“Where is Christ, we have lost in Christmas”

First published in 'Indian Express' (Cochin Edition) dated December 22, 1994

CHRISTMAS is the greatest festival of the Western World. The word ‘Christmas’ has its origin from the phrase in Old English, “Christes Maesse” which means ‘Christ’s Mass’. Christmas brings to our mind colours and gaiety, carols and carnivals, lights and splendour, candies and cakes, festal hymns and festivities, beautiful greetings cards with sweet words sent with warmth and love, decorated ever-green trees, lovely gifts, lovingly given and the figure of Santa Claus that excites the children.

The Christian festival of Christmas commemorating the birth of Christ began to be celebrated in Rome by A.D.336. Though the date of the birth of Christ is not known, it was during the 4th Century that most of the Eastern Churches adopted 25th December for the festival of Christmas.

The traditional customs connected with Christmas came from different sources. The celebration of the birth of Christ coincided with the pagan agricultural festival and the solar worship in mid-winter. In the Roman world, 17th December was the time for merry making and exchange of gifts. 25th December was regarded as the birth date of the Iranian God Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness. The Romans celebrated 1st January as the new year day, when they decorated their houses with greenery and lights and gave gifts to the children and the poor. Food and fellowship, cakes and candies, greenery and fir trees, gifts and greetings were different aspects of these festivals. Firs, the symbol of warmth and light, the symbol lasting life, have always been associated with the winter festivals of the pagans. When the Roman Emperor, Constantine became a Christian, all the traditional customs of the pagan mid-winter festivals became the customs of Christmas.

The evergreen which is the symbol of survival has been associated with Christmas since Middle ages. During the Christmas, the evergreen fir is decorated with lights and ornaments. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths and garlands, as symbols of eternal life was an ancient custom of the Egyptians, the Chinese and the Hebrews. Tree-worship was common among the pagan Europeans. The Scandinavians had the custom of decorating the houses and barns with evergreen at the New Year to scare away the devil. The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. It was introduced into England in the early 19th Century and the Christmas tree was popularized in mid 19th century by the German Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.

Santa Claus is the greatest attraction for children, during Christmas. The name is said to have derived from Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in the early 4th Century. There are many legends about Santa Claus. He rescued three maidens who seemed destined for prostitution as their father could not provide them with dowries, by dropping bags of gold coins through the window of their house. Another story is that he restored the lives of three murdered boys whose bodies were pickled in a barrel of brine. In England it is said that Santa Claus enters the houses from roofs through chimney and deposits gifts for the children, in shoes and stockings.

Though Christmas began to be celebrated right from the 4th Century, the celebrations acquired the dynamic dimensions, with colour, splendour and show only from the beginning of the 20th century when the shop owners decorated and illuminated their shops during the Christmas season to attract more customers. Thus Christmas was made an occasion for the promotion of sales. With the commercialization of Christmas, the spirit behind the celebration is lost sight of.

The message of Christmas is the message of peace and love. During the First World War, fierce fighting was going on at Flanders between the British and the German soldiers. They have been fighting for several months. It was then, that the Christmas came. Suddenly both sides under the influence of a common memory declared the gospel of brother-hood and stopped fighting on that day. The day of Christmas brought them peace though for a day. It was like a ray of hope in the midst of chaos and confusion. But it lasted only for a day. The next day they again started striking and killing one another. Our thoughts of the message of Christmas do not inspire us to seek lasting peace.

Browning writes :
“Shaking a fist at him with one fierce arm
Signing himself with the other because of Christ
Whose sad face on the cross sees only this
After the passion of a thousand years”.

We have passed through the century which witnessed two great World Wars resulting in diabolic and devastating destruction of men and materials. Even the disastrous and bitter experiences of the World Wars have not deterred the world leaders. Another World War will end up in a holocaust.

Ethnic clashes, Communal riots, racial discrimination, hatred and bitterness and the resulting terrorism and bomb blasts mar the peaceful atmosphere of the world. Rabindranath Tagore writes :

“The world today is wild with the delirium of hatred,
The conflicts are cruel and unceasing in anguish,
Crooked are its paths tangled its bonds of greed”.

The world is growing materialistic. About King Henry I, who little cared for religion, it is said that he chose his chaplain for the speed in saying mass. Once when Winston Churchill was told that he should try to know Gandhiji better as he is ‘a man of God’, he answered, “I have made more Bishops than anybody since the time of St. Augustine”. When Stalin was asked to make up with the Vatican, he asked, “How many divisions of armed force, has the Pope?”. Here the people are guided by materialistic concerns, designs and desires.

Though the message of Christmas is the Gospel of Peace, it is peace that we miss in the world. Lamenting the terrible plight of the world, T.S.Eliot says, “The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries bring us farther from God and nearer to the dust” and he asks in disgust.

“Where is the life we have lost in living ?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge ?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information ?

On this occasion when we celebrate Christmas with all its colour and splendour, shall we not ask, “Where is Christ we have lost in Christmas?”. In this context Oscar Wilde’s statement, though exaggerated and cynical is worth recalling. He said that there were Christians before Christ but, none after him except St. Francis of Assisi.