Candy canes. Decorated trees. And jolly old St. Nick.
All are instantly recognizable icons of one of the most significant holidays of the Christian religion.
Where does the commercialization stop and the sacred begin?
“Christmas is, of course, the popular name for the season,” said the Rev. Matthew Streett of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation. “But in the church, the holiday is referred to as the Nativity of Christ. The church?s interest in the holiday is exclusively religious.”
Streett said the church?s main goal during the holiday is to remind people that the purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
“For a Greek church in Baltimore, there are quite a variety of cultural and religious influences that we have to manage in trying to emphasize that Jesus Christ is the center of the season, no matter how festive and commercial the season may get,” he said. “We are trying to turn people?s hearts back to that central message.”
Even popular sacred icons, such as St. Nicholas, have become more secular as the last few centuries have passed. St. Nicholas, in his time, was known for stories of generosity. “What?s frustrating is that a very moving, spiritual person like St. Nicholas who is known for giving to the poor is now known as this sort of jolly elf who gives presents,” Streett said. “It deflects the important aspects of the season.”
William Stuart, director of the honors program for anthropology at the University of Maryland, College Park, said because the secular and sacred aspects of Christmas icons have become so blended, interpretation now depends on the individual.
“For those who want to see the religious symbolism, it?s there for the taking,” he said. “On other hand, as a collective representation of a larger culture and identity without particular overtones, well, that can be done, too.
“In many societies, when you ask if the Christmas tree is religious or secular, the two are nicely mixed,” Stuart said. “They are mutually embedded, and it?s hard to tell when you had one thatwas distinct from another.”
But no matter how popular icons of Christmas are interpreted, Streett stressed one thing above all else.
“I think the most important thing is that it is supposed to be a religious holiday. Sacred and secular elements have been competing against each other for a while,” he said. “It is the religious aspect that gives Christmas its name, no matter how commercial it may be. Ultimately, [Jesus] is supposed to be the center of the holiday.”
