<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Courtesy of the Letters section of today's (December 25, 2012) Spokesman-Review.</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">-------------------------------------</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><p style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "></p><h1 style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; "><font size="3"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Christmas rooted in ancient rites</span></font></h1><p></p><p style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A gamut of ancient holidays has been celebrated during and around the winter solstice. Although “winterfest” does have a nice ring to it, ancient holidays have a rich myriad of reinforcing mythic themes that greatly contributed to Christmas traditions, and still do.</span></p><p style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">To note some, Rome’s winter festivities of Saturnalia and Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, “The Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun,” are paramount holidays that found great religious synthesis and continuance in Christianity. The theme of celebrating the Child of Light, also embodied in the deity Mithras, said to be born on Dec. 25, later became Christ’s birthday.</span></p><p style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">That is not to say, however, that Christianity doesn’t have its own unique teachings and traditions as a spiritual path, but that customs related to winter festivities are not born in a vacuum. Rather, they coexist, overlap, and are amalgamated into religious practices over time.</span></p><p style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Regardless of religious affiliation there is much to celebrate – the light’s return and the promise of lengthening days. Whether one identifies as a Christian, pagan or otherwise, the Season of Light belongs to one and all and need not be seen as foreign and therefore negative. May God, goddess and the gods bless your yuletide celebrations!</span></p><p style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><strong style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Daniel Wallin</strong></p><p style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><em style="overflow: visible !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Spokane</em></p></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">-------------------------------------</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">"The Christmas Song"</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; "><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/songs/Christmas_Song.mp3">http://www.tomandrodna.com/songs/Christmas_Song.mp3</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"> </span><br><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Merry/Happy </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Christma-Hanu-Rama-Ka-Dona-Kwanzaa</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">"Moscow Cares"</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "> </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><div>Tom Hansen</div><div>Moscow, Idaho</div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>