What does Christmas represent to the WW?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 95344

Sue B wrote:
My guess is that the WW didn't become a culture for quite a few 
centuries and until then, they had to live in the Muggle community, 
perhaps wondering why they could do things others couldn't. So they 
would have had the same customs as everyone else. We're told (by 
Hagrid?) that there are very few, if any, true "purebloods" left.
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Megalynn responded:
> 
I woudl think it is just the opposite. They talk about Egyptian 
wizards  building the pyramids in POA, so they were in civilization 
for quite a while. I would think that the wizards mixed in with 
muggles over tme, and started adapting their traditions. It would be 
like a kid with one Protestant and one Jewish parent observing both 
Hanukah and Christmas. <snip>

Carol:
For what it's worth, since we're all guessing here, I think that the
wizards were initially the shamans, priests, sibyls (prophetesses),
Druids, etc., in a mostly Muggle society. Their powers were, for the
most part, honored and acknowledged by their nonmagical tribe members
or fellow citizens. But with the coming of philosophy and, later, of
Christianity, such people came to be regarded with suspicion. By early
medieval times, there were attempted witch burnings, etc., by certain
extreme elements in Muggle society. Some of the pureblood wizards,
following Salazar Slytherin's lead, began to hate and fear Muggles, as
Muggles hated and feared the wizards' "unnatural powers." By late
medieval times, inquisitions were instituted which included witches
(and to a lesser degree, wizards) among those who were ostracized and
tortured. At about that point, I'm guessing, the WW withdrew
completely, taking with it elements of medieval society ranging from
plate armor to torchlit hallways and older Christmas carols such as
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and "Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful" ("Adeste
Fidelis"). Yet because the wizarding population was always small,
Squibs tended to marry Muggles, while many halfbloods and even some
purebloods chose to marry Muggle-borns or Muggles. I imagine that 
Squibs like Mrs. Figg often pass as Muggles but maintain their contact
with the WW, providing a link between the two worlds, as the
Muggle-born students of Hogwarts do as well. (Durmstrang, OTOH, doesnt
accept Muggle-borns and Karkaroff's concern for keeping its location a
secret suggests that relations between the WW and Muggles are even
worse in his part of the world.)

Just some speculations based on the limited evidence available in the
books and I'd be happy to hear other versions of the conditions
leading to the present Muggle/WW split.

Carol, who knows that the WW is a fictional entity and is not
attacking Christianity or organized religion in any form