Christianity in HP

[Lea]

No: HPFGUIDX 128389

> Geoff:
> Excuse me but Christmas and Easter are NOT pagan holidays. By 
> definition, they are Christian festivals.
> 
> What you are doing is to confuse the fact that when they came into 
> being, they coincided with pagan festivals for the simlple reason 
that, 
> especially in the Roman Empire, the only time that Christian 
believers 
> such as slaves could get time to hold special festivals together 
was at 
> the time of the main feast days hence they came to be traditionally 
> held at the times they are.
> 
> Re the Wizarding World  marking Christmas etc., it indicates to me 
that 
> the festivals have some meaning for them. Otherwise they would use 
a 
> different name... Here in the UK, we are now getting one or two 
local 
> authorities who refuse to mark Christmas on PC grounds and 
celebrate 
> the "Winter Festival" or something equally vague.

I hate to argue the finer points of religion, especially on a Harry 
Potter board, but Christmas and Easter were originally pagan 
holidays.  Please see the following link for further explaination.

http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p235.html

Any Christian overtones were placed there by the Church in an attempt 
to convert pagans.  You are, of course, free to disagree with me.  

IMO, JKR included Christmas to represent the Christian celebration of 
the birth of Jesus Christ, however, wouldn't one suspect that 
Hogwarts, just like many other schools, would have children with a 
variety of religious backgrounds? 

~ Lea