Light is a pretty big deal to humans. Both as a practical matter, I mean electric lights basically ended the concept that productivity had to end at nightfall, but also as a symbol. Thus it is kind of surprising this is the only holiday we have in the western world dedicated to it in both senses.
I guess if we were nocturnal animals it would be the comforting darkness driving away the evil yellow face of oppression :P
But lights are pretty so this Holiday is pretty cool. And you get to remember middle eastern terrorism and killing Greeks.
Anyway happy festival of lights to all our devout Jews. Hey Malthus do you invite the in-laws over the light the menorah?
Hey! we celebrate the return of the brighter days after solstice on the 24th of December which is why we call it Jul (Wheel, turning of the seasons). Some say it's for this Jewish guy, but I don't buy into that nonsense.
Also: Happy Hanukkah!
Quote from: Liep on December 08, 2015, 09:55:33 AM
Hey! we celebrate the return of the brighter days after solstice on the 24th of December which is why we call it Jul (Wheel, turning of the seasons). Some say it's for this Jewish guy, but I don't buy into that nonsense.
Also: Happy Hanukkah!
Ah good point. I guess I focus more on the 'rebirth' motif rather than the light motif. It is only a symbolic festival of lights, though, same with it only being symbolically about the Jewish guy.
Without light there is only darkness.
May Hanukkah Harry visit all our practicing Jewish forum members!
Quote from: derspiess on December 08, 2015, 10:19:27 AM
May Hanukkah Harry visit all our practicing Jewish forum members!
:thumbsup:
On Moische on Herschel on Schlomo!
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
But lights are pretty so this Holiday is pretty cool. And you get to remember middle eastern terrorism and killing Greeks.
Anyway happy festival of lights to all our devout Jews. Hey Malthus do you invite the in-laws over the light the menorah?
"On these days we gamble with the dreidel to celebrate successful terrorism against the Greeks.
Then, on Purim, the women get dressed up as Persian harem girls and we all get roaring drunk to celebrate Esther, the most awesomely successful mistress in the whole universe. We also eat pasteries in the shape of the bad guy's hat.
Jewish holidays are cool. :P "
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
Light is a pretty big deal to humans. Both as a practical matter, I mean electric lights basically ended the concept that productivity had to end at nightfall, but also as a symbol. Thus it is kind of surprising this is the only holiday we have in the western world dedicated to it in both senses.
Diwali?
Quote from: Barrister on December 08, 2015, 10:41:35 AM
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
Light is a pretty big deal to humans. Both as a practical matter, I mean electric lights basically ended the concept that productivity had to end at nightfall, but also as a symbol. Thus it is kind of surprising this is the only holiday we have in the western world dedicated to it in both senses.
Diwali?
I thought I handled that by specifying western.
Ok then 'Judeo-Christian'. Geez.
Happy holidays!
Quote from: The Brain on December 08, 2015, 12:16:49 PM
Happy holidays!
WAR ON HANUKKAH!
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.churchm.ag%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F12%2FHan-in-Hannukah-620x598.jpg&hash=d7274a2d9d3298e59a6f653ae877fa7955942e54)
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 02:42:18 PM
Quote from: The Brain on December 08, 2015, 12:16:49 PM
Happy holidays!
WAR ON HANUKKAH!
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.churchm.ag%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F12%2FHan-in-Hannukah-620x598.jpg&hash=d7274a2d9d3298e59a6f653ae877fa7955942e54)
Antiochus IV Epiphanes shot first!!!
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
I guess if we were nocturnal animals it would be the comforting darkness driving away the evil yellow face of oppression :P
If?
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
Thus it is kind of surprising this is the only holiday we have in the western world dedicated to it in both senses.
Saint Lucy's/Santa Lucia's holiday is a festival of lights in the Western Judeo-Christian world too. :contract:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Lucia-13.12.06.jpg/800px-Lucia-13.12.06.jpg)
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 10:47:58 AM
Quote from: Barrister on December 08, 2015, 10:41:35 AM
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
Light is a pretty big deal to humans. Both as a practical matter, I mean electric lights basically ended the concept that productivity had to end at nightfall, but also as a symbol. Thus it is kind of surprising this is the only holiday we have in the western world dedicated to it in both senses.
Diwali?
I thought I handled that by specifying western.
Ok then 'Judeo-Christian'. Geez.
I think you are just unedumacated. :D
Quote from: Martinus on December 09, 2015, 01:15:27 AM
I think you are just unedumacated. :D
Oh I knew perfectly well you asbergers would come up with a list of five hundred obscure holidays I had never heard of.
I have never heard of BB going out to celebrate Diwali or you celebrating St. Lucia's so I am less than convinced these are holidays where you guys live, just had to be contrarian.
Quote from: Valmy on December 09, 2015, 09:08:30 AM
Quote from: Martinus on December 09, 2015, 01:15:27 AM
I think you are just unedumacated. :D
Oh I knew perfectly well you asbergers would come up with a list of five hundred obscure holidays I had never heard of.
