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Melanie Minnaar

It’s Christmas with a capital C for me

Melanie Minnaar
Dec 1, 2012
2 min read

I was born Catholic and have remained Catholic ever since. Celebrating Christmas in the Catholic tradition is all I’ve ever known. I love it this way.

Working in corporate for many years we were always debating what type of message to put out over the December holiday period; is it Merry Christmas with a capital C or Xmas? Is it about the holiday period in general so that all religions are included in the message? The bigger the corporate the bigger the debate I suppose.

The reality is that there are 21 major religions in the world today (via web research).

These are;

1. Christianity 2.1 billion 2. Islam 1.3 billion 3. Secular/Irreligious/Agnostic/Atheist 1.1 billion 4. Hinduism 900 million 5. Chinese traditional religion 394 million 6. Buddhism 376 million 7. Primal indigenous 300 million 8. African traditional and diasporic 100 million 9. Sikhism 23 million 10. Juche 19 million 11. Spiritism 15 million 12. Judaism 14 million 13. Bahá’í Faith 7 million 14. Jainism 4.2 million 15. Shinto 4 million 16. Cao Dai 4 million 17. Zoroastrianism 2.6 million 18. Tenrikyo 2 million 19. Neopaganism 1 million 20. Unitarian Universalism 800,000 21. Rastafari movement 600,000

About 1 billion people do not profess any religion at all.

Do Satanists still go “Christmas” shopping? I’m just curious.

The December holiday period descends upon all of us and along with it comes the pomp and ceremony of Christmas customs and traditions, predominantly driven by Christian-based themes. So, what happens to everyone else in the world? Does December just not happen then? Is the 25th of December just another day on the calendar?

As a parent, a Christian parent, the challenges over this time are hard enough navigating kids away from the clutches of expertly arranged retail displays to retain some sense of “the real” meaning of Christmas. What happens with other religions? Is it just a bonus shopping period for the family?

Judging by the advertising over this time, the retailers don’t seem to be having such a great dilemma with the situation – it’s just Discounts, Gifting and Rewards programs being ramped up.

What does Christmas mean to you then?

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My books

Chopsticks, Pots and Wooden Spoons — Coming soon
Home cooking from a South African Chinese kitchen: reinvented leftovers and the recipes I actually cook.

A Guide To Hakka-Chinese Genealogy Research — In the works
A practical guide to identifying names, places and family lines in Chinese Genealogical Records.

Chasing Rainbows — In the works
A Chu Clan's Journey from Meixian to Mzansi.

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