Spanish province of Asturias says goodbye to “Christmas” and hello to “winter holidays”

La Stampa ^ | 5/21/2013 | Marco Tosatti

[markomalley]

The Asturian government has decided to do its bit to help eradicate Spain’s Christian cultural roots. The regional government’s education minister, Doña Ana González Rodríguez, sent a circular round to all schools under her jurisdiction, asking them to remove the terms “Christmas” and “Holy Week” from the school calendar.

Mrs. Gonzalez wants all references to Christianity to be replaced with equivalents such as “winter holidays” and “end of second term holidays” that are acceptable to everyone, including non Christians.

There’s just one problem though. The decision was taken without consulting the schools in question or the parents. Naturally, the Observatory for Religious Freedom and Freedom of Conscience (OLRC) asked Mrs. Gonzalez to take into account common sentiment and respect for tradition and urged her to work towards ensuring young people get the rounded education they are so in need of at the moment. ORLC spokeswoman Maria Garcia criticised Mrs. Gonzalez’s brilliant attempt at trying to get people to forget Spain’s Christian roots.

According to the Socialist government of the Principate of Asturias, this decision was taken so as “not to hurt peoples’ sensitivities.” Celebrations “have always been called Christmas and Holy Week/Easter and no one has been offended by that,” the ORLC argued. “But Asturia’s education minister thought she could achieve this week of nothingness without consulting the education community’s leading figures. At ORLC we cannot understand how exactly how people’s sensitivities are being offended and we are asking Doña Ana González to explain her reasons.”

“The ORLC therefore urges the Minister to renounce her secularist aspirations, seeing as though Spain is a country with Christian roots , which cannot simply be forgotten from one minute to the next,” Maria Garcia added. One must not forget that the process of reconquering land invaded by the northern African Muslim invaders many centuries ago began in Asturias.

Asturias’ socialist government is copying what many other European socialist governments seem to be doing. There was a heated controversy in Belgium in recent weeks, over a ministerial circular which banned people from talking about “Easter holidays”, replacing it instead with “spring holidays”. On this occasion too, the justification given was the need for secularised public institutions that would not “offend” non Christian immigrants.

So November’s All Saints Day celebration will be called “autumn leave”; the Christmas holidays will become “winter holidays” and even the Carnival is being pushed aside and replaced with “relaxation leave”. Flemish and Waloon nationalists have spoken out against the umpteenth attempt to destroy Belgium’s Christian heritage.

[FlingWingFlyer]

The commie piggies sure are a pushy bunch. It’s their way or the highway.

[La Lydia]

Doña Ana apparently knows NOTHING about her country’s history.

[lightman]

Ferdinand and Isabella must be thinking "we expelled the Muzzies for this?"

[ClearCase_guy]

Muslims dream of the re-reconquista. It will be easier once Spain forgets about Jesus.

[cdcdawg]

RereConquista?

[Viennacon]

More reason for Catalonia to go its own way?

[MrBambaLaMamba]

It is the will of Allah!

[SevenofNine]

THat so true

I currently reading The Queen Vow by CW Gortner Isabella was one tough customer LOL!

[lightman]

Muslims dream of the re-reconquista. It will be easier once Spain forgets about Jesus.

Countdown to the millenial annivesary of the First Crusade (AD 1098): 85 years

Pity your great-grandchildren.

[Venturer]

Somebody needs to straighten this bunch out.

Bring back the Inquisition.

[andyk]

You got that right.

[SunkenCiv]

She should be dragged out and beaten to death in broad daylight by hooded assailants, and her carcass then set on fire. Or set on fire before she’s dead.

But I mean that in the nicest possible way.

When at war, kill your enemies.

And as Eowyn said in LOTR, it takes but one side to make a war.

Thanks markomalley.

[muawiyah]

The Reconquista was a going concern long before anybody thought of a Crusade. Although it's traditional to credit Asturias with starting the Reconquista, in reality outside of the precincts conquered by the Moslems there weren't enough well armed heavy knights and large war horses available to do anything about anything. The Asturias initiative was rather pitiful ~ the Moslems noted there were 30 men. All quite romantic of course.

In the end most Spanish noble families have Breton and Cornish surnames ~

[markomalley]

Bring back the Inquisition.

Shall it be the soft cushions or the comfy chair?

[faithhopecharity]

well, it only took the Spanish some 800- years (from 711 to 1492) to take back their country from the Moslem conquerors.

Maybe that wasn’t a long or hard enough struggle for these Spanish bureaucrats to give the Christian faith just this tiny bit of respect?

[DoughtyOne]

Ah Spaina... who knew?

[1_Rain_Drop]

"Mrs. Gonzalez wants all references to Christianity to be replaced with equivalents such as “winter holidays” and “end of second term holidays” that are acceptable to everyone, including non Christians. "

While at it, remove the word "Holiday" and replace it with 'vacation' or 'break' or 'time out'. I fail to see what's so holy about winter and second term. Where's the first term holiday? Autumn holiday? Summer holiday? Spring holiday?

[CaspersGh0sts]

That sounds like an edict to be roundly ignored.

[Mike Darancette]

It will be easier once Spain forgets about Jesus.

Never in the Basque Country.