spiritual life in the festive season 2

"The Festive Season!"

These days we largely seem to have festivities about having festivities; after all, it is the middle of summer or winter, both of which are a good reason to have some fun!  But people used to celebrate other overtly spiritual things, and have always continued to do that.  For centuries people have been using the December/January festive season as a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Nativity means 'birth' and decoration was never complete without a 'nativity scene', reminder of a spiritual reason to be happy.  Stars and Angels are part of this snippet of history, and can occasionally still be seen in malls and magazines.  Decorated trees and lights come from more ancient hopes for the spiritual powers to bring the new life of spring, but people with faith in Jesus happily adapted the meaning of these.  The quasi-deity, Father Christmas, was a little more tricky, but in Europe even he made a partially successful transition into a vaguely historical Christian person, Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus).

But today I realise that we have kept all the ancient symbols sans meaning except the nativity scene.  Perhaps that meaning is too strong, even too historical.  I'm not sure.  Anyway, an outsiders person sits on the pavement in Claremont Urban Hub painting a picture of the birth of Jesus, seeking the spiritual reality in the emptiness of celebrating nothingness.  But why does one person hate this so much that she tries to get security, law enforcement, the police, anyone to force him to go away?