December 25th is celebrated as the birthday of the most famous Jew ever, though Jews don’t consider Jesus the son of their god. They continue to wait for the messiah which they have been doing for a few thousand years. It’s interesting that Christians worship a Jew but have been persecuting Jews for over 2000 years. I find that very puzzling.
Christians make up approximately 31% of the world’s population, making Christianity the largest religion globally. Therefore, Christmas is a big deal in a significant part of the world and has been so for centuries.
Christmas is also celebrated in India although Christians constitute a low single-digit percentage minority of Indians. Christmas is big in India because Christianity was the religion of the people who colonized India for a couple of centuries. Indians are given to bending over to their rulers’ creed, be that Islamic or Christian. Christians and Muslims don’t much care for celebrating the major events of the dharmic traditions, but Hindus make a big show of being inclusive.
The sight of many Indian service industry workers going around in Santa Claus costumes has to the most shocking display of ignorance and servitude imaginable. It is culturally and climatically incongruent. The sight of people walking around in red suits more suited to freezing Nordic weather than to the sweltering heat of Mumbai is grotesque.
I love Christmas in America. One of my favorite things to do during the season in the SF bay area is to drive around those parts of town which put extra effort in decorating their houses with Christmas lights. The Willow Glen neighborhood in San Jose is special for its elaborately lighted homes, particularly around Glenbrook Ave & Lincoln Ave.
Here’s a picture from Christmas 2023.
Santa Claus has his origins in Saint Nicolas, a real historical person who was a Greek Christian bishop who lived around 270–343 CE. The modern Santa is a mainly American invention. In the 1930s, US department store advertising and Coca-Cola campaigns popularized the red suit. Santa became a global symbol of holiday consumerism, joy, and generosity detached from any explicit religious meaning.
A favorite contemporary essayist, David Sedaris, did a hilarious essay on Santa Claus. He read it live at the Carnegie Hall a few years ago. It is titled “Six to eight black men.” Here it is in three parts. Listen. Money back guarantee that you will like it.
And a bit of Christmas music.
That’s it for now. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
Atanu Dey : Life is a Random Draw 