Re: [NTLK] [OT] Pagan Holidays...

From: Mark Ross (markr13_at_comcast.net)
Date: Tue Apr 02 2002 - 21:11:43 EST


>
>at the temporal coordinates: 4/2/02 2:11 PM, the entity known as Michael J.
>Hu=DFmann at michael_at_michael-hussmann.de conveyed the following:
>
>> Santa Claus is obviously not a
>> biblical character, but has pagan roots, as is the case with many or most
>> customs connected with Christmas.
>
>Actually, St. Nicholas was a (IIRC) 4th Century Christian in what is modern
>day Turkey. So, no, he's not Biblical, but no "pagan roots" either. You're
>correct as to the origins of the timing of Christmas, though. Call it an
>early example of marketing? ;-)
>
>BTW, I don't recall all the initial discussion on this thread (and I'm at
>work, so I don't have my saved messages on this; AND I'm too lazy right now
>to look it up in the archives), but did this have to do with the timing of
>Easter?? If it did, that's not pagan either, but you have to go into how
>the timing of Passover is calculated. It's something like Passover is the
>day of the first full moon after the vernal equinox (and then Easter would
>be the first Sunday after that), but don't hold me to that.
>
>- Eric.

Passover is celebrated every year on the evening of the 14th of the month
of Nissan in the Jewish calendar. Since the Jewish calendar is based on
a lunar, not solar cycle, dates relative to the Gregorian calendar move
back and forth depending upon the Jewish calendar "leap years". The
calculation of Easter Sunday is based on its own lunar calculation.
Passover and Easter do not always coincide as a result, but they usually
fall near each other.

Mark Ross
markr13_at_comcast.net

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