"A pleasant holiday and much luck in the New Year!"
But acknowledging that during this dark season sometimes lighting a candle of renewed hope takes a bit of courage.
Another Card: More of a Solstice Message
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sensei
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Another Card: More of a Solstice Message
"A pleasant holiday and much luck in the New Year!"
But acknowledging that during this dark season sometimes lighting a candle of renewed hope takes a bit of courage.
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Cloud
- Himajin - Get A Life
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Huh. Where did acknowledging that during this dark season sometimes lighting a candle of renewed hope take a bit of courage?
The Three Laws of Robotics:
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
-I, Robot (Asimov)
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sensei
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I'd call your cellphone number, but I don't know who might be monitoring our conversation ...Cloud wrote:Huh. Where did acknowledging that during this dark season sometimes lighting a candle of renewed hope take a bit of courage?
Best wishes to all my Beta friends; may all your wishlist cels find you in 2006 and the sharks be looking the other way.
S
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kisara
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*smiles*
I'm so glad someone acknowledged solstice. My sickly, witchy self slept right through it. O_O Fortunately, I don't think the powers that be are too awful picky about when exactly that Yule log gets burned.
ANYHOO. . . .
Happy Holidays!
I'm so glad someone acknowledged solstice. My sickly, witchy self slept right through it. O_O Fortunately, I don't think the powers that be are too awful picky about when exactly that Yule log gets burned.
ANYHOO. . . .
Happy Holidays!
"You have to keep your whits about you when you're losing your mind." - a friend
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Baakay
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*huggles Kisara*
Our local paper ran a FABULOUS column this morning by a retired professor, telling all about the very very long history of celebrations surrounding this time of year. I know it's going to drive some of the locals up the wall for someone to suggest that celebrating the end of the shortening of days predates the 12/25 birthday by thousands of years, even though it's quite factual.
To me, though, it adds to the specialness of these holidays we celebrate to know that people in many religions have been celebrating the same stories, and the same natural phenomena, and the same inevitable turnings of the seasons, for as long as we've been intelligent beings. It means that at a very important level, we are all one.
And on a less serious note: Once again my father has beaten me at his annual rite of passage of the Solstice. Somehow it became the family tradition for him to remark on how long the days were getting, just as early as possible on 12/21. At first he did it because he could be sure of getting an "oh DAD!!" out of me. Now he does it because it's a competition to see who remembers first. He has a 2-hour timezone advantage. I'm thinking of asking him for a handicap next year
Our local paper ran a FABULOUS column this morning by a retired professor, telling all about the very very long history of celebrations surrounding this time of year. I know it's going to drive some of the locals up the wall for someone to suggest that celebrating the end of the shortening of days predates the 12/25 birthday by thousands of years, even though it's quite factual.
To me, though, it adds to the specialness of these holidays we celebrate to know that people in many religions have been celebrating the same stories, and the same natural phenomena, and the same inevitable turnings of the seasons, for as long as we've been intelligent beings. It means that at a very important level, we are all one.
And on a less serious note: Once again my father has beaten me at his annual rite of passage of the Solstice. Somehow it became the family tradition for him to remark on how long the days were getting, just as early as possible on 12/21. At first he did it because he could be sure of getting an "oh DAD!!" out of me. Now he does it because it's a competition to see who remembers first. He has a 2-hour timezone advantage. I'm thinking of asking him for a handicap next year
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Cloud
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Oh I get at a very important level we are all one .
The Three Laws of Robotics:
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
-I, Robot (Asimov)
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Cloud
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Yes, even that.
The Three Laws of Robotics:
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
-I, Robot (Asimov)
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aernath
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Any chance you could scan that for me? I'd love to read it!Baakay wrote:Our local paper ran a FABULOUS column this morning by a retired professor, telling all about the very very long history of celebrations surrounding this time of year. I know it's going to drive some of the locals up the wall for someone to suggest that celebrating the end of the shortening of days predates the 12/25 birthday by thousands of years, even though it's quite factual.
Yeah, Christianity overlaid it's days on the already existing ones because they couldn't get the people to stop the celebrations. (If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and call it something else.
)That's such a cute and wonderful card, sensei!! THANKS!!
We wish you some light in your corner of the darkness!
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Not Sir Phobos
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vampyreshoujo
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From googling the words "summer solstice", it appears that it usually occurs on June 21, but that the exact date varies from year to year and may occur between June 20 and the 23.Not Sir Phobos wrote:P.S. Could someone please let me know when Summer solstice is?
Info from here - http://www.religioustolerance.org/summer_solstice.htm
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Not Sir Phobos
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sensei
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Thanks all. The recent to-do about the political correctness of "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays" struck me as ironic, especially since there is no compelling evidence for the historical Jesus' birth at this time of year. One early mention puts it sometime in the spring ... too close to Easter, sadly; and if we take Luke's account as gospel, then Jesus was born at a time when there were shepherds abiding in their fields, watching their flock by night, i.e., sometime in the fall, when grass for grazing would be abundant and it would still be mild enough for the sheep-herders to spend all night out in the open.
The bottom line is that the solstice has always been a holy time for world religions, and the appropriate season for merriment, given the prevelance of SAD. It's an appropriate time to honor the birth of the Son, especially as the Sun is being re-born; and of course the right time for many other festivals of light, such as Hanukkah.
I heard once that the Romans made such a week-long debauch out of the Saturnalia, which fell at this time, that Christians could gather for worship without much interference, since the local police force would all be busy chasing drunks or getting drunk themselves. This was supposedly why Christmas was put where it was; certainly the Church has been trying to import Christ into Christmas for nearly two millennia now, on the pretext of "keeping" him there. Mediterranean-influenced cultures still prefer the Saturnalian Christmas, as my wife observed during her 5 years in Puerto Rico.
Vapalla: sorry your card didn't go through. Unfortunately, my university is being so fussy about attachments, and since there is a common virus that's transmitted in an "Open this Christmas Card!" message, it might have been blocked. Try posting it as a PM: I sent a few e-cards this way.
And a happy new year!
The bottom line is that the solstice has always been a holy time for world religions, and the appropriate season for merriment, given the prevelance of SAD. It's an appropriate time to honor the birth of the Son, especially as the Sun is being re-born; and of course the right time for many other festivals of light, such as Hanukkah.
I heard once that the Romans made such a week-long debauch out of the Saturnalia, which fell at this time, that Christians could gather for worship without much interference, since the local police force would all be busy chasing drunks or getting drunk themselves. This was supposedly why Christmas was put where it was; certainly the Church has been trying to import Christ into Christmas for nearly two millennia now, on the pretext of "keeping" him there. Mediterranean-influenced cultures still prefer the Saturnalian Christmas, as my wife observed during her 5 years in Puerto Rico.
Vapalla: sorry your card didn't go through. Unfortunately, my university is being so fussy about attachments, and since there is a common virus that's transmitted in an "Open this Christmas Card!" message, it might have been blocked. Try posting it as a PM: I sent a few e-cards this way.
And a happy new year!
