A kind of spring equinox fest.
--
Lennart Regebro <Lennart.Regebro@scs.no>
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