Hello all,
I think there is a difference between wishing "a happy Yule/Yuletide" --
which could be argued to be equally Pagan and Christian, and also somewhat
inclusive even of other festivals of light (like Hanukka) as long as the
timing of this greeting is considerate of the events outside Christianity.
"Merry *Christmas*", whilst covering much of the same contents as Yule in
practice, is much more exclusivist in that it explicitly denotes the
"Christ Mass" (compare also Anglo-Saxon "Crístesmæsse"...).
That being said I have no problem with Wikipedia using the "Merry
Christmas" greeting on front page level -- IF (!!!!!!!) it one also takes
care to include the other festivals excluded by this wording through
parallel greetings at relevant times. I agree that the "happy holidays"
greeting is a bit "lobotomised". Since we are building a base of knowledge
here -- wouldn't the best strategy be to emphasise inclusiveness and
spreading of cultural knowledge through greetings for ALL holidays of some
widespread significance? That would include major holidays in Christianity,
Judaism, Islam, Bahá'í, Buddhism and Hinduism, to mention a few...
Happy New Year! (And a Happy Yuletide for those who celebrate Yule in its
8, 12 or 20-day duration variants; as well as a well completed Hanukka,
Dipavali, etc...)
-Olve
___________________
Olve Utne
http://utne.nvg.org