UKhisimusi—Iholide Lezwe Noma Usuku Olungcwele Lwenkolo?
ECHINA ubizwa ngokuthi iKhehla LikaKhisimusi. E-United Kingdom, waziwa ngokuthi uFather Christmas. Abantu baseRussia basebenzisa igama elithi uMkhulu Oyiqhwa, kanti e-United States, wethiwe ngokuthi uSanta Claus.
Abantu abaningi babheka leli khehla eleneme elinomkhaba omkhulu nentshebe emhlophe qwa njengokwenziwa samuntu kukaKhisimusi. Kodwa futhi kwaziwa kabanzi ukuthi uSanta Claus uyinganekwane noma insumansumane esekelwe emasikweni ahlobene nombhishobhi waseMira (eTurkey yanamuhla) wekhulu lesine.
Amasiko ebelokhu enethonya elinamandla ekugujweni kwemikhosi, futhi kuye kwaba okufanayo nangoKhisimusi. Inganekwane kaSanta imane iyisibonelo esisodwa samasiko nezinganekwane zesizwe okuhlobene neholide elithandwayo. Nakuba abanye abantu bethi imikhuba kaKhisimusi isekelwe ezenzakalweni ezilotshwe eBhayibhelini, eqinisweni eminingi yalemikhuba inemisuka yobuqaba.
Esinye isibonelo isihlahla sikaKhisimusi. I-New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi: “Ngemva kokuguqulelwa kwamaqaba aseYurophu ebuKristwini, ukukhulekela isihlahla, okwakuvamile kuwo kwaqhubeka kukhona emasikweni aseScandinavia okuhlobisa indlu nengobo ngezihlahla ezingabuni ngoNcibijane ukuze kuxoshwe udeveli kanye nasemasikweni okulungisa isihlahla sezinyoni ngesikhathi sikaKhisimusi.”
Ukwenza izixha ngamagatsha esihlahla i-holly noma ngezinye izihlahla ezingabuni kungelinye isiko elivamile likaKhisimusi. Nakho lokhu kusukela ekukhulekeleni kobuqaba. AmaRoma asendulo ayesebenzisa amagatsha e-holly ukuze ahlobise amathempeli ngesikhathi seSaturnalia, okuwumkhosi wezinsuku ezingu-7 waphakathi nobusika owawenzelwa uSaturn, unkulunkulu wezolimo. Lomkhosi wobuqaba wawuphawuleka ikakhulukazi ngokuxokozela nokungabi nakuzithiba.
Umkhuba kaKhisimusi wokuqabulana kwabantu bengaphansi komhlalanyoni (oboniswe lapha) ungase ubonakale uyisenzo sothando kwabanye, kodwa usibuyisela emuva eNkathini Ephakathi. AmaDruid aseBrithani yasendulo ayekholelwa ukuthi umhlalanyoni wawunamandla omlingo; ngakho, wawusetshenziselwa ukuzivikela emademonini, eziphonsweni nakwezinye izinhlobo zobubi. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, kwavela inkolelo-ze yokuthi ukuqabulana ngaphansi komhlalanyoni kwakuyoholela emshadweni. Lomkhuba usavamile kubantu abathile ngesikhathi sikaKhisimusi.
Lawa kumane kungambalwa amasiko anamuhla kaKhisimusi athonywe izimfundiso zobuqaba noma asukela kuzo ngokuqondile. Nokho, ungase uzibuze ukuthi kwenzeka kanjani konke lokhu. Kwenzeka kanjani ukuba iholide okuthiwa lidumisa ukuzalwa kukaKristu ligcwale imikhuba eminingi kangaka engeyona eyobuKristu? Okubaluleke nakakhulu, uNkulunkulu uyibheka kanjani lendaba?
[Imithombo Yezithombe ekhasini 2]
Page 3: Santa Claus: Thomas Nast/Dover Publications, Inc., 1978; mistletoe on page 3 and illustration on page 4: Discovering Christmas Customs and Folklore by Margaret Baker, published by Shire Publications, 1994