Why Do Wizards Celebrate Christmas?

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49862

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Peter Shea <bebche2 at y...> wrote:
> 
> ... I thought I'd provoke an inquiry about celebrations of Christmas
> in the wizard world. ...edited...
> 
> Yet the celebration of a religious holiday seems to suggest a 
> significant confluence point between the two communities. 
> 
> 
> Peter the Couch Elf

bboy_mn:

I could reply with 'Why do the Japanese celebrate Christmas?' or "Why
do some less than orthodox Jews celebrate Christmas?'

First, if you are on the standard calendar rather than the Chinese,
Thai, or other calendar; then it is an end of year celebration. A
chance to acknowledge all the people around us who we care about. So
there is a huge element of the end of year celebration that doesn't
have to be based in Christianity. 

Second, how old is Christianity? The wizard world has gone though, it
would seem, several periods of isolation from and integration with
Muggles. I don't think they've lived in a vacuum for 2,000 years. So
it seems completely reasonable that they would be well aware of the
worldwide, although  mostly Anglo, celebration of Christmas. 

Next, what makes you think witches and wizards don't have the same
religious diversity that the rest of the world does. What makes you
think that POTTER witches and wizards in the UK aren't common
Christians. Let's face it worldwide, most Christians aren't religious.
Most Christians don't go to church on a regular basis. That what I
mean by 'common Christian', people who identify themselves with the
Christian religious but are not actively religious.

Oddly, I have to wonder why you asked about Christmas which has become
a worldwide non-religious year end celebration, but didn't ask about
Easter. The school, Hogwarts, always has an Easter break. There really
is no way to convert Easter into a general purpose holiday. 

Conclusion, they celebrate Christmas and Easter because they are
Christians in a Christian dominated world.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

bboy_mn