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Happy Saturnalia! Okay, you’re right, it doesn’t really have anything to do with the planet Saturn but what a picture from NASA, eh? This is one reason I love the space program.
Saturnalia, in this context, is the ancient Roman holiday that, though it was removed from the official calender by the Catholics, continued to be celebrated between the 17th and 23rd of December throughout the old Roman empire. We get a lot of our Christmas traditions from Saturnalia, most importantly feasting, merry making and gift giving. The custom of the Christmas tree has different origins and the singing around a fire, still others. Some celebrations have traditional foods like turkey or ham, some have traditional drinks like cider or eggnog but most traditions are a time to gather with family or friends to celebrate.
Since I have no family to speak of and most of my friends are gathering in Lubbock this year, I got elected to carry on the new Firedoglake tradition of Over Easy. Not that I mind, I was never able to spend much time at The Diner, due to having to leave for work so early each day. Kuroneko and I will no doubt make as merry as a cat and a person can together.
White Christmas. It looks like great swaths of the country are going to have a White Christmas this year and in some cases it’s supposed to be very hazardous so please be careful as you go over the river and through the woods.
“We’re going to stay here until Christmas Eve and even the time between and before the new year.”
Yeah, so much for the value of a promise from a teabag Republican.
A little too much Christmas cheer, Senator? Guess those Christmas bowls were spiked!
How science makes Santa possible. At least from Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s point of view. He voted to demote Pluto though. I think they should have instead promoted Ceres and Eris but nobody asked me!
Recipe for a White Christmas. Don’t let the title fool you, it’s really a drink.
Recipe for eggnog. Don’t be silly! Go to the grocery store and buy some!
Happy Saturnalia, Merry Christmas, Yule Greetings, and any other holiday you may celebrate. Remember, nothing is as simple as it seems so when people talk about Christmas celebrating the birth of Christ, there’s a lot more going on than just that. So cheer up fellow atheists! We can greet Christians with a hearty Merry Christmas and not be giant hypocrites because this holiday is one rooted in western civilization and not just one tiny, little corner of it.
88 Comments
Dunno if I should have even posted this after Jane put up a Merry Christmas post but I can’t exactly use it tomorrow so, Happy Saturnalia!
Lovely write up Margaret. Thanks. Merry Christmas to you and ‘neko.
(i still have it open in another window)
Happy Saturnalia!
Yeah, that’s what I’m doing too. I can multitask. Please hug the lovely cbl for me. :)
I will indeed. Bless you friend.
Wishing we could hug you! We are both off for a couple of weeks and have a new truck (if by new you mean 17 years old) that is ready for a road trip. Hows about lunch one day?
Merry Christmas Margaret from every one here. Have a great day.
I would love that. :)
Hey spuds. Back atcha!
Thanks, Margaret, and for sure, the more the merrier, Jane and Lucy are on the other tab, and all’s right with the world.
My poinsettia died and rose again, hallelujah!
Woohoo! My xmas tree cactus was in full bloom until the wind damaged it. It still has unopened buds though so I’m hopeful I’ll get a bloom 2.0 soon.
The year my lawn crew cut down the royal lilly with about a million buds on it, led to the next year when it was amazingly full of blooms.
btw, the snow has not arrived here.
Did it lead to a new lawn crew or just an education of the old one?
Merry Christmas Margaret! – and thanks for holding down the fort. Merry Christmas, everyone! We have our white Christmas here, snowed most all day yesterday; glad I took the day off.
These are sweeties, they were embarrassed and apologized, still go out of their way to mow around the flowers I plant all through the lawn too.
I wrote a letter to the local school district one day when I watched their lawn maintenance people mow straight over flowers and patches of clover. I pointed out that local bees were under stress and that if they cropped the grass, clover and flowers so close before they had a chance to reproduce, all they would have is fast growing weeds. People don’t get that evolution isn’t about making better species but about favoring ones that reproduce most effectively in the opportunities given them. That didn’t really change their practices much, though now they mow around large patches of flowers.
Plant bluebonnets where you want them to skip – those are protected.
Merry Christmas from NE Iowa where we have a beautiful frozen wonderland. Skiing after lunch.
Thanks for the post and host, Margaret.
Woo Hoo. Good Merry Christmas morning!
Sorry to be late. But, I actually slept in. And, no I didn’t have any nog last night.
