Christmas in Russia, and Elsewhere

IN RUSSIA, CHRISTMAS is celebrated on january sixth or seventh, if memory serves. The holiday season begins on january first, and its usually about a ten day celebration, with shopping for presents, decorations, decorated evergreen trees, much like the united states.

The difference in dates stems from calendar and cultural differences. Of course, for seventy years, the soviet union was officially an athiest country, so the past twenty years have seen a return of christmas with a special vigor. Even during the soviet era, all the trappings, and to a certain degree the religious aspect remined intact, but much abridged.

The russians celebrate the brith of joshua ben joseph, the person whom we call jesus, just as we americans do and people do all over the world, in winter, even though he was most probably born during the first week of april, in early spring, according to the experts.

The early winter observance was designed by the early christian church to lure the northern europeans into the faith, by coinciding with their festival celebrating the passing of the winter solstice, and the beginning of the lengthining of days, the return of the sun. christmas is, in a very real sense, a pagan festival rejoicing at the end of ever shortening daylight hours.

The message of jesus has influenced the world like no other, and for this, we give thanks and reverence. The sad part is the manner in which we have distorted him.

                Pure was jesus in his passion
                In his heart but one god serving.
                Who of him a god would fashion
                 From his sacred will is swerving.     (johann wolfgang von goethe)

Jesus never intended to be called a god, claimed goethe. No only do we butcher his name, we misunderstand who he was, and what his purpose was.  Instead of simply accepting his incredible wisdom and living by it, we erected around it a bizarre dogma, in which he becomes a sacrificial lamb for a vengeful, capricious god.

Perhaps there will come a time when we accept joshua ben joseph on his terms, not ours. Not likely soon, unfortunately.