Origins of Holidays - Split from Thanksgiving post.

[Chris Johnson]

Pop quiz:
Why is Santa's jacket red?

Coca cola decided it would be so

An Urban legend - Coca Cola certainly used A Red Coated Santa in their advertsing but the American Association of Saint Nick and red clothes pre-date the first Coca Cola Santa campaign by a good decade or so - They probably helped reinforce the image but it wasn't their invention

[Schme]

However, literally wise, it is completely new as it was the very first religious holiday to be centred almost purely on capitalist consumerism, and god do I love it for that

It's not based on consumerism. In most countries, nobody buys anybody anything or anything of that sort. The giving of gifts is not mandated from the Bible, it began as a deal to re-enact the gifts given to Jesus by the three wise men.

If you actually read the Bible, you'll see it very much dislike's the rich. Although to be fair, the Old Testament loved the rich. Most of the Bible is like that, actually.

[formerly known as hf]

Pop quiz:
Why is Santa's jacket red?

Coca cola decided it would be so

An Urban legend - Coca Cola certainly used A Red Coated Santa in their advertsing but the American Association of Saint Nick and red clothes pre-date the first Coca Cola Santa campaign by a good decade or so - They probably helped reinforce the image but it wasn't their invention

Points to Chris...

It was Thomas Nast, a 19th Century cartoonist who first produced the plump, red-coated santa (rather than an elf-like tan/green/black coated santa) (I only remember this as I actually looked the history up last year, as I really couldn't believe Cola had had such a profound effect...)

However, I doubt there'd be anyway that this particular imagining of Santa Claus would have gained the total global ubiquity it has if Coke hadn't adopted it for their advertising campaigns.

[Nakranoth]

It doesn't matter what they used to be. It's what they is now.

But, wich came first? old hollow's eve, or the... shenta... thing.

The pagan one came first, as Paganism long predates Christianity.

Theres over 200 storis about a big flood, the story of noa being one of them.

Every culture has a "great flood" story... Humanity supposedly began in the mesopotamic region, where the two nearby rivers flooded frequently and violently, so it makes sense that there would be the same story everywhere. (on a sortof side note, Mesopotamic gods were generally violent and unpredictable, while Egyptians, living near the calm predictable Nile, had gods that were much less violent and more predictable)

Hanika is an origonal religion. CRistnmass is origonal.

Ever heard of Winter Solstice?

I'm not sure about your other ones... but people don't typically spawn new holidays... they're typically adapted... so, I'd have to look into them.

[Pie]

The pagan one came first, as Paganism long predates Christianity.

Theres over 200 storis about a big flood, the story of noa being one of them.

Every culture has a "great flood" story... Humanity supposedly began in the mesopotamic region, where the two nearby rivers flooded frequently and violently, so it makes sense that there would be the same story everywhere. (on a sortof side note, Mesopotamic gods were generally violent and unpredictable, while Egyptians, living near the calm predictable Nile, had gods that were much less violent and more predictable)

It makes since, becaus it happened. ooooh. and the stories were made a while after people moved away frome the mesopotamic region. but that is on a side note.

[rklenseth]

Theres over 200 storis about a big flood, the story of noa being one of them.

Every culture has a "great flood" story... Humanity supposedly began in the mesopotamic region, where the two nearby rivers flooded frequently and violently, so it makes sense that there would be the same story everywhere. (on a sortof side note, Mesopotamic gods were generally violent and unpredictable, while Egyptians, living near the calm predictable Nile, had gods that were much less violent and more predictable)

Civilization began in the Mesopotamic Region, not humanity. And that is even argued as to whether or not that civilization was born there since much of ancient Eastern history (China etc....) is very much ignored by Western Civilization. Plus the fact that most knowledge of ancient history was lost during the great fire of Alexandria that destroyed the Great Library there that is said to have contained about every piece of ancient manuscript up to that point. The only reason why Mesopotamia and the Middle East area in general was believed to be the birthplace of civilization is because it was the first to be opened up to archealogists in the 19th century whereas places like India and China were harder to access.