[radiohead]

Hello, my FRiend. How are you doing?

These are great pictures. I don't understand how Christmas is celebrated when Christians are persecuted and killed - there was a pastor killed the other day.

It is a strange situation in Iran. They seem so isolated sometimes, yet there is so much in these, and the other pictures you have posted, that is familiar to us. I'm not surprised that the people, as opposed to the government, want to be closer friends to the US.

[Captain Rhino]

Jesus is considered one of the great prophets in Islam. He is known by the name Ya ya, IIRC. His mother Mary has an entire sura (chapter) devoted to her in the Koran. So celebrating his birthday is sort of like celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.

Due to a strategic decision by the early Christian church to displace the debauched Roman holiday of Saturnalia (sp), the 25 December date also nicely coincides with the year end celebrations held in nearly every culture. (Some Biblical scholars think Jesus was probably born in the spring. This is due to references in the text to shepherds being in the fields with their flocks at the time of his birth. Apparently, this is not the normal practice during a typical winter in the Holy Land.)

In the end, just another reason for Iranians to make merry and exchange gifts. (And they need every reason they can get these days.)

[sionnsar]

I don't understand how Christmas is celebrated when Christians are persecuted and killed

My experience of Beijing one December was that Christmas seemed pretty readily isolatable from Christianity: Santa Clauses, Christmas trees, gifts in packages... but not a Christ child or nativity scene anywhere. A pagan, um, holiday.