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Happy Holidays and the Wassail
1. Merry Christmas
Which do you prefer?
"Merry Christmas"
"Happy Holidays"
2. Happy Holidays
How many Christians get upset or otherwise bothered by hearing "
Happy Holidays" rather than "
Merry Christmas" during the Christmas season?
Is the use of "
Happy Holidays" truly a secular saying?
3. Happy Holidays and the Wassail
English
"holiday" from Old English
"haligdæg" for
"holy day" with Germanic "
g" to English "
y".
To be physically "healthy" one was "whole". [flour, flower]
The be spiritually "whole" one was "holy", middle English "hooli".
These
"holy days" included all of the
twelve days of Christmas.
Matthew 26:5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. [kjv]
ελεγον δε μη εν τη εορτη ινα μη θορυβος γενηται εν τω λαω [gnt]
… freols-daige… folke. [wes]
… haliday… puple. [wy]
… holy daye … people. [ty]
4. A holiday of holy days
The English "
holiday" came from the Old English "haligdæg" for "
holy day".
To be physically "healthy" one was "whole".
The be spiritually "whole" one was "holy", middle English "hooli".
German "heilig" ≈ "holy".
Latin "sanctus" ≈ "holy".
Spanish "santo" ≈ "holy".
And these "
holy days" included all of the twelve days of Christmas.
5. Matthew 26:5
KJV: But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
Greek: ελεγον δε μη εν τη εορτη ινα μη θορυβος γενηται εν τω λαω
Wessex: Hyo cwaeðen witodlice þt hyt ne myhte beon on þam freols-daige. þy-laes þe mycel steriung wurðe on þam folke.
Wycliffe: but thei seiden, Not in the haliday, lest perauenture noyse were maad in the puple.
Tyndale: But they sayd not on the holy daye lest eny vproure aryse amonge the people.
6. Feast day
They did not want to take Jesus on a feast day - but that is what happened. Why?
7. Be healthy
This Old Norse phrase "
ves heil" as "
be healthy" or "
be sound" or "
be saved" is the origin of the Christmas (Winter Solstice yule time) custom of the "
wassail" bowl (from 1275) that typically contains a spiced ale for the celebration time near Christmas Eve.
Matthew 9:21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. [kjv]
… byo hal … [wes]
… gesund. [lu]
Be healthy. Be holy. Be saved.
Happy Holy Days, Happy Holidays.
8. Matthew 9:21
KJV: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
Greek: ελεγεν γαρ εν εαυτη εαν μονον αψωμαι του ιματιου αυτου σωθησομαι
Latin: dicebat enim intra se si tetigero tantum vestimentum eius salva ero
Wessex: hyo cwaeð soðlice on hire mode. for an ich byo hal gyf ich his reafes aet-rine.
Wycliffe: For sche seide with ynne hir self, Yif Y touche oonli the cloth of hym, Y schal be saaf.
Tyndale: For she sayd in her silfe: yf I maye toche but even his vesture only I shalbe safe.
Luther: Denn sie sprach bei sich selbst: Möcht' ich nur sein Kleid anrühren, so würde ich gesund.
Note as highlighted in the Middle English, the word "
holiday" comes from "
holy day".
Wessex: freois-daige
Tyndale: holy daye
Wycliffe: haliday
The Old English Wessex Gospels used "
freois-daige" for the days of goddess Freya or Freo, the goddess of love - corresponding to the Greek Aphrodite.
9. Matthew 1:21
KJV: And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Greek: τεξεται δε υιον και καλεσεις το ονομα αυτου ιησουν αυτος γαρ σωσει τον λαον αυτου απο των αμαρτιων αυτων
Wessex: Witodliche hyo kenð sunu. & þu nemnest his name haelend. he soðlice his folc hal gedeð. fram heora synnen.
Wycliffe: And she shal bere a sone, and thou shalt clepe his name Jhesus; for he schal make his puple saaf fro her synnes.
Tyndale: She shall brynge forthe a sonne and thou shalt call his name Iesus. For he shall save his peple from their synnes.
Luther: Und sie wird einen Sohn gebären, des Namen sollst du Jesus heißen; denn er wird sein Volk selig machen von ihren Sünden.
Russian: родит же Сына, и наречешь Ему имя Иисус, ибо Он спасет людей Своих от грехов их.
10. Shall be saved
11. Matthew 24:13
KJV: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Greek: ο δε υπομεινας εις τελος ουτος σωθησεται
Wessex: Witodlice seþe þurh-wuneð oð ende se beoð hal.
Wycliffe: but he that schal dwelle stable in to the ende, schal be saaf.
Luther: Wer aber beharret bis ans Ende, der wird selig.
12. Be saved
The same words can be a greeting, as in to "hail" someone.
13. Mark 15:18
KJV: And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
Greek: και ηρξαντο ασπαζεσθαι αυτον χαιρε βασιλευ των ιουδαιων
Latin: et coeperunt salutare eum have rex Iudaeorum
Wessex: & on-gunnen hine þus greten. hal beo þu iudea kyning.
Wycliffe: And thei bigunnen to grete hym, and seiden, Heile, thou kyng of Jewis.
Tyndale: and beganne to salute him. Hayle kynge of the Iewes.
14. Norse origin
One variant is the Old English word
"beoð hal" (be whole, be safe, be saved) ≈ "be-oth hail".
The origin of this phase is the Norse expression "
ves heil" which became in Anglo-Saxon "
waes hael" which became "
was hal" which became in Old English "
beoth hale" and meant "
be safe", "
be whole" and later "
be saved".
This Norse phrase "
ves heil" is the origin of the Christmas (Winter Solstice yule time) custom of the "
wassail" bowl that typically contains a spiced ale for the celebration time near Christmas Eve.
15. Happy holy days to you too
Luke 18:26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? [kjv]
… hwa maeg hal beon. [wes]
… Who may be maad saaf? [wy]
When someone tells you "
Happy Holidays" you can remind them of the origin of the word by saying "
Happy Holy Days to you too", and add, "
that is what the word originally meant".
16. Luke 18:26
KJV: And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
Greek: ειπον ειπαν δε οι ακουσαντες και τις δυναται σωθηναι
Latin: et dixerunt qui audiebant et quis potest salvus fieri
Wessex: Ða cwaeðen þa þe þis ge-hyrden. & hwa maeg hal beon.
Wycliffe: And thei that herden these thingis seiden, Who may be maad saaf?
Luther: Da sprachen, die das höreten: Wer kann denn selig werden?
Russian: Слышавшие сие сказали: кто же может спастись?
17. Old and new images
The word "
holy" comes from the idea of being spiritually "
whole".
In the
resurrection, Jesus can make your body whole, restoring parts that have faded.
[S's, Elsie, R's, D's, Ruthie, Jack, EUB]
18. After
Today,
software can take
old scanned photos and create
new photos that have their colors restored to a large extent.
19. End of page