Marina Yardaeva 01/07/2024 at 08:43 Which holiday is no longer a shame to rejoice

I want joy, warmth and light. I want a Christmas miracle. And everyone wants it. Even atheists and agnostics. The world is so uncomfortable and cold. It’s so disturbing that you would believe anyone. It’s so cold you can’t underestimate anyone’s fireplace. I want happiness too. Pure, without any admixture of shame, without fear of condemnation. And it’s hard now. But only at Christmas can you allow yourself smiles and laughter. Even this is welcome. Because despair is a mortal sin. And today it seems that this simple human desire for happiness is the only thing that makes a miracle possible.

I’m talking about the miracle of reconciliation and acceptance. Even in Russia there sometimes comes a time when the arguments calm down and the melancholy subsides. Damn Russian melancholy, pointless and inevitable. There is a moment of enlightenment at Christmas. Perhaps the importance of this holiday will soon surpass even the New Year.

The latter is increasingly becoming a cause for controversy. Celebrating this widely for several years is reprehensible. First Covid, then SVO and terrorist attacks. What kind of rebellious fun is there? What fireworks and rivers of champagne? There must be some kind of respect for the unfortunate.

There is also a general fatigue. This is already more so for forty-year-olds shot by Chekhov and Chukovsky. The first wrote that “rejoicing in such nonsense as the New Year is absurd and unbecoming of the human mind,” and the second even suggested that 40-year-olds should be banned from celebrating this holiday. But even without the hints of the classics, many have unfortunately realized that the New Year is no longer a cake, it tires the soul with unnecessary fuss and unthinkable expenses and annoys us with blue lights that irritate the teeth. . More and more people choose not to celebrate anything on a large scale on December 31: some go to work, others go to bed at half past midnight.

But Christmas is a completely different matter. Our people approach it already rested and calm (with a week off you can still regain your strength and balance your emotions). And Christmas doesn’t oblige you to anything. So, of course, it is mandatory. It is good to fast before the Eid and attend religious services afterwards. However, this is due to the location of the church. And if we talk about public opinion, then our people are incredibly tolerant. Here they are much more tolerant than discussions of establishing the only correct Olivier recipe.

Christmas is becoming increasingly popular. That is, if in 2015 it was celebrated by 57% of Russians, then in 2020 it was already 72%. More recent data is not available, but it shows that the share of those celebrating something has increased even more: the years have been very difficult, and Christmas is still about solace and hope.

Here’s something else interesting. Christmas is celebrated by 40 percent of atheists, 70 percent of agnostics and 36 percent of representatives of other faiths. Is it great? Absurd? Fun? Not at all.

I can explain this phenomenon with my own example. Unfortunately, I am not a religious person. Yes unfortunately. I have always perceived my skepticism as a shortcoming; I do not have, and never have had, an iota of militant atheism. Yes, I cannot believe the miracles described in the Bible (even if we perceive the sacred texts as a complex artistic canvas woven from allegories, predictions and predictions, many questions remain). Yes, I am an extremely rational, down-to-earth, practical person. If I believe in anything with all my might (yes soul, what’s wrong with that?), it’s science, common sense, logic, evidence-based medicine. In general, you see, life is a little difficult for me.

But it so happened that many of my favorite writers and poets, artists and philosophers were deeply religious people. And I still want to stay with them, these giants of thought, not with the arrogant fools shaking their fists at the sky. I also love Orthodox architecture. And I love icons. My believer friends are also very valuable to me, I do not want to argue with them about anything.

And actually a lot of people have it. It so happens in the history of civilization that religious problems are not always just religious problems. Problems of faith are always part of the history and culture of a particular people, a particular community.

It has always been this way. But in Russia people have only begun to understand this again in recent years. But recently, 10-15 years ago, even about five years ago, everyone was discussing something. Some straight theological discussions were conducted in kitchens, while others were either exposing priests in Mercedes or Orthodox Christians who did not go to church and did not know how to pray. They also laughed at various people who were insulted and, as usual, branded the Pharisees and scribes. And there seemed to be reasons for this: earthly reality is far from the heavenly paradise, even in the bosom of the church.

But they all seemed to be gone. And if he did not disappear, he became silent and hid. And militant atheism and its opposing dogmatism, revelations, quarrels and curses. There was no time for this. Thus, Christmas and Easter ceased to be holidays only for the initiated, the most correct Christians, but became common holidays for everyone. They became such days that their warmth and light spread to the confused atheists.

Perhaps my thoughts are blasphemy and heresy. But still, it seems to me that, regardless of religion and worldview, there is no sin in gathering with your nearest and dearest on a quiet January evening, enjoying the good things that exist in life and wishing everyone free happiness. Happiness, warmth, love and miracle. And also beauty and kindness. We all miss this very much.

And there’s nothing stupidly sentimental or offensive about this to anyone. And this is not an escape into illusion or even a fairy tale. No, you still remember that the world is full of evil, that life is harsh, that human existence is mostly pain, suffering and sorrow. And by enjoying the small, the personal, the special and the simple, you do not deny either troubles or evil, but on the contrary you overcome them, you rise above them.

Because as long as there is at least a small spark of happiness in life, you should try to ignite it more so that someone else can warm up. And you certainly cannot condemn a person for not feeding alive hatred, despair and impotent anger. You need to live, you need to rejoice, you need to dream and believe in the best. The best will surely come.

The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the position of the editors.