When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Switzerland

Christmas Farewell: Merry Solstice And Shopping Instead!

The nativity scenes, signs of hope and time for contemplation of modern Christmas is so retrograde! Let's celebrate the secular and modern solstice. But really?

Winter Solstice lantern festival in Vancouver, Canada
Winter Solstice lantern festival in Vancouver, Canada
Marie-Hélène Miauton

-Essay-

GENEVA — Why do we continue celebrating Christmas while simultaneously eradicating our Christian traditions? Why do we illuminate streets, organize Christmas markets, decree public holidays, all the while failing to commemorate the birth of the divine child?

To make Christmas compatible with the ideal of secularism that now suits Europe, the only solution seems to resurrect the old pagan celebration of the winter solstice, which marks the year's shortest day and a prelude to the gradual return of light.

But what an awful mistake that'd be.

By diminishing the role of religious beliefs that are deeply rooted in our culture, we are undermining the foundation of our civilization and effectively building a new society. There's a precedent to this: the Nazis, who also hated Christianity. Imagine that: a Jewish god! That's why, on the basis of the Germanic Yule, they invented a new celebration during the winter solstice, with songs written specially to praise a world with purely Germanic references.

The blending of religions is fascinating because, during all ages and in all regions of the world, people have tried to supplant existing cults by superimposing their own beliefs on them. Roman gods were based on Egyptian deities. Christians, too, often used dates and sacred locations of other religions — as far as Mexico, for instance, where places of Indian pilgrimage were dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

That's why it was natural for Christmas to coincide with the Roman Saturnalia and particularly on the day of the unconquered sun's rebirth. And it explains why the Edict of Thessalonica, in the year 380, places the birth of Christ at midnight on Dec. 24, whereas the Gospels put his birth nearer to the midseason, when shepherds keep their flocks outside at night.

Winter solstice in Rollright Stones, Oxfordshire, UK — Photo: Mark Hemsworth/London News Pictures/ZUMA

Christmas has always been an opportunity to feast and give each other presents, but traditionally the enthusiasm for celebrating the birth of Christ wasn't eclipsed by all that. You would only eat after praying during mass or the service. You would sing by the Christmas tree before opening presents.

What's the meaning of celebrating when the manifestations of Christian Christmas are disappearing? The decorations no longer include traditional angels or stars announcing the holy birth. Gift wrappings and ornaments are now devoted to a new cult. Nativity scenes that represented the smallest and most vulnerable are beginning to be forbidden in public spaces. Resurrected by Coca-Cola, Father Christmas and his sack full of toys has dethroned the infant Jesus in his little manger. On the streets, only the Salvation Army is still there to remind us, with its cooking pots and off-key carols, that loving thy neighbor is the cardinal virtue of Christmas.

Please forgive me for originally planning to wish you a traditional "Merry Christmas and peace on earth and goodwill toward men." Instead, I'll wish you a merry solstice and happy purchases. No doubt the world will be a better place like this!

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Green

A Naturalist's Defense Of The Modern Zoo

Zoos are often associated with animal cruelty, or at the very least a general animal unhappiness. But on everything from research to education to biodiversity, there is a case to be made for the modern zoo.

Photograph of a brown monkey holding onto a wired fence

A brown monkey hangs off of mesh wire

Marina Chocobar/Pexels
Fran Sánchez Becerril

-OpEd-

MADRID — Zoos — or at least something resembling the traditional idea of a zoo — date back to ancient Mesopotamia. It was around 3,500 BC when Babylonian kings housed wild animals such as lions and birds of prey in beautiful structures known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Ancient China also played a significant role in the history of zoos when the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) created several parks which hosted an assortment of animals.

In Europe, it wouldn't be until 1664 when Louis XIV inaugurated the royal menagerie at Versailles. All these spaces shared the mission of showcasing the wealth and power of the ruler, or simply served as decorations. Furthermore, none of them were open to the general public; only a few fortunate individuals, usually the upper classes, had access.

The first modern zoo, conceived for educational purposes in Vienna, opened in 1765. Over time, the educational mission has become more prominent, as the exhibition of exotic animals has been complemented with scientific studies, conservation and the protection of threatened species.

For decades, zoos have been places of leisure, wonder, and discovery for both the young and the old. Despite their past success, in recent years, society's view of zoos has been changing due to increased awareness of animal welfare, shifting sensibilities and the possibility of learning about wild animals through screens. So, many people wonder: What is the purpose of a zoo in the 21st century?

Keep reading...Show less

The latest