Job Discussion Forums

SueH · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Posts: 1022 Location: Northern Italy

Like Joe-Joe I was brought up a Methodist with the result that, although an atheist I do love my singing and traditional Christmas carols.

Mind you, I haven't clung on to the old abstention bit (sip...), but at the church I attended in Rome, within sight of the Vatican even the minister used to be a great wine imbiber - when in Rome, I suppose.

Jud, not sure where you are, but do the Abruzzesi still come round at Christmas with Zampogna and piffero playing 'Tu scendi dalle stelle'? I must go and practice it on my piffero for next week's Italian class...!

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

My Arab students today all wanted to have Xmas carols as their ring tones on their telephones. I couldn't help it. I accepted 'Scotland the Brave' as festive. They will never know.
(Untill they have a non Scottish teacher next year)

jud · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 127 Location: Italy

SueH, I'm in Piemonte. The most excited they get here is trying to decide between panettone and pandoro.

Not much singing.

I still love Christmas.

Capergirl · Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2003 11:36 pm Post subject:

I'm agnostic, but I do celebrate Christmas as a time for family togetherness and a time of spirituality (agnostic, not atheist). I guess it all depends on what Christmas means to you. It seems to have a different meaning for everyone...kind of like a snowflake...no two alike. Wink

As far as the students go, the kids I've taught in the past seemed to like the fanfare of Christmas (as kids here in Canada do) - Santa Claus, the tree, the carols, etc. In Taiwan, we even had a little concert with the students singing Christmas carols for their parents. Even though they were not Christians (most of them), they loved it. My adult students here in Canada are for the most part either Christian or Muslim and although the majority don't celebrate Xmas in their home countries the way that we do here (or at all), they like getting a taste of the holidays in Canadian (North American) style. It's something different for them and they find it really interesting, just as I found Chinese New Year interesting when I was living in Taiwan. It is as much a cultural thing as a religious one - maybe even more so. Very Happy

FGT · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Turkey

I noticed my hackles rise at seeing Christmas described as a "holiday". I'm not much of a Christian although I was brought up in that tradition but even so, I do not think of Christmas as a holiday, it is a religious festival which some people observe, in the same way that others may celebrate Chanouka or Divali. Are these likewise "holidays"? I would have expected to see the word "festival".

Is this a British vs American English thing? (I've heard, but not witnessed, that in the US it's common to wish people "happy holidays" on 24th December, is this so? It wouldn't happen in UK). I'm writing this purely in the search of information. Whatever Christmas means to you, so be it.

Steiner · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 573 Location: Hunan China

You see "Happy Holidays" in the U.S. a lot nowadays. It's taken the place of "Merry Christmas" so as to be inclusive of Hanukah and Kwanzaa. Likewise, schools no longer have Christmas vacation but rather observe Winter vacation.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Yes, in North America the more PC "Happy Holidays" seems to be gaining ground.

Humbug or not, I wish I was able to visit home for Christmas... Sad

nomadder · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 2:57 am Post subject:

With all the dysfunctional families out there these days I'm surprised Christmas is still so popular. Maybe a chance to take em for all they're worth. Confused

Hope for the best?

The voice of cynicism.

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

Ah, the dreaded PC "happy holidays". I do really dislike this, because it takes the true meaning out of....you name it, Christmas, hanukah.

And if you are pagan, then you do not believe in Jesus, so calling it Christ mas day seems a little wierd. But it seems everyone , agnostic, Christian, pagan, marginally christian, is saying pretty much the same thing. When it is overcome with materialism, there is a problem.

I think to take any religious or non religious traditional day, and to discard the meaning of the day bodes ill for a people. Culture, to thrive, needs to have things which are meaningful.

i would imagine the etymology of holiday is "holy" day, and I would guess that way back in the only days off for people were religious days. Words change, so I guess it now means any recognized day off. To me festival means something different, a joyous celebration, often held on a holiday (when else do we have time?).

Actually the idea of celebrating solstices,harvest days, etc, was God ordained in the old testament, so I would not agree with the idea that such days are taken from pagan holidays. I would say, rather, that the order that God created in the world is reflected in ourselves, and makes it natural for us to desire to celebrate such times, and want us to be with family, Ah, but the dark side of us wants money, profit, and pure physical gratification.

I told my school I just won't be any part of their "Christmas" celebration. Like someone said...either make it into a Chinese thing, or ask me to actually plan it, and have input into the purpose of it.

To disagree with someone else, I honestly don't think that most schools have such things because they care about the foreign teacher, and how he may feel lonely. I really don't think so.

guest of Japan · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 1601 Location: Japan

Almost every religion celebrates a planting festival and a harvest festival. The reason they do is because almost every culture had already celebrated them before religions came to be. If an organized religion wants people to accept it, it has to accommodate pre-existing festivals. Incidently, pagan is not a good word to describe the myriad of possible religions. It is a word used by Christians to label anyone who is not a Christian.

Personally I really like Christmas. It's the only day of the year in the US when people are nice to each other.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Incidentally it is not "thinketh" but "thinkest". If you are going to use archaic English, get it right !

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

scot47,

Similar to German's -st/-est ending for the second person informal?

Please provide me with information for a reference source to research aforementioned archaic English verb endings. I'm suddenly quite curious to learn more.

Now, scot47, you may go back to playing your video games.

Sincerely,
fat_chris

Snoopy · Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 185

By the way, the "thou" form is "thinkest". Oops, sorry, I've just seen that scot47 got there first.

For "thou" forms, try reading the King James Bible, the works of Shakespeare, or just visit a Yorkshire village.

E. Scrooge

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

To
George61,
sorry, no, those Chinese I criticised were not sharing THEIR family life with ME - they were criticising me for not offering myself up on CHristmas when they partied at school receptions or in posh restaurants.
Last year, I was supposed to impersonate Santa Claus AND that funny McDonald's figure you see sitting on a bench outside of most McDonald's restaurants in China. It would be of great help if my overlords knew what they wanted, and whether this squared with my own, and every Westerner's, concept of Christmas celebrations. At these school parties, everybody has the right to enjoy themselves, except you. You must wear this comic outfit made of baize that makes you perspire as though you were weightlifting in the Saharan sun.
And, your Western face suddenly has acquired a commercial value that each school wants to exploit to their own advantage. I am afraid but I am missing out on something in these "festive" occasions.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Get your hands on a copy of the Authorised Version aka King James Translation, and read !

The greatest piece of literature in English ! And it was written by a committee !