Christmas In June

at

Dr. Gabriel Scally

Sure why not.

This morning.

Public health expert Dr Gabriel Scally has said that the Irish and UK governments should ask families to postpone family gatherings this Christmas to the summer solstice in June.

Via RTÉ News:

As an incentive for people to keep their distance from families over the coming holiday period, he said two extra bank holidays should be offered in June 2021.

By then, he said, the vaccine rollout will have helped enormously.

Dr Scally warned that you cannot play catch up with a virus when case numbers rise.

He said that it was no good implementing restrictions when numbers have increased and said that sensible restrictions should be in place at all times.

Public health expert wants Christmas gatherings delayed (RTÉ)

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71 thoughts on “Christmas In June

  1. SOQ

    By then, he said, the vaccine rollout will have helped enormously.

    More so that the seasonal changes and increase in things like vitamin D and UV light obviously.

    It’s getting silly now.

  2. Micko

    At dinner a few weeks back something similar was proposed to a Catholic friend of mine.

    “Could we not just postpone Christmas for a bit though – maybe January?” was said to him

    “But Jesus wasn’t born in January – he was born on Christmas Day. ” he replied.

    Fair enough was the consensus – it’s their holiday.

    Can’t really argue with that.

    1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

      except the figure believed to be Jesus was born in June ( according to astronomy ), hristmas was chosen as a convenient celebratory day on the same day of a pagan holiday that celebrated the winter solstice,

        1. Brother Barnabas

          christians from eastern roman empire celebrated on jan 6, while western roman empire celebrated on dec 25

    2. Just Sayin

      He wasn’t born in December, the Church just re-appropriated the pagan Yule festival.

      Clearly Jesus was born in lambing season
      “While Shephards watched their flock by night”

      Oh and he was born somewhere between 3 and 7 BC so the year is wrong too.

        1. Just Sayin

          What!

          Next you’ll be saying that the brown girl in the ring didn’t look like a sugar and a plum.

      1. Toby

        The animals in the manger came from Egyptian mythology which the Christians appropriated from the tribes that left Egypt. The halo behind Christ replaces the sun God they worshipped before.

    3. newsjustin

      25th December is the feast day of Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord in the western church(es). That need not change. Just like recognising that 25th Dec is a Friday.

      That doesn’t mean all of the “add-ons” like dinners, drinks, shopping, etc, etc need to happen on the 25th Dec. They are optional, often secular, extras.

      But let’s be real, the usual (pretty much, with some safeguards) is going to happen this year. Its a bit too late now to change that. Everyone just needs to try their best to reduce any spread of disease.

      1. Brother Barnabas

        isnt a prophet’s date of conception meant to be the same as the date of death*? putting jesus’s date of birth some time in january – 9 months on from easter

        *or am I imagining that ?

          1. Cian

            40 weeks measures the time from LMP to birth. Conception is usually 1-2 weeks after LMP; so its ~38 weeks from conception to birth.
            38*7=266 days; ÷ 30 days (per month) = 8.86 months

          2. Cian

            @Brother Barnabas
            how would this apply to an immaculate conception ?

            The Immaculate conception is about Mary’s conception – not Jesus’s. So is moot.

          3. Rob_G

            I never knew that mary was supposed to be the one who was conceived immaculately – you learn something new every day.

          4. ReproBertie

            “Mary was supposed to be the one who was conceived immaculately”
            The immaculate conception means she was conceived without the stain of original sin on her soul, not that god rode her ma. Only such a pristine vessel would have been acceptable to carry the son of god.

            It’s explained in the lines from the popular prayer “Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us”, that people recite without really thinking about it.

        1. John Smith

          @Brother Barnabas
          ‘how would this apply to an immaculate conception ?’

          Actually, just for the record, as it doesn’t affect any of the arguments, the Immacultate Conception was the conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus (immaculate because free from original sin). I think you are refering to the conception of Jesus, leading to the Virgin Birth. The feast relating to the conception of Jesus is celebrated in March, which fits with the date of Christmas. However, as has been pointed out already, the actual dates could be very different.

          Those who believe in the meaning of Christmas will celebrate it on 25 Dec (or whenever their church celebrates it), regardless of what they are told to do.

          Those who don’t will have made their arrangements by now and, I would have thought that most people aren’t likely to change them, unless there were checkpoints set up all over the country (not just on main roads) and house raids everywhere. A happy Christmas for the Guards, in that case!

      2. Toby

        The Christians stole this day from the Mithrians. It was their feast day for Mithras, and in the old tradition of victory by appropriation it was taken by a competing faith. They also stole the Mitre from the same faith and used it for bishops.

        St Patrick was the master of cultural appropriation which explains his rapid and successful conversion of Ireland.

        1. newsjustin

          This isn’t a secret. People who “reveal it” expecting gasps and tearing of garments are disappointed.

