Wizards and Muggle traditions

[shihtouji]

No: HPFGUIDX 60635

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, yellows at a... wrote:
> In a message dated 6/16/2003 1:06:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
Elizabeth writes:
> 
> > I don't see why wizards can't be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, 
Pagan, or anything 
> > else. I don't think one cancels out the other. Perhaps J.K. 
Rowling doesn't go 
> > into spirituality a lot because she wants the story to be 
> > as universal as 
> > possible. 
> 

I seem to remember reading an interview with JKR where she spells out 
that Christmas in Britain today is largely a secular affair, although 
it retains more of its Christian flavour than American Christmas 
(which is why the armour sings "O Come All Ye Faithful" and 
not "Jingle Bells."  There's no mention of Christmas being anything 
other than a secular occasion in the books--it's an occasion for a 
feast and a convenient school-year break (not to mention an 
opportunity for presents), but it's a more low-key occasion than the 
American shopping frenzy, but still not a strictly religious 
occasion.  Everyone seems to accept this as part of the cultural 
baggage of Hogwarts, in the same way that one accepts names of 
Biblical origin without their being "Christian" names (although most 
of the names of characters seem to be old European names, not 
Biblical ones--very few Johns, Pauls, Marys, or Elizabeths in the 
lot).  

Related question: Are the Patil sisters second (or more)-generation 
Indo-Anglians?  And as such have they abandoned their parents' 
religious leanings? (probably Hindu, since "Patil" is a good Gujarati 
name, and Gujarat is a strong Hindu state.  On the other hand, the 
Patils could have come from elswhere in the Empire, particularly East 
Africa). I imagine them as thoroughly British as Hermione, though 
obviously retaining cultural traces of their Indian heritage 
("Parvati" and "Padma" being both "religious" names).

Red Inkstone.