Many of our Christmas traditions are much older than Christianity, and gift-giving is no different. The concept of giving gifts in memory of "God's great Gift to mankind" seems to be lost amidst the Honda and Jared commercials (and we won't even get into the marketing behind toys). However, the "great Gift" was a mere papering over of a practice with an older, magical purpose. Your question today:
What was the pre-Christian purpose behind gift-giving around the end of the year?
Aztec Camera's "Walk Out to Winter" has never been released as a Christmas single, and it hasn't appeared on any holiday albums, but there is no way you can prove to me that it isn't a holiday tune. Give a listen, and you'll agree that this young man is singing about the hope of this season, a hope that transcends any one religion's viewpoint (or specific practice).
Remember, 25 Days of Winter Holiday Trivia is an actual contest. If you want to participate, all you have to do is send me your answer to each question I've posted (and for which I have not yet posted the answer). I'll start posting answers on Wednesday, but will likely only go through the first week of trivia. So you still have time to go back through the posted questions and rack up some points.
Points? Yes! The three folks who rack up the most points in my trivia game will receive a gift card!
If you want to participate, simply message me your answers. Don't post in the comments unless you don't mind sharing your work. (Just DM me on Twitter, private message me on FB, or use the contact info on this blog to email me).
1 comment:
To make amends for past bad behavior
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