Commercialization of Sacred Holidays.

[Zeph]

Well now Christmas is officially over (according to the bureaucrats) It's now Easter!!! The Easter eggs are rolling out in all of the major supermarkets and Convenience stores and department stores around the UK. Now, is this a good thing or a bad thing, is the Early Easter/Christmas craze keeping the UK afloat or is it just an excuse to make money!? Your views!

[Bowser]

I think it's all for money, western culture's primary focus seems to be on money... like why the government will never ban cigarettes for the reason that they get dosh from the tax

It sickens me, people in the supermarket enterprises get enough money, but they still want more....

[happynoodleboy]

Christmas is about presents instead of some bloke being born. Easter is about chocolate now instead of some bloke dying on a hill.

I'm not religious but it does strike me as sick the way these religious festivals and traditional times of caring and sharing have been turned into festivals of greed and gluttony.

[Bender (BBR)]

Even Christmas as a religious holiday has little justification. Apparently, according to the bible, Jebus was actually born in March or something and the reason that we celebrate his birthday in December is that is coincindes with other religious and Pagan festivals (due to the winter solstice) that the church was in a sense 'competing' against for followers in its early days. Remember, Pontius Pilate who killed Jebus was a Roman (and clearly not christian) and now Rome is the epicenter of Christianity; this is because of a kind of propaganda movement by the church which reworked the bible and changed shit around to make it more palateable for any indecisive potential converts. In modern terms this would be known as a 'Marketing Strategy'.

Did I even have a point? Oh yeah: as the whole event is part of a marketing strategy, a discussion on the commercialisation of it is a moot point due to the whole thing being a fucking sham anyway. Just lump it with Fathers Day, Valentines Day and all other of those fake corporate days where we have to be grateful for something best expressed in an expensive and often indifferent fashion.

[Afrodo]

Well said bender.

[happynoodleboy]

You know people now buy presents and send cards for Halloween????

[Legge]

I didnt know that.

I voted that its a bad thing becasue as others have said, its about the money, i dotn enjoy christmas like i did when i was younger. Its a stressful time trying to find money to buy presents that people can do with out. Easter is the same, making money on easter eggs is ridiculous.

I feel the whole thing got out of hand.

Just wondering how did mother and fathers day start?

[Frank (odense)]

I must say I previously didn't enjoy those days either but since I got kids (damn kids :-) ) I enjoy the holidays much more. It's a joy to see the faces on the children when for instance "santa" comes or when they can eat all the candy they like and so on.....

I will admit it is stressfull for us but it's worth it just to see those damn kids enjoy themselves.

I still voted no because I don't like the shops taking advantage of the holidays. And there is too much advertising and for too long time.

[Bender (BBR)]

Bill Hicks's approach to the subject...

"I've been traveling a lot lately -- I was over in Australia during Easter. It was interesting to note they celebrate Easter the same way we do -- commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus by telling our children a giant bunny rabbit ... left chocolate eggs in the night ...

Gee, I wonder why we're so messed up as a race. You know, I've read the Bible -- can't find the words "bunny" or "chocolate" in the whole book.

Where do we get this stuff from? And why those two things? Why not "Goldfish left Lincoln Logs [shit] in our sock drawers?" I mean, as long as we're making stuff up, let's go hog wild.

I think it's interesting how people act on their beliefs. A lot of Christians, for instance, wear crosses around their necks. Nice sentiment, but do you think when Jesus comes back, he's really going to want to look at a cross?

Ow! Maybe that's why he hasn't shown up yet.

(As Jesus looking down from Heaven:) "I'm not going, Dad. No, they're still wearing crosses -- they totally missed the point. When they start wearing fishes, I might go back again.... No, I'm not going.... O.K., I'll tell you what -- I'll go back as a BUNNY...."

[Neg]

Nice sentiment, but do you think when Jesus comes back, he's really going to want to look at a cross?

ROFL if u think about it its true!

[Jo3_Pinneapples[CYM]]

ok old thread but I'VE BEEN OFF LINE FFS

its like BBR said, holidays=money
holidays always have been about money
think about it
its the 'dark ages' your some low-life peasent your just about glad that some of your family have made it past winter time and its easter time (which was the old spring feast) and the local church makes you take a day off work to go and sit and listen to some fat funt scare the crap out of you so you give him money
in modern times we eat chocolate eggs just cause some fat german didnt like boiled eggs (which at the time where a rare treat to most peeps )
this next big time of the year is the winter soltise ( thats your X-mas ) where you have a feast cause its the last good meal you'll have for a few months, winter is comming
but again some fat funt makes you spend 2 days on your knees thanking some false idol for all the food that he has provided you with. ( so what if you've worked yourself and your family to death trying to gather in time ) and what do you do with the food you've spent all summer getting??? well you give -in some cases 1/3- of it to the fat funt in the warm dry house (again the giving of food to the church ( this is where the UK version giving started))

now go back 1-200 years
spring comes and theres food for the first time in a few months so the whole tribe go and gather food for a feast that lasts a few days and you spend the few days thanking the gods for not killing you this winter
a few months later and winter is on the way so you and the tribe hunt and gather food for the winter, you have a good summer so as winter starts you give thanks to your gods for the food and the new kids in the tribe
to try and please the gods of summer you gather plants (which later on in the winter will be fuel for a fire, this = the X-mas tree )

FFW>> to modern times some fat funt has told that some stupid cnut was born at this time of year and he died at this time of year so thats what you where having the feasts for
replace the fat funt with your family/friends and thats about it, only we dont need to store food for winter anymore so we give thanks to the shops and all of their year round strawberrys and lettuce gods
and just incase you forget the gods of retail we now have St. Valintines day, August bank holiday, and dont forget the fact that you MUST have a summer holiday away somewhere !!


so
Is the commercialization of Sacred Holidays a good thing? NO WAY !!
BUT
Do we need Sacred Holidays to remide us that we care about people and we MUST show this at these times of year ??? NO YOU FAT FUNTS ( but we do anyhow)
how many of you that have a special person in your life spent far too much on crap for valintines day?? i'm not saying dont ( dont blame me for your nuts being in a vice ), but if you did this on anyother day wouldn't that be nicer? how about just buying someone a gift cause you CAN !!! NOT cause you feel you have to.............


rant off and PS I DONT LIKE X-MAS OR EASTER OR ANYOTHER HOLIDAY I HAVE SHOVED DOWN MY THROAT