Look who’s mixing lettuce and flatulence
I would like to congratulate Kenneth Zammit Tabona for his mastery in mixing up lettuce and flatulence, as the title of his opinion shows (April 26). The Christian major feasts of Christmas and Easter are not “politically astute” derivations...
I would like to congratulate Kenneth Zammit Tabona for his mastery in mixing up lettuce and flatulence, as the title of his opinion shows (April 26).
The Christian major feasts of Christmas and Easter are not “politically astute” derivations machinated by the early fathers of the Church “to fashion the Constantinian conversion” in AD 312, i.e. the fourth century. To begin with, the Christmas festival has nothing to do with the Roman Saturnalia celebrated in pagan Rome from December 17 to 23. Christmas Day on December 25 developed in the west – please note – during the third century (at least some 100 years before Constantine’s conversion) from a much older feast observed in the Christian calendar, namely March 25 marking the mystery of the Lord’s conception in Mary’s womb, the feast of the Incarnation.
It follows that December 25 marked the nine months from the conception of Jesus, thus the day of Christ’s birth: Christmas. The Eastern Church in fact, still following the Julian calendar, celebrates Christmas on January 6, which is the equivalent of the Western December 25. In the west it became customary to celebrate both dates as feasts marking the birth of Christ each eliciting different aspects of the mystery. As to the Easter festival, after the Council of Nicea it is always celebrated on a Sunday since Jesus’ Resurrection occurred on that day. In the west, following the Gregorian calendar, Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon of spring, the 14th of Nisan (Lunar month), marking in the Jewish calendar the Passover feast, since Christ’s passion and resurrection occured in proximity to this Jewish festival.
As to the Eastern Church, the Julian calendar is still in use for the computation of Easter. This explains the difference in the dates between the east and the west for the celebration of the Easter festival.
One thing comes out clearly from the article, namely that layering lettuce and flatulence with toffee-nosed rhetoric will not prevent the former from emanating unpleasant odours.