Hubris from Revelation: the Social Engineering of Ultimate Truths [Monday, Period 2]

[atreideslioness]

"Good morning, class," Ghanima said as people arrived in the Danger Shop. It was set up today with the usual pillows and blankets that came after a traumatizing weekend for island residents. "I'm going to deviate from the syllabus again since I understand many of you had a long weekend. Shoes off, please, and leave them by the door today."

She had handwavily attended Tyler & Tony's wedding after hearing radio, but by-and-large had stayed in her suite, to avoid any of her students needing to feel guilty for their behaviour around her.

"Saint Nicholas is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Bishop of Myra. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose English name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas."

"The historical Saint Nicholas is remembered and revered among Catholic and Orthodox Christians. He is also honoured by various Anglican and Lutheran churches. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, and children, and students in Greece, Belgium, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, the Republic of Macedonia, Slovakia, Serbia and Montenegro. He is also the patron saint of Barranquilla, Bari, Amsterdam, Beit Jala, Siggiewi and Liverpool. In 1809, the New-York Historical Society convened and retroactively named Santa Claus the patron saint of Nieuw Amsterdam, the Dutch name for New York City," she said, walking around to give people handouts on the various legends, celebrations, and formal veneration of the saint.

"There are many legends and events attributed to Saint Nicholas, however, one of his most famous exploits involved a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man's plight, Nicholas decided to help him but being too modest to help the man in public, (or to save the man the humiliation of accepting charity), he went to his house under the cover of night and threw three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window opening into the man's house."

"One version has him throwing one purse for three consecutive nights. Another has him throw the purses over a period of three years, each time the night before one of the daughters comes "of age". Invariably, the third time the father lies in wait, trying to discover the identity of their benefactor. In one version the father confronts the saint, only to have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone. In another version, Nicholas learns of the poor man's plan and drops the third bag down the chimney instead; a variant holds that the daughter had washed her stockings that evening and hung them over the embers to dry, and that the bag of gold fell into the stocking."

"I'd like you to discuss how you think Saint Nicholas Day got tangled up with Christmas," she said, providing one last handout. "Why do you think this happened? Was it deliberate? Keep in mind that modern Christmas customs include: gift-giving and merrymaking from Roman Saturnalia; greenery, lights, and charity from the Roman New Year; and Yule logs and various foods from Germanic feasts. More than one religion and culture has contributed to the holiday that many of you are familiar with today."

[OCD up!]

Comments

Sign-In

[atreideslioness]

Like you know your shoes should be filled with sticks and coal after this weekend!

Re: Sign-In

[trigons_child]

Raven

Re: Sign-In

[bitten_notshy]

Jack Priest

During the Lecture

[atreideslioness]

Take notes, pass notes, read your handouts...

Re: During the Lecture

[trigons_child]

Raven was very much in denial about the weekend. However, as soon as she remembered both Merlin and Jack were in this class, the incoming trauma would be quite lovely to behold.

Re: During the Lecture

[bitten_notshy]

A note made its way toward Raven. The impeccable handwriting on the lined paper read, I'm sorry I treated you in such a way. - Jack

Which may have been an odd thing for a client to say to his dominatrix -- but Jack was Victorian, and he thought of raven as a lady.

Re: During the Lecture

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

While not affected by this weekend's strangeness, Jonas still felt a little out of sorts. It made concentrating on the lesson a little more difficult than usual so he was glad he'd read a little about Saint Nicholas before.

Re: During the Lecture

[bitten_notshy]

This was almost all familiar lore to Jack, but he jotted a few notes anyhow. It was always a pleasing reminder of home to hear New Amsterdam called by its proper name.

It was a good week for an easy class, though. He was preoccupied wondering what had become of Emma and Rose, and who the rival priest had been.

Raven's presence in the class was just the icing on the whole, horrible cake.

Re: During the Lecture

[solo_sword]

After having a really interesting (and sluttily violent) weekend, Jaina was having an interesting morning. Really, there were several reason she was just really, really focused on class.

One of those reasons was that this would be her fourth Christmas in a year's time, and St. Nicholas was still totally new to her. How? How was there more stuff to know there?

Re: During the Lecture

[momslilassassin]

Ben, who was repressing like it was his job, was completely engrossed in his notes today.

Re: During the Lecture

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona was very much focusing on the handout. It wasn't that she'd had a bad weekend, after all. The whole thing had seemed to pass... almost in a haze. It was because of that that she was nervous and thus, aiming herself at school.

This question, though, was completely out of her experience.

Re: During the Lecture

[weetuskenraider]

. . . Tahiri kind of felt like she'd missed something here. Several days' worth of something. Blacking out when your alternate personality took over was so much fun. And that was normal. (Well, in a manner of speaking.)

Re: During the Lecture

[furnaceface]

If anybody needed Jono today, he was going to be...

Staring at his knees, from somewhere at the back of the pillow pile. Which he would have happily buried himself under, if not for fear that he'd be sat on or something.

Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Christmas, etc. He was totally following all of this. Yessir.

Re: During the Lecture

[iamnotallgirl]

Jack had spent a large portion of the weekend pacing their room and arguing with Jill. Who, for all their troubles, he could say with some authority was not usually as much of a heinous bitch as she had been this weekend. He knew something was up, since they couldn't usually, you know, communicate (one personality at a time seemed to be the general rule). He didn't know what it had been, but was deeply glad it seemed to be over. As annoying as the notes system was, he liked it better than having someone else talking out of his mouth. That was just creepy.

Anyway, yeah, blah blah Christmas Santa Claus other things Jill got and Jack didn't blah. Whatever. He was going to curl up on the pillows, barely even pretend to pay attention, and generally look like he was still pretty freaked.

Discussion!

[atreideslioness]

Why do you think Saint Nicholas Day and the birth of Jesus ended up becoming one holiday in some countries? Why have other countries maintained them as two separate events? Is there any pattern that you see? If you were a church official, what pros and cons could you see to either option?

Re: Discussion!

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona couldn't come up with anything, mostly because everything she'd read in the handouts and everything she'd learned through the social osmosis of working at a restaurant and overhearing things didn't make much sense. Of course she'd been through any number of other strange holidays since she came here, but this one seemed the strangest in it's conglomeration of ideas and celebrations.

"Perhaps," she tried for the first question, "because there were only enough supplies for one celebration during the winter months?"

Re: Discussion!

[findingelena.livejournal.com]

Elena shrugged. "Entropy," she said. "Festivals blend together. Easier to celebrate once, and mix elements of the two."

Participation!

[atreideslioness]

When you go to leave, your shoes have been magically filled by the wonders of the Danger Shop! Feel free to mod the contents!

Talk to the TAs

[atreideslioness]

If they are here!

Re: Talk to the TAs

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah would very much have liked to stay in bed and hide for awhile, but she was too responsible to give in to such a desire.

Re: Talk to the TAs

[likethestore.livejournal.com]

"... think Ghanima would mind if we dug up blankets and hid under our desks?" K-Mart wondered aloud.

Talk to Ghanima

[atreideslioness]

She's around before & after class.

OOC

[atreideslioness]

Happy late sinterklaasavond for those that dig it.

Re: OOC

[endsthegame]

TWO DAYS LATE.

Well, one, technically. I blame the cousinlets for celebrating it on the 6th.

Re: OOC

[vanillajello]

Kate fails at coming to class again. And I so wish I could use her excuses in real life.

"I was a cat."
"I was in a car crash with your brother and I spent the night walking home so I was too tired to come to class."
And now also "I was in a coma all weekend and I didn't know it was already Monday when I woke up."