What does Christmas represent to the WW?

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 95226

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "arrowsmithbt" 
<arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:

Kneasy:
> I agree wholeheartedly, particularly as "Christmas" and 'Easter" 
were 
> blatant take-overs of  popular pagan religious festivals anyway.
> 

Geoff:
I think you choose to forget why there was a "blatant takeover" of 
these festivals.

In the early days of the Christian church, many slaves became 
converts in addition to free folk and also, some of the free folk 
were at risk of arrest if they celebrated too openly. So it became 
customary for Christians to use time which was taken as a public 
holiday to remember the birth of Christ and his resurrection at the 
first Easter.

I agree that there are many people today who merely use these 
festivals as an excuse for a knees-up and, I suspect that Ron and his 
family may possibly be in that category whereas Hermione and Harry, 
coming from a Muggle background may be more aware of what is really 
going on.