[War & Business] The "Merry Christmas" Debate

The Christmas tree installed in front of Rockefeller Center in New York City on the 1st. New York (USA) = AP·Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Equality Commission within the European Union (EU) has recently become embroiled in a debate over the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" during the Christmas week. Similar to the United States, the main point of contention is that terms which exclude references to specific religions, such as "Happy Holiday," should be used instead.

Eastern European countries, including Greece, have protested that this is excessive regulation, but the debate continues as followers of other European religions such as Judaism and Islam oppose the phrase. In the United States, where Jewish capital holds significant influence, the phrase "Merry Christmas" has been considered inappropriate since the 1990s. It has become a common subject in the so-called "political correctness (PC)" debates.

One prominent figure who actively engaged in the Merry Christmas PC debate was former U.S. President Donald Trump. Every Christmas, he posted large "Merry Christmas" messages on his Twitter account, using it to rally conservative voters in the U.S.

In fact, Christmas itself has been at the center of considerable debate throughout history. Since the Bible and various ancient documents do not specify the exact birthdate of Jesus, there has been intense controversy from the early church days over which day should be commemorated as his birthday.

The holiday season from December 25 through the New Year in Western society originally stemmed from the Roman Empire’s winter solstice festival. Later, in 274 AD, Roman Emperor Aurelian declared himself a sun god and established the winter solstice as his birthday, turning it into a grand festival.

Subsequently, the Christian church adopted this festival period for evangelistic purposes, establishing Christmas as the commemorative day. The early church agreed to set Christmas on December 25 by adding nine months to March 25, the day known as the Annunciation, which led to the winter solstice festival being transformed into Christmas.

The Christmas tree, which decorates city squares every year during the holiday season, is also known to have sparked long-standing conflicts and debates between Catholics and Protestants. It is said that the Christmas tree was created by Martin Luther, the 16th-century German Reformer, using fir trees from the Black Forest in Germany and used for evangelism. Because of this, the Roman Catholic Church reportedly did not place Christmas trees in front of the Vatican until 1982.

Even the birthdate of baby Jesus, symbolizing peace and humanity, was shaped through prolonged extreme confrontations and conflicts among sects and nations. This year’s Christmas is expected to be even harder to hear the greeting "Merry Christmas," as political divisions deepen, especially in countries preparing for next year’s presidential or major elections.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.