I loved it and thought I'd share it...
Dear Family and
Friends -
I have been
pondering miracles, during this time of winter holidays. So much of what is
currently happening in the world is - as a friend recently said to me at
breakfast - “a mess.” Therefore many of us are wishing for miracles of some
kind or another. For an end to war and violence. For better governments and
world leaders. For attention to be paid to our planet and environment. For a
return to hope, decency and kindness. For people to honor and cherish other
individuals, instead of focusing so much on power and money. As Pope Francis,
the Holy See of the Catholic Church, stated: “The
future does have a name, and its name is Hope. Feeling hopeful does
not mean to be optimistically naïve and ignore the tragedy humanity is
facing. Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn't lock itself into
darkness, that doesn't dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the
present, but is able to see a tomorrow."
Of all these great
miracles we hope for, and the miracles we see around us every day, a new birth
is perhaps the greatest of them all. The birth of a child. The birth of an
idea. The birth of a movement. The birth of a new beginning. The birth of the
sun (or the Son, if you’re of a Christian persuasion.)
It only recently
occurred to me that most of the major religious winter holidays revolve around
births. For those who are Muslim, the main winter holiday is the birth of
Muhammad, often celebrated in December or late November. This holiday is
called Mawlid al-Nabi al-Sharif, or “The
Birth of the Prophet.” The origin of this holiday observance
reportedly dates back to the time of the early four Rashidun Caliphs of Islam.
Ottomans declared it an official holiday in
the year 1588. For those who love a little etymology, the Arabic
word “Nabi” sounds very close to English word nativity, having to do with
birth. It’s close to the French word nee, meaning “born.” The term Mawlid is
also used in some parts of the world as a generic term for birthday
celebrations of other religious figures, such as sufi saints. Mawlid is
recognized as a national holiday in most Muslim-majority countries of the
world, except Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Mawlid
is celebrated as a festive occasion. Entire cities are decorated. Along
with parades, there are tents in which treats and candy are distributed to
children. At these festivities, there is a long tradition of powerful
devotional songs performed. These musical narratives portray the prophet
Muhammad not simply as the deliverer of the last divine dispensation (the
Qur’an, or Koran) but as a being of cosmic significance, an opening of a
channel of divine mercy onto this world, and a means of intercession for
sinners. This vision of Muhammad is much more than simply a child; he is
the cure for pain, one who is not separated from God, and a saintly being (a
“friend of God”), whom all will call upon to deliver them from sin in the days
of the Hereafter.
Sound
familiar?
In
Christian religions, the miracle of Christmas is celebrated as the main winter
holiday. (Like you didn’t know that, right?) Christmas is on December 25th, but
is celebrated two weeks later by some Orthodox Christian religions. Christmas
celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ the Savior, and hence “A Mass for
Christ” is held that day to celebrate His coming. Christ Mas. Mas is an old
English way of spelling the word Mass. As in Sunday Mass.
Here
are some little know facts about Christmas which I find interesting. Have you
ever thought about the fact it takes place exactly nine months after Easter?
This apparently means something very important to many theologians. (The Circle
of Life” and all that.) Most people are aware that December 25th wasn’t really
the day when the baby Jesus was born; it was more likely closer to sometime in
the summer. When Christianity began to spread during the time the Romans ruled
the world, the date was probably changed so as to be closer to the Winter
Solstice, which many pagans societies celebrated. Sort of like our Veteran’s
Day being November 11th but we always celebrate it on a Monday or a Friday so
we can have a three-day holiday weekend.
Christmas,
before Victorian times, was actually a quite raucous holiday. It wasn’t for
children, and mainly involved drinking a great and threatening your neighbors
with bodily harm if they didn’t share their booze and treats with you. Hence
the lyrics “bring us some figgy pudding” and “we won’t go until we
get some!” Victorians turned Christmas into a sentimental giftfest for kids.
