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Restore the Celebration of the Winter Solstice
Letter to the Editor:
In response to the reactions to my last letter regarding the linkage of the times for Christmas and Easter to the winter solstice and spring equinox, permit me to quote from The New Catholic Encyclopedia: "The date of Christ's birth is not known. The Gospels indicate neither the day nor the month... accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned to the date of the winter solstice (Dec. 25 in the Julian calendar)... at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome." 1967, Vol. III, adding "The cross is found in both pre- Christian and non-Christian cultures." Various other authorities have linked the cross with nature worship and pagan sex rites, according to the Watch Tower Society.
Therefore let us feel free to restore the celebration of the winter solstice and the spring equinox unless we are totally other-worldly or hyper-urbanized to revive, as I said earlier "enough reverence for the magnificent cycles of God's world".
The case rests and may the revival begin,
Martin Brech
Mahopac
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