On Christmas', Solstices and Yalda Eves (Just) Past: A Collage of Reflections
Here is a Christmas collage of "Baha'i" mentions with a "Yalda Eve" mention thrown in for good measure. -gw
I am not a Baha'i, but I have family and friends who are. This Christmas I received a wonderful gift of a small Baha'i prayer book. Kelly, "Merry Christmas, everyone," Jitterbug's Beat: We're all God's children in the dark.
21st of Dec. was the winter solstice.... anyhow, as of 22nd of Dec. the position of the earth with respect to the sun will change and the days start to get longer and longer.it was a very important eve in the ancient era in Iran and perhaps in other old civilizations. they celebrated it as the "Eve of the Sun" or the "Festive of the Sun" in Iran. they kinda believed that sun is born/reborn at this time. that's why it was called "Yalda Eve", Yalda is a Persian word with Arabic roots, which means "birth/rebirth". the Iranian calendar at the time had 7 months only, and the 22nd of Dec. was the first day of the year.
it is also said that later they celebrated it for 40 days, since they believed on the 40th day the sun would shine better and brightier, and the dark days of the winter are gone...some other historians believe that since Christians didn't know the exact birthday of the Jesus, they took this great eve as the time Jesus was born, and celebrated it as such.
years passed, "Yalda Eve" still remained as an important day in Iran, but the Iranian calendar got 5 more months added to it gradually. and interestingly enough, they now believed that on the 40th day after 22 of Dec. a savior will be reborn to bring peace and justice into earth. seems they got this back from the christians then!
many years passed until the Iranians changed the new year's eve to 21st of March, although the Yalda Eve is still celebrated as the longest evening/night of the year! HAPPY YALDA/ THE EVE OF THE SUN TO EVERYONE!
Paradox, "Off and On," Paradox
Today was Christmas, and I received many lovely, lovely gifts. I adore my new charms, I'm going to have them put on my bracelet on Wednesday. Charms are always my favorite gifts, because they're so hard to find these days, so when anyone puts the effort in to get the right charm for me, I always am so grateful. I might try to find a little nine-pointed star when I'm at Green Acre on Thursday. Anyway, everything was fantastic. I went to my step fathers house this evening and we did a gift exchange, and my brother convinced to bounce on a trampoline with him. He brings out the little girl in me. I adore my little brother. I saw he had a few bibles in his room. I had no idea! I told him how excited I was to see that as I listened to him play the guitar (he's making such progress!). I ended up leaving him some Baha'i literature. I didn't know he was seeking spirituality... I wish him all the best on his spiritual journey. He's fourteen..
I was at the Open Mic at the Chicago Baha'i Center and Emil was hosting. He said that he was going to call on people, and if they didn't have something to perform they could sing a christmas song...
Well Christmas is over, and I have to, once again, swim against the grain and say that I loved it, and I am NOT glad it is over. Sorry folks, but there it is. I was always profoundly delighted by the event, every aspect of it, and I am still childishly gleeful about the whole thing, although I do manage a greater level of restraint than I did as a kid. I am not even a Christian, and it is still amazing fun. I am Baha'i, but was brought up by atheists who did the pagan style christmas, you know trees, lights, presents, food, but no mention of any sort of god or religion. 
1 comment:
wow, you are so inspiringly creative now. what a nice collage!
and it's very interesting that you
find your life part of a larger story, like it encompasses your life and your life and the way you live your life will make part of it toward its completion, if i'm not misinterpreting it!?
i find it very inspiring.
and as for writing in my other blog; to tell the truth, i need to be in the real mood of tearing parts of me down into some sentences that i hope they can help me do self-discovery! Not that i don't like it, but it rubs part of very deep levels of my being that each time i feel i'm undergoing a huge profound but painstaking thinking session. it's a very bitter sweet experience, it gives and takes... but both are painful.
but thanks for your interest and encouragement.
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