I do have my bells on, though.
Oh, I realize what I did with that mixed up link. Wish I could blame that on the eggnog too, but alas. I have no excuses.
My xmas cactus has four blooms and is on my desk as we type.
It’s only 6:30 where you are so technically you’re up earlier than I was. Merry Christmas demi. :)
Like I tell Ruth, you really should wear cloths.
demi,
great to see ya this morning. My two youngest were ecstatic at Santa’s choices this year.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday.
Jimmy
Margaret, thanks for the postnhost. Christmas is not a holiday that interests me, but I have had some fun with some of the ritual activities. The wind was terrible yesterday just after the luminarias were set up all over town and the lighting began. Half of my bags blew over, I have not been out to see how the mess looks this morning, but that will all have to be picked up. I have recycled the bags for years, and I don’t know if these will have reached the end of their usefulness, but it is nice not to have to fold them new every year. It was a quick set up yesterday since I had everything ready from last year.
I made gingerbread Gangnam style, that was fun.
Mr. Sadness is sleeping on the bed, soon I will have to make breakfast and clean up the Gangnam style from all over the kitchen. I left it a huge mess yesterday.
Good morning, friends, and Happy whateverdayyoucelebrate day!
I was just thinking that if Christmas colors were black with a teeny bit of white, I’d have a Christmas kitty but alas! I only have a bitee kitty this morning. Belly Rubs!
Stepped away to share very specific details of a dream I just had.
Really involved, but I gave birth. I did it myself. I beautiful little girl, who shot out of me like a little piggie. She was beautiful and I was talking to her and telling her I’d like to name her Peggy, but everyone would say it was really Margaret and I didn’t want my mom to think I was naming her after her.
Okay, you all know how weird I am on the internet. I’m even weirder to myself.
My “Christmas” cactus is actually a Thanksgiving cactus (there IS a difference although unless you inspect closely it looks like the same plant). It usually buds and blooms profusely in late October and is nearly done blooming by Thanksgiving, and then wakes up in about February and blooms again.
Swaddling cloths?
Good Morning Margaret and Pups,
Just returned with my child and getting some late breakfast going on here. Crispy cold, 17 F, and partly sunny on a bright snow white landscape. A family of cardinals in the old crab apple tree outside the window. Two females and four males, chased around by a few resident bluejays. Thank goodness these holiday machinations are just about behind us for another year.
Great to see you too, JC.
I’m happy your kids are happy.
It’s a pretty quiet morning here. But, still happy.
I’ll think about you falling gently this afternoon. :)
Merry Christmas. Enjoy the snow. Better you than me. :)
No snow here in Indianapolis but the spokesmodel on last night’s teevee weather forecast was waving her arms about snow starting tonight into tomorrow. My granddaughters’ Christmas gifts from Grandma Molly are lunch and manicures tomorrow (plus a “beauty case” for each) and I’m hoping we aren’t snowed in.
Is the young mister’s mouth healing as expected. A Christmas to remember for him.
He’s finally turned the corner on the healing. Plenty to go, but he no longer looks like a chipmunk who’s been storing for days.
Thanks for asking.
Oops, forgot to say have a Merry Christmas.
My family will all be meeting at my mom’s for lunch. Gift giving then. We’ve got not one present under our tree here for us. It’s been really hectic in this house for days now.
PS to my dream telling. My mother’s name is also Margaret. I would happily name a child after our sweet Peggy. Just to be clear.
Awww. You’re a sweetie demi.
I’ve read, I think, that dreams about giving birth relate to giving birth to a project. As I was falling asleep last night I was (again) trying to come up with a story to write as a novel. My intentions for the upcoming year.
(She was the cutest little girl and she started talking right away. Her first word was Goggie.)
Saturnalia. They really knew how to party back then. Nice to know some traditions have survived.
And Ceres really is more of a planet than Pluto. Why not elevate the heavenly body named for the Goddess of Spring to planetary status? Maybe we could even get another paid holiday out of it. The gap between Presidents’ Day and Memorial Day is WAY too long.
Only the brightest people dream lucidly demi. Which explains you. ;)
Shucks. Now, you’re being sweet.
It was the most lucid dream I’ve had for a really long time. I even woke myself up several times and went back into it. Maybe my sub conscious telling me that I really can write something good.
Dunno. Maybe.
