Christmas is a
mere illusion

Rory Welsh
Youth Writer

DO YOU really think Christmas was the birth of Christ?
Everyone celebrates Christmas as a day of love and unity as according to Europe and North America beliefs, this was the day Christ was born. Oh, and let's not forget Santa Claus.

We as Caribbean people must understand that Christmas is a European culture and not ours, therefore, instead of creating our own culture and traditions we are borrowing that of Europe and North America.

There has never been proof that Christ was born on December 25. What has been proven is that December 25 was a Roman traditional celebration where they worshipped the sun. The Romans then adopted this celebration as their own and celebrated it as the birth of Christ. Hence, what is being celebrated today is not the birth of Christ but a mere pagan celebration.

Have you ever asked yourself why is it that people are so overjoyed about Christmas?

Let me enlighten you: workers and students are overjoyed because they get time off from work and school, and they are happy for what they will get and not what they will give.

HYPOCRISY

As for the whole atmosphere of spreading love on Christmas, this is nothing more than the hypocrisy of Europe, which we have adopted. A few days are taken out of the entire year to exchange gifts and to showappreciation and love, while for the other 11 and 1/2 months of the year, this is hardly if ever repeated. This simply reveals that this so-called gesture of appreciation and love is an illusion.

Middle class parents usually tell their children not to lie, however why do they continuously lie to these same children on a yearly basis? Most of these parents tell their children about the existence of this mysterious Santa Claus. This is a straight lie.

Don't believe that I am trying to break the spirit of Christmas. Anyway, Christmas has no spirit. It was first created under false pretense as the celebration of the birth of Christ, then as religion had less of an emphasis on individuals life (and for the spirit of Capitalism) this whole notion of Santa Claus was created.

I have no problem with Europe and North America accepting this illusion but when we Caribbean people begin to embrace this fantasy that's where the line should be drawn.

CARIBBEAN CHRISTMAS CULTURE

I therefore challenge Caribbean people and their political leaders to create a Christmas culture of their own, separate from that of Europe and the U.S.

Furthermore, it can't be more naive than a fat old man going around the world in a red suit giving presents to children.

It is good to show love on Christmas Day, but why not show love every day? It is good to celebrate the birth of Christ, but how can one celebrate what they do not know?

It is good to spread the myth of someone who is kind and loving and always gives to the children, but why not create our own myth of a non-white Caribbean man who is kind, loving and always gives to the children?

The aim of this article is not to dampen your spirit where Christmas is concerned, instead it is to open your eyes to the illusion of it all.

Rory Welsh attends the University of the West Indies, Mona.
Link him at rorwelsh333@yahoo.com