          Its very well known and accepted that Christian feasts and other things (e.g. certain pilgramages) were laid on top of older, non-Christian feasts. The whole Bible details this in the development of the Jewish rites in the Old Testament and the beginning of Christian rites associated with Jewish rites.

          As another example, the Feast of St John the Baptist is on 24th June, near the summer solstice because he was a “messenger bringing Light into the world.”

          1. Toby

            I never claimed it to be a secret- just a fact. And not entirely as innocent or random as you paint it. St Brigids is on Imbolc, St Brendans on Lunasa, All saints day on hallowe’en. So its something Christians excelled at. St Patrick even challenged high king Laoghaire on Tara with his flame from Slane. Witness the churches built near any Irish mythological site. Christianity is like English. It borrowed from many to become one.

        2. ReproBertie

          “St Patrick was the master of cultural appropriation which explains his rapid and successful conversion of Ireland.”

          Yeah, that’s not true either. He wasn’t the first and he wasn’t the only and there may even have been 3 Patricks.

          1. Cian

            There was One Patrick who was also Three Patricks.

            ☘ ☘ You could imagine a shamrock – where each leaf is a Patrick ☘ ☘

        3. Nigel

          It’s not actually appropriation. The people who converted from paganism simply re-tooled some of their existing celebration days to fit with their new faith, along with some of their pagan traditions

          1. Toby

            Nice thought, but not true. Christianity was a crusading religion. It had an expansionary drive, much like Islam today. It often appropriates what exist already to fit the new, enforced theism.

    4. Bitnboxy

      Bullpoo Micko.

      Most Christian churches (both for the Church of Rome and the Reformed faiths) celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on the 25th of December but it does not follow that Jesus was actually born on this day. The date was chosen by the Roman Pope Julius for reasons of convenience. Many Orthodox Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on a different day using the Julian (as opppsed to Gregorian) calendar- the 7th of January. Your “friend’s” understanding leaves a lot to be desired.

          1. benblack

            Satan’s clause.

            I’m going to spell it out, I just don’t trust people’s intelligence anymore.

            Santa Claus!

            The birth of Jesus.

    5. Micko

      Ha ha!

      None of you really read what I wrote

      I said my FRIEND is a Catholic and these are HIS beliefs according to HIS faith. Not mine. I’m an atheist.

      That is all. You all rushed in with your preconceived notions of what is correct. Your own subjective truths and opinions.

      I wonder if it was a Muslim holiday would you all go as mental.

      I bet you’d all say sweet F all.

      1. Rob_G

        “Can’t really argue with that.” – insofar as I figured it, this was the part people are taking issue with.

          1. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

            Micko almost a year into this half life people seem ready to argue with their own shadows

          2. Rob_G

            If they saying that the date of Christmas is fixed and immutable because it is ‘Jesus’s birthday’ – sure.

          3. Nigel

            Yes, in all of world history, a notable feature of religious faith is the lack of argument it inspires.

          4. Micko

            Seems to me that certain religions are fair game.

            Some are not.

            I get the impression that some of you would argue with a Christian, but not with someone of a certain different faith. I wonder why?

            As an atheist, I care not for any of them. But to each their own. If they want to celebrate on the 25th Dec who am I to ask them to change.

          5. Janet, dreams of an alternate universe

            all fair game to me,
            I just happen to be more au fait with the hypocrisy and nonsenses of the one I studied in Sunday school,
            unfortunately anything I know about the others including catholicism is self taught, I say unfortunately because I think if you are going to teach one in schools you must teach them all, but of course that would undermine the point….

          6. Bitnboxy

            Well, your “friend’s” understanding of his own faith, that being the Church of Rome, does leave a lot to be desired Micko. Jesus was not born on Christmas Day. That is quite basic.

          7. ReproBertie

            All religions are fair game but some come with the added risk of deluded fundamentalists with knives.

          8. Nigel

            ‘I get the impression that some of you would argue with a Christian, but not with someone of a certain different faith. I wonder why?’

            To help them carry on the tradition of being a right bunch of martyrs.

          9. ReproBertie

            Some people are certainly blind to the science when it comes to masks and blind to the reasoning when it comes to lockdowns.

          10. SOQ

            Exactly- 40 years of science concludes masks do NOT block viruses.

            Anyone for a rosary? Be as much use I expect.

  3. Just Sayin

    Or you could take Vitamin D & Zinc tablets and put a humidifier in your house to get the effect of the Summer boost to your immune system.

    But no-one will get rich off that so you won’t see it suggested by Govt or MSM.

      1. Just Sayin

        There is no patent on Vitamin D and it’s pretty easy to make a DIY humidifier.

        Hence while they are not free, you don’t need to spend a fortune.

          1. Nigel

            ‘Let’s make it a new social norm for everyone to wear a piece of cloth that renders all that expensve and ubiquitous facial-id software obsolete’ seems like a counterproductive way to control the populace, tbh.

  4. Kim the Cardassian

    Scally has been a beacon of joy doing everything he can to make sure he stays in the public limelight.

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