Seeing that the Catholic Youth League in town was sponsoring the bonfire, I came to the conclusion that Johannesfeuer must not have just been a summer solstice celebration, but one with Catholic overtones. After a little research, I discovered that my hunch was right. Like many other Catholic festivals, this one is celebrated during a time that pagans also find significant.
One thing that has always bugged me about Catholicism (and Christianity in general) is their habit to take festivals that were/are significant to pagans and with a little "creative accounting" make them their own. I suppose in the past this was a semi-effective way to "convert" the masses. Since the masses were celebrating anyway I guess it was a perfect opportunity for the Church to tell them that what they thought they were celebrating was in actuality something else.
Since I am not religious the bonfire had absolutely no significance to me other than it was a pretty spectacle.
photo by blondelibrarian
No comments:
Post a Comment