IKrismesi—Ngaba Yiholide Yehlabathi Okanye Lusuku Olungcwele Lonqulo?
ETSHAYINA ubizwa ngokuba nguChristmas Old Man. EUnited Kingdom, waziwa ngokuba nguFather Christmas. Abantu baseRashiya basebenzisa igama elithi Grandfather Frost, yaye eUnited States, unikwa isiqhulo esinguSanta Claus.
Uninzi lugqala le ndoda yonwabileyo indala eye itsho ngesisu esikhulu nangentshebe emhlophe qhwa njengefuzisela iKrismesi. Kodwa kwakhona iyaziwa into yokuba uSanta Claus akangomntu wokwenene, uyintsomi esekelwe kwizithethe ezinxulunyaniswa nebhishopu yenkulungwane yesine yaseMira (ngoku eseTurkey).
Izithethe namasiko ebesoloko enempembelelo eninzi emibhiyozweni, yaye neKrismesi ayahlukanga. Intsomi kaSanta ingumzekelo nje wezinye izithethe ezinxulunyaniswa neholide eyaziwayo. Ngoxa abanye abantu besithi izithethe zeKrismesi zisekelwe kwiziganeko ezibhalwe eBhayibhileni, enyanisweni uninzi lwezi zithethe lunemvelaphi yobuhedeni.
Omnye umzekelo ngumthi weKrismesi. IThe New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi: “Ukunqula umthi, okuxhaphakileyo kubahedeni baseYurophu, kwaqhubeka kukho emva kokuguqulelwa kwabo kubuKristu kumasiko aseScandinavia okuhombisa indlu neshedi ngezityalo eziluhlaza zoNyaka Omtsha ukuze bagxothe umtyholi yaye balungiselele iintaka umthi ngexesha leKrismesi.”
Ukwenza isithsaba seentyatyambo esingcwele okanye ezinye izityalo eziluhlaza sesinye sezithethe ezixhaphakileyo zeKrismesi. Kwakhona oku kwendele kunqulo lwabahedeni. AmaRoma amandulo ayesebenzisa amasebe angcwele ukuze ahombise iitempile ebudeni beSaturnalia, umsitho wasebudeni bobusika othabatha iintsuku ezisixhenxe owawusenzelwa uSaturn, uthixo wezolimo. Lo msitho wobuhedeni wawubalasele ngoburheletyo nangovula-zibhuqe.
Isithethe seKrismesi sokuncamisana ngaphantsi kwesetyana lendembu (okuboniswe apha) sisenokubonakala sivuselela uthando kwabanye abantu, kodwa oko kwakusenzeka kumaXesha Aphakathi. AmaDruid eBritani yamandulo ayekholelwa ukuba indembu yayinamandla obugqi; ngenxa yoko, yayisetyenziswa njengesikhuselo kwiidemon, kubugqwirha, nakwezinye iintlobo zobungendawo. Ekuhambeni kwexesha, kwavela inkolelo yokuba ukuncamisana ngaphantsi kwendembu kwakuya kukhokelela emtshatweni. Olu qheliselo lusaxhaphakile kwabanye abantu ngexesha leKrismesi.
Ezi zezinye zezithethe nje ezimbalwa zeKrismesi yanamhlanje eziye zaphenjelelwa okanye eziye zasuka ngokuthe ngqo kwiimfundiso zobuhedeni. Noko ke, usenokuzibuza ukuba, kwenzeka njani konke oku. Kwenzeka njani ukuba iholide ekuthiwa yeyokuhlonela ukuzalwa kukaKristu ivangwe kangaka nezithethe ezingezozabuKristu? Okona kubaluleke ngakumbi, uThixo uwugqala njani lo mbandela?
[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 2]
Page 3: Santa Claus: Thomas Nast/Dover Publications, Inc., 1978; mistletoe on page 3 and illustration on page 4: Discovering Christmas Customs and Folklore by Margaret Baker, published by Shire Publications, 1994