I have never heard of BB going out to celebrate Diwali or you celebrating St. Lucia's so I am less than convinced these are holidays where you guys live, just had to be contrarian.
Our very Indian next door neighbors put up lights for Diwali every year. :)
Quote from: Barrister on December 09, 2015, 10:34:22 AM
Our very Indian next door neighbors put up lights for Diwali every year. :)
Ok look BB. I was well aware there were festivals in China and India, and other places, concerning this topic. I posted that musing that this was the only one in my culture, that ends up on our Calendars and so forth. I am well aware of the existence of Diwali and the symbolic use of light on the Chinese New Year, or lantern festival or whatever. I just do not get why you are going on about this after I specifically stated what I was trying to say :lol:
Quote from: Valmy on December 09, 2015, 10:54:13 AM
Quote from: Barrister on December 09, 2015, 10:34:22 AM
Our very Indian next door neighbors put up lights for Diwali every year. :)
Ok look BB. I was well aware there were festivals in China and India, and other places, concerning this topic. I posted that musing that this was the only one in my culture, that ends up on our Calendars and so forth. I am well aware of the existence of Diwali and the symbolic use of light on the Chinese New Year, or lantern festival or whatever. I just do not get why you are going on about this after I specifically stated what I was trying to say :lol:
"Going on about this"? My first post was one word. Then I posted an anecdote about my neighbors. :)
Quote from: Maximus on December 08, 2015, 05:59:33 PM
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
I guess if we were nocturnal animals it would be the comforting darkness driving away the evil yellow face of oppression :P
If?
Well I guess for some of us vampiric types.
Quote from: Barrister on December 09, 2015, 11:02:07 AM
"Going on about this"? My first post was one word. Then I posted an anecdote about my neighbors. :)
Yes. I presume you did both things for some reason. So I thought by posting it twice you were "going on about" whatever it was you were trying to say.
Valmy just wants to prophet his love for Hanukkah. Not find out that almost all Light related holidays are basically ignored by the western christian world.
Quote from: Grey Fox on December 09, 2015, 11:11:31 AM
Valmy just wants to prophet his love for Hanukkah. Not find out that almost all Light related holidays are basically ignored by the western christian world.
I do not think that is true nor was that what I was trying to say. I just was noting that among the generally recognized holidays I grew up with this was the only one that concerns this theme and I thought that was special. I will try to hedge far more in the future :lol:
St. Lucia is huge in Sweden. It used to be the darkest night of the year before Popery had its filthy way with the calendar.
Quote from: The Brain on December 09, 2015, 11:51:03 AM
St. Lucia is huge in Sweden. It used to be the darkest night of the year before Popery had its filthy way with the calendar.
I can imagine. The Gregorian Calendar messed it all up eh?
Quote from: Valmy on December 09, 2015, 11:56:43 AM
Quote from: The Brain on December 09, 2015, 11:51:03 AM
St. Lucia is huge in Sweden. It used to be the darkest night of the year before Popery had its filthy way with the calendar.
I can imagine. The Gregorian Calendar messed it all up eh?
As if the chanting wasn't enough.
Happy Hanukkah to the forum's Jewish members. :)
Quote from: The Brain on December 09, 2015, 11:51:03 AM
St. Lucia is huge in Sweden. It used to be the darkest night of the year before Popery had its filthy way with the calendar.
Yeah, Sancta Lucia is nice, witnessed it in Paris with Swedes at the International campus or the Swedish church in my neighborhood.
Popery? Celebrating a Saint such as St. Lucia is typical Popery but then, among protestants, Lutherans are the closest to Catholics, unless you count the High Church rite Anglicans.
Don't worry though, Orthodox are way more closer. :hug:
Quote from: DGuller on December 08, 2015, 10:07:06 AM
Without light there is only darkness.
God gave us night so that we could get ready for the eternal darkness we will all encounter so very soon.
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
Thus it is kind of surprising this is the only holiday we have in the western world dedicated to it in both senses.
It's not the real meaning of the holiday though.
It's really about how a failed effort to become a Ptolemaic puppet state miraculously resulted in successfully becoming a Roman puppet state.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on December 09, 2015, 04:37:12 PM
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
Thus it is kind of surprising this is the only holiday we have in the western world dedicated to it in both senses.
It's not the real meaning of the holiday though.
It's really about how a failed effort to become a Ptolemaic puppet state miraculously resulted in successfully becoming a Roman puppet state.
Indeed. What more could be proof of God's greatness?
Quote from: Valmy on December 09, 2015, 04:38:19 PM
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on December 09, 2015, 04:37:12 PM
Quote from: Valmy on December 08, 2015, 09:52:27 AM
Thus it is kind of surprising this is the only holiday we have in the western world dedicated to it in both senses.
It's not the real meaning of the holiday though.
It's really about how a failed effort to become a Ptolemaic puppet state miraculously resulted in successfully becoming a Roman puppet state.
Indeed. What more could be proof of God's greatness?
Deus ex machina, in fact.