They also gave us Christmas trees, brought from Germany by Queen Victoria’s
Teutonic husband Prince Albert. Clement Moore (“A Visit From Saint Nick”) and
Charles Dickens (“A Christmas Carol”) helped make Christmas more of a family
gathering celebration. A 19th century newspaper ad introduced us to Santa
Claus, who was then used to sell toys, games and books to children. Pretty soon
after that, Santa Claus and the Baby Jesus got all mixed up together on
people’s lawn ornaments for Christmas. God bless us every one.
For
Jews, the winter holiday of Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second
Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against
the Seleucid Empire. (We all knew that, right? Show of hands, please.) Hanukkah
is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of
Kislev, according to the Hebrew calendar. It may occur at any time
from late November to late December. It is also known as the Festival of Lights
and the Feast of Dedication. How “birth” figures in here is that the Holy
Temple in Jerusalem had been captured by the Greeks many years before. Then it
was recaptured by the very brave Maccabees. In other words, the Holy Temple of
Jerusalem was reborn.
What
happened next in the Hanukkah story is that when the Temple was rededicated,
everyone freaked out because all of the containers of oil with which to light
candles were spoiled… all except one. That one container of oil stayed lit in a
menorah for eight days and nights. As we learned in last year’s letter, that’s
why so many of the Hanukkah treats, like latkes and donuts, are fried. One
research book I perused said that 17.5 million donuts are eaten each Hanukkah
in Israel. The real reason behind those “Hanukkah candles staying lit for so
long” is to show us that everything in the natural world is a miracle given to
us by God, and that nothing happens without God willing it. P.S - I am
alternately delighted and amused by the menorahs below. SHALOM!
And
what of ye Pagans, Wiccans and Druids? What is this winter holiday you call
Yule? Well, in ancient times, to celebrate the day when nights began to get
shorter, bonfires were lit in the
fields. Crops and trees were “wassailed” with toasts of spiced cider. Children
were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove-spiked apples and
oranges, which were put in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted
with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun. The boughs were
symbolic of immortality (evergreens were sacred to the Celts because they did
not “ die," thereby representing the eternal aspect of the
Divine). The wheat stalks stood for the harvest, and the flour was the
accomplishment of triumph, light, and life. Holly and ivy not only decorated
the outside of the houses, but also the insides, in hopes that Nature Sprites
would come and join the celebration. A sprig of holly was kept near the door
all year long as a constant invitation for good fortune to visit the
residents. Mistletoe was also hung as decoration. It represented the seed
of the Divine and… fertility! Midwinter, Druids would travel deep into the
forest to harvest it. Then there’s the Yule Log. Keeping away the ever-present
darkness, the Log would burn brightly all night long. When the flames died, the
Log was left to smolder in the hearth for twelve days, to bring good
luck.
Although the
Twelve Days of Christmas are technically about marking the time between
Christmas and Epiphany (the arrival of Magi, or The Three Kings), I’m sort of
guessing here that because of the Druids ancient tradition of leaving the Yule
Log to smolder for twelve days, this is actually where we get the inspiration
for the “Twelve Days of Christmas” song… and the title of Shakespeare’s play
TWELFTH NIGHT. Thank you, Druids!
If
this missive seems a little heavy on religion this year, it’s because in the
midst of “the mess” we are struggling to get through, sometimes a strong
belief in something can be helpful, whether it is a spinning dreidel, a Yule
log, a tiny baby swaddled in a manger, or the prophet who helped create Islam.
One
more thing about miracles. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that miracles
do happen. Every day. Often when you least expect them.
The
birth of every child, every idea, every great love, every moment of hope, is a
miracle.
Whatever
winter holiday you celebrate, turn on a light. Banish the darkness. Hold hope
in your hands and in your heart. Do good. Be kind. Be gentle. Love your
neighbor. Treat all people with dignity. Make peace with your enemy. Show
mercy. Respect our planet.
Most
importantly, in the immortal words of The Staple Singers, Respect
Yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnJtgggdhdg
The
Staple Singers perform "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You
There" at the 1999 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, when they were
inducted into the Hall of Fame.
|
Merry Christmas.
Happy Hanukkah. Happy Eid. Good Yule.
All
the best and much love,
Marty