Merry Christmas, Margaret. This agnostic also enjoys the ritual & tradition of this time of year — sharingn food & merriment with people I care about to help each other through these literally darkest days. Thanks for writing today’s Over Easy.
Merry, merry, Kit.
I think we can all get behind the idea of Lightness coming into the world to dispel the darkness.
I try to celebrate the idea of love and sharing all throughout the year.
I started commenting over on Ohio Barbarian’s treatment of Mithras’ birthday. http://my.firedoglake.com/ohiogringo/2012/12/25/happy-birthday-mithras/
Saturn (Chronus) is an interesting character:
The father of Zeus/Jupiter, Saturn is Father Time, that character with the scythe. He is also the Grim Reaper, Death, which IS Time in a way. Chronus/Saturn is the Old Year in illustrations for this week, and a baby is the New Year.
But Chronus is not the kind of guy you want to trust around a baby:
Time eats its children.
In the Latin Bible and in the Spanish Palabra today, that god whom most Americans call “God” is called “Zeus,” though it is now spelled “Dios.” (Castor & Pollux of Greek & Roman mythology, the Gemini twins, were known as “Dioscouri” – the sons of Zeus).
I know darn well you could write something great, demi.
Time, (or entropy), is inescapable. Therefore, we can either embrace it or live our lives in fear and denial. I chose the former. Merry Christmas. :)
The pain has almost entirely vanished from my eye and the congestion seems to be breaking up. I ought to be able to get back on the exercise bike just in time to take the holiday weight gain back off.
When I went to sleep, it was Mela Kalikimaka, but I woke up to a White Christmas, with actual sleigh tracks in the snow (Santa’s?) long before there were any car tire tracks.
Merry Christmas, Margaret, nice to see you!
Good Morning All…..and good wishes for the season
of hope and cheer. Peg, I am still well under the weather,
so hoping this quiet day will bring a return to health. Yuk.
Glad to see you and Demi’s son are doing better.
Enjoy, One and All.
I’m running to the store to pick up a few things. No snow here, so it’ll be safe. Can I get anything for anyone?
Merry Christmas, Reverly.
Rest well and heal. Big Hugs to you, dear.
Thanks, dear Demi…I’ll certainly obey;)
I need a cake pan to bake my cinnamon rolls in…
Sorry you’re still feeling bad. I think the timely use of zicam helped me enormously.
Back from going to take my elderly Mom her Christmas present. She was cogent enough to tell me Merry Christmas and thank me and smile, which is not happening all the time, so I’m glad.
Okay. But, you can prolly use a casserole dish. Did you buy the instant pudding? I made the recipe yesterday and it was a hit.
BRB.
That was a nice gift for you too, then. :)
hmmm…I do have a casserole dish…. Thanks! :)
Religion is rightfully criticized for bringing out some of the worst in us. Yet, it is often responsible for inspiring the best in us.
This true Christmas story from the hellish trenches of WW I has long interested me.
The artillery guns fell silent, not a single shot from a sniper’s rifle was fired, nor was there a war cry to advance forward on Flanders field on the 25th of December 1914, but instead small candles replaced the barrels of rifles over the trenches. The voice of war was replaced with the sound of voices singing, worshiping and praising God with Christmas Carols.
The German soldiers started to put candles on their trenches and decorate their Christmas tree. The British responded by doing the same. Suddenly, without a rehearsal, the German soldiers sang the Christmas hymn, ‘Stille Nacht’ (Silent Night). The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols and then together they, in a beautiful symphony of brotherhood, sang, Silent Night.
The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the, “No Man’s Land,” on Flanders field where small gifts were exchanged. The truce also allowed a breathing space during which recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Proper burials took place as soldiers from both sides mourned the dead together and paid their respects.
In subsequent years shellings were ordered on Christmas Eve and the frequent rotation of frontline troops became the new practice as to not let anyone on either side get too familiar with one and other.
There were areas where the truce lasted thru New Years Eve during the 1914 truce you have mentioned.
LOL.
For years, I used a push mower thru May because I couldn’t stand all the backing and spinning around needed to mow around the daffodils and clover. Then again in September because of the spider lilies.
Speaking of bees: I just the other day read that the colony collapse phenomenon had been traced to a certain insecticide, but the Jan-Feb issue of Skeptical Inquirer has an article that seems to indict a combination virus-fungus of the gut, and clearly acknowledges that this is all correlation (which is not synanomyous with causation!), but never even mentions insecticide.
