[HPforGrownups] (Not So) Secular Potterverse

[John Walton]

No: HPFGUIDX 34176

jenny_ravenclaw wrote:

> In JKR's world of witches and wizards, her characters all seem to celebrate
> Halloween, Christmas and Easter (or at least have an Easter break).  People
> have said a number of times that even though the Potterverse celebrates these
> holidays, it is done in a secular manner.  I have to say that I think there is
> no such thing as celebrating certain holidays in a secular way.

I disagree. It is entirely possible to celebrate Christmas without ever
celebrating the "christ" aspect. I certainly do: though I am a Pagan, I
Reclaim the holiday* and celebrate the secular aspects of it while
separately celebrating the seasonal aspects of it.

 (without wanting to turn the thread into a religious debate, there is a
large corpus of at least anecdotal evidence that Western Christianity
"placed" various holidays near to Equinoctial and Solsticious [is that a
word?] times: All Souls/All Saints over Samhain (31 Oct), May Day over
Beltane (1 May), Christmas over Yule (21 Dec), etc. Many Pagans adapt or
"Reclaim" the old seasonal holidays and celebrate the Christian ones, using
God as a metaphor for deity.)

> I am Jewish and not a very religious one.  My family goes all out for
> Halloween but if we were Orthodox Jews, we wouldn't acknowledge the day at
> all.  We do *not* celebrate Christmas and never did.  There are no Christmas
> caroles sung in our home, no Christmas feasts and no Christmas decorations.
> This does not mean that I don't like Christmas; I do.  I think it is a
> beautiful holiday and I get excited to see the decorations, hear the music and
> get the vacation.  :-)

Which is, really, all that the Hogwarts students do -- remember that only a
handful are still there by Christmas anyway -- they like Hagrid's pretty
trees, they like the singing ghosts, they *really* like the vacation. They
don't go to a church service or even mention the fact that it's a Christian
holiday.

> However, Christmas is not a Jewish holiday, and neither is Easter  Jews
> celebrate Chanukkah, and I see no mention of a menorah at Hogwarts.  Jews also
> celebrate Passover, yet Hogwarts students don't eat matzoh for a week in the
> spring.  That does not bother me at all, but it does bother me when people
> here insist that HP uses these holidays without a religious undertone.

The point that many made is that *Britain* in general (uh oh,
generalisation...) doesn't go for the religious inclusiveness demonstrated
by menorahs that we in the more liberal parts of the States do. A practicing
Jew in my small town of about 15,000, for instance, would have serious
trouble finding Kosher for Passover food. Compare that with my town at home
(about 4,000), where there is an enormous variety of Kosher for Passover
food at Passover-time. I assume that it's because the population percentage
of Jews in northeast Scotland is relatively small, but I do wonder how Jews
keep Kosher -- and how observant Muslims, who also have dietary
requirements, follow their prescribed diets.

> Considering that Christmas and Easter are specifically religious holidays, the
> fact remains that the Potterverse is overwhelmingly a Christian one.  Not
> Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist.  Christian.

I think the point that many were trying to make is that the Christianity in
the Potterverse is *overwhelmingly* secular and unobservant. The Potterverse
is actually much *less* religious than many boarding schools which are not
church-funded -- mine had a Carol Service, Assemblies with hymns and
prayers, etc. I actually find that refreshing.

I'm quite interested that, coming from our non-Christian viewpoints, Jenny
and I have such opposite views of the "Christianness" (?Christianity?) of
the Potterverse. I'm sure there's a very interesting commentary on
perspective relating to life experience to be drawn from that. :D

> I still love the suits of armor not knowing the words to the caroles,
> though, and Peeves coming to their aid and singing words of his own.

Me too!

--John
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"You take, Zathras die. You leave, Zathras die.
Either way, it is bad for Zathras."
        --Zathras, Babylon 5

John Walton || john at walton.vu
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