In driving around town, I notice that many churches have a little saying on theiroutside bulletin board that says: “Jesus is the reason for the season”. It happens each year, and I’ve in the past, felt a little angry about it. This year I found myself not caring so much. I think because I have come to a place a great peace around my spirituality, who I am, and how I view life and its circularity.
Way back in history, when Christianity was asserting itself as the “new religion”, it was necessry to supplant the “olde religion” in order for it to gain in power as it is today. A part of that movement was to literally “take over” the various holidays of the Olde Religion’s wheel of year, so that people would return to church, rather than holding their rites in the woods or on hilltops–the ancient Pagans, of course, believing that there is a need to return to and revere nature in order to feel close to the divine. When I speak of ancient peoples, I speak of the Indigenous, as well as the many cultures that were in existence all over the world when this “new religion” began to take over. You can find that there were indeed Pagan “like” belief systems in many parts of the world dating back, at the very least, 30,000 years.
I don’t want to get off on a long tangent about early religion, cultural beliefs, etc. I simply want to point out that the very ancient peoples followed the cycles and seasons of Mother Earth, the Moon and the Sun. They saw that all of these cycles were interconnected and interrelated. So, as we who still hold to these ancient belief systems, we are aware that from the Summer Solstice, to the Winter Solstice, the days have been getting shorter, and the nights longer. The Winter Solstice, sometimes called “Long Night” or “Longest Night” by some, is just and is simply that. We get together to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun. It is no less joyful to us, and in our celebrations, we include many of the same symbols that have always appeared at this time of year, and with all of the ancient meanings attached.
The Evergreen tree is one of the trees that doesn’t die in the Winter, thus reminding us of life eternal, or spirit eternal, cycling in and cycling out, over and over, on and on since the beginning. Candles and lights on Evergreen trees remind us that the light is returning to us, and we shine our own lights to welcome this return. Stars, symbols of the Sun, caroling, and other merrymaking are very apropos to this time.
So, in light of this information, truly, while the birth of the Christ child was placed at this time of year, the season doesn’t belong to just the Christians. There are many of us who do not adhere to the idea that there is only one reason for this season. We are open enough, and joyful enough at the return of the Sun’s light, that we feel it’s perfectly ok, for many cultures and religious or spiritual groups to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun, in whatever way they choose. All we ask is for them to remember that our beliefs predate Christianity, and that we have as much right to proclaim this season as we wish to.