What’s your take on it?
Oh, Merry Xmas and a happy winter solstice.
That’s great Ruth, went through a similar circumstances few years with mine. She recognized me and we talked a bit the day she passed away. Not ever easy for anyone I imagine.
I was thinking it would be nice to bring my teen over to see my Mom and Dad today (tiny sigh). Put a few plain fragrant evergreen boughs on their headstone last week.
Someone’s grandmother (from the other side of her family) sent a Nexus 7 tablet to the teen for Christmas. I’ve been getting free lessons on how great it is and how to use it. My question to the teen was, how was she going to juggle yet another electronic device (4 now, including the school provided laptop) at school next week. Suggestions that she leave the newest one home fell on deaf ears.
My portion of the home network bandwidth has gotten considerably slower or smaller, whichever way you might prefer describing it.
I remember that story. Thanks for reminding us. :)
That’s so nice, Ruth.
We’re having tamale-eggs for breakfast. Of course.
Beautiful. Thanks, oldgold. You share the best stories.
Very thoughtful.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.
You are such a romantic. In the very best way.
((Nonny))
For what it’s worth, my pharmacist friend says the type of zinc in ColdEeze is more effective than the zinc in other brands. She’s a handy resource for little medication related questions, like which is more effective, naproxen (Aleve, et al) or ibuprofen (Advil et al).
How nice, Ruth. Treasure that memory. I wasn’t close to my mom, so I don’t have those.
That makes me teary, oldgold. Lovely!
Merry Christmas!
Had a bummer of a Christmas Eve which concluded with a trip to ER for my SO’s 91 yr old Mom.
The saga continues.
So far as origins of Christmas, the Roman practices as well as others who celebrated the winter solstice drives much of what we do. In fact, there can be a case for Jesus’ birth occurring in the springtime (While Shepherds watched their flocks by night….)why do they watch their flocks at night? It’s lambing season and the wolves etc are hungry!
Off to my kids party.
Be well and enjoy the special day.
And my well-fed Mcat is snoring off a small helping of xmas tuna in her favorite chair, after a little pedicure and a brush and vac. Tomorrow I take her to the senior center for a scheduled visit. She showed nothing adverse in a recent base line blood test and is down almost two lbs since we adjusted her diet a little over two months ago.
(((MCat))
Merry Christmas, all.
Saturnalia *is* related to the planet Saturn. The winter solstice is he time the sun moves into Capricorn, which is ruled by Saturn. Saturn relates to winter…it represents cold, barren, joblessness, time, etc.
Heh, joylessness. Not joblessness, which has no relation to winter.
Ah! Well as I know astronomy but not astrology, it’s unsurprising that I’m unaware of that. What does “ruled by Saturn” even mean? Never mind, it’s too late for me to start pretending that celestial bodies, (other than the sun and moon), have anything to do with my life.
Just had a quick read here. Thanks for doing this, Margaret. Season’s greetings to all. May you have all the best in the coming new year.
Traditionally, a planet is said to “rule” a sign, which means the sign (capricorn, here) has characteristics similar to the planet.
As someone mentioned up thread, the characteristics of Chronos relate to winter. Death and all.
Yeah but the planet Saturn has nothing in common with Deneb Algedi or any of the other stars that make up the constellation, other than sharing some of the same elements.
Yeah, I don’t really understand exactly how that works either, but I suspect it relates more to what is happening on Earth (in the northern hemisphere) when those particular stars are in a particular place in the sky. Then, as the old saying goes, as above, so below. So humans probably extrapolated he meaning of the stars based on the seasons.
Happy Saturnalia!
And Merry Christmas!
Thanks for the cool picture Margaret, I hope that you and your cat are doing well for the holidays.
I’m sure they did but with an orbital period of 29 and a half years, I doubt Saturn spends much time in any given constellation, nor would it remain consistent year to year.
Pfft. Neko’s done little but sleep so far today. Lazy cat.
Merry Christmas firedogs.
Thanks for the post and host Margaret. Excellent work.
Merry Christmas all you EasyPups!
No, but winter is when the Sun transits Capricorn, and that happens once a year during winter. When the outer planets transit the signs, the transits last waaaaay longer and are believed to affect generations.