C Рождеством Христовым! Happy [Russian] Christmas!

Today on January 7th is the day the Orthodox calendar celebrates Christmas. I read a small, informative post on the SRAS facebook page about the differences between how the West celebrates the holiday, and how it is celebrated in the East. There is the Middle West or Proper West, that is to say Europe, and the far West, the New World, that is to say, North America and Canada.

The Romans (from which modern Catholic and Protestant traditions are deslcended) actually celebrated Christmas on January 6th up until the year 354, when the Bishop of Rome changed it. Some say this change was made according to scholarship made available at the time, others say that the day was moved to appease northern pagans who celebrated the birth of a sun god on the 25th of December. Christmas in Russia is recognized as an official holiday and a day off. However, it generally doesn't involve gift-giving (which is a major part of celebrations of the New Year in Russia). Most Russians who celebrate Orthodox Christmas do so by having a family dinner and/or attending the liturgy. Thus, the holiday in Russia is almost purely religious/family in orientation, without the heavy commercialization it has in the West.

In Europe, Christmas is certainly less commercialized than in the United States, yet the religious element does seem to be played down to a minimum and is celebrated more generally as a holiday for everyone, which includes time off. I am curious as to when the commercialization of Christmas began. It is well know that the traditions of the Christmas tree, and the relocation of the holiday to the 25th of December are rooted in pre-Christian pagan European beliefs.

Perhaps the most famous story of the popular notion of Christmas in the anglophone world today is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In 1971, the famous Canadian animator Richard Williams and his team brought the work to life in a wonderful and painstakingly animated short of the eponymous tale. Its craftsmanship resembles Russian and Eastern European style, but the original intent was to capture the look of 19th Century book illustrations of the Victorian Era. Animation is a theme I wish to further explore on this blog, as it is a curious art form, falling between popular art, craft and the high art of cinema.