It's Yalda Night tonight.
A surprising fact that I learned about it a couple of years ago was that Yalda, originally being a Mithraist Persian ceremony which also celebrated in Mithraist Roman empire, was adapted to become Jesus Christs's birthday when the Roman empire accepted christianity. Romans accepted the day, with a tolerance of 4 or 5 days because of intercalary, with it's symbol, the famous christmas tree.
Centuries later Persians lost most of their ceremonies and symbols after Islam's hegemony. But they also kept some of their ceremonies, symbols and heros, adapting their old beliefs with the new religion symbols just as the Romans did.
That's just where I'm going to have a doubt on religious and ancient beliefs, customs or traditions; That none of them seems very original. People either naturally have adapted their national customs to their religions, and vise versa or being forced to do so during some foreign country's dominance; Both of the cases happened a lot in the history of the middle east, especially in my country.
So where have all those original ideas gone? How can you trust the stuff you're fed by the society as beliefs and customs and traditions? I'm not against traditions as far as they keep people good for themselves and others, but when it comes to raising wars for traditions and beliefs I become absolutely against them. I am Muslim and your Christian, This is our promised land and that's yours, We do things so, and you don't, We believe in God and you don't. Fanaticism kills everything. It kills the beliefs that have made them too, soon or later.
You've heard the story of the Easter Island?
That's enough. Let's enjoy our Yalda and our Christmas for now! :)
A surprising fact that I learned about it a couple of years ago was that Yalda, originally being a Mithraist Persian ceremony which also celebrated in Mithraist Roman empire, was adapted to become Jesus Christs's birthday when the Roman empire accepted christianity. Romans accepted the day, with a tolerance of 4 or 5 days because of intercalary, with it's symbol, the famous christmas tree.
Centuries later Persians lost most of their ceremonies and symbols after Islam's hegemony. But they also kept some of their ceremonies, symbols and heros, adapting their old beliefs with the new religion symbols just as the Romans did.
That's just where I'm going to have a doubt on religious and ancient beliefs, customs or traditions; That none of them seems very original. People either naturally have adapted their national customs to their religions, and vise versa or being forced to do so during some foreign country's dominance; Both of the cases happened a lot in the history of the middle east, especially in my country.
So where have all those original ideas gone? How can you trust the stuff you're fed by the society as beliefs and customs and traditions? I'm not against traditions as far as they keep people good for themselves and others, but when it comes to raising wars for traditions and beliefs I become absolutely against them. I am Muslim and your Christian, This is our promised land and that's yours, We do things so, and you don't, We believe in God and you don't. Fanaticism kills everything. It kills the beliefs that have made them too, soon or later.
You've heard the story of the Easter Island?
That's enough. Let's enjoy our Yalda and our Christmas for now! :)
