By: J.S., V4Agency
Liberals are set to get rid of Christmas. Although there are differences in how to achieve this, in light of the objective, nothing is too expensive. It may come as a surprise, but their methods are rooted in Communism.
With Christmas drawing near, the idea that cutting down pine trees is harmful to the environment so it’s best not to erect a Christmas tree is, once again, a recurring theme of the green and liberal narrative. Moreover, Christmas trees may also be viewed as hurtful by sensitive Muslim immigrants.
The idea of doing away with Christmas is not a new idea. To understand its origins and purpose, we must go back to the Soviet Union of the 1920s.
Celebrating Christmas was a deep-rooted tradition in Russia until the Communist takeover. However, leading communists in the Soviet Union are known to have loathed anything that could be linked to religion or had so-called bourgeois roots, in their view. Christmas, along with all other religious traditions, belonged to this category.
The goal was soon expressed in words: Christmas (too) must be banned. The “holy” mission was spearheaded by Lenin, Stalin and many other communists.
Attempts to wipe out Christmas from people’s life were made in several phases. The decree by the Council of People’s Commissars in early 1918 came in handy as it implemented the Gregorian calendar, transferring Russian Christmas from 25 December to 7 January, and New Year from 1 January to 14 January. In 1929, Stalin introduced a so-called revolutionary calendar with continuous, 5-day working weeks, making it impossible for Christians to celebrate Sunday and for Jews to observe Sabbath. These measures became the cornerstones of the atheist establishment.
However, “phasing out” Christmas was not that easily, as celebrating the birth of our Saviour could not be banned by a decree and it was seen as a taboo even by communists. Consequently, the central element of the family celebration of Christmas, the Christmas tree (once already banned by the Holy Synod during World War I since it was a German tradition) was caught in the crosshairs.
The 15th Congress of the Communist Party put the focus on the “eradication” of the Christmas tree in the fight against religion. The atheist Esperantist Nikolai Incertov promptly created the work “Christmas in the Service of Exploiters”, revealing that the Christmas tree and Santa Claus were forms of “capitalist activities against the people”.
The sale of pine trees was banned and, through a decree adopted by the Leningrad city council, anyone selling illegal goods risked one-month imprisonment. Families erecting a Christmas tree despite the prohibition celebrated behind curtained windows. According to a contemporary description, the trees were often cut into pieces before they were transported home, and the pieces were typically fixed using tires. Of course families were subject to a possible official inspections at any time.
The next phase in the series of attacks against the Christmas tree was something we would simply describe as a “green campaign” today. Magazines, drawings and posters began to advocate that the cult of the Christmas tree caused considerable damage to the world’s forests.
According to the Aganyok magazine: “The mystical, harmful worship of the tree and thus the destruction of forests should have been curbed a long time ago. We hope that the agitation of the Atheist Union will break this meaningless custom. Instead of making a cross out of wood, put a cross (that is, the symbol of prohibition) on the tree!” As part of the campaign, children were sent to pre-organised anti-Christmas rallies.
It is worth recalling an announcement this September by Bordeaux’s mayor, who pledged not to erect a Christmas tree in the city’s main square in 2020. In justifying his decision, he cited climate protection reasons.
However, the climate activists’ arguments are false, since felling the trees intended for Christmas does not harm the environment; those trees are constantly replanted.
In the end, the Soviets only had partial success in attempting to destroy Christmas and Santa. According to sources, the ban lasted for about ten years, and Stalin was eventually forced to change his strategy in his own interest.
After his hopes for a world revolution had faded, the would-be “generalissimus” concluded that the work of state-building had to begin, in which common cultural traditions played an important role. His concerns about pine trees appear to have vanished into thin air.
According to the new strategy, if Christmas and Santa Claus cannot be destroyed, they must be put at the service of the Communist Party. Ded Moroz (or Grandfather Frost, to use the literal translation), Santa’s traditional Russian counterpart in the mid-1930s, regained his old function, albeit he was no longer dressed in a red, episcopal robe like St. Nicholas. He brought well-mannered children gifts on New Year’s Eve, accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka (Snow Maiden).
As if by bureaucratic fiat, pine tree pendants with symbols of the communist movement began to reemerge in shops. The trees, carefully hidden from prying eyes before, were now on open display in homes, restaurants and factory canteens, albeit featuring the red Soviet pentagram tree toppers, instead of the star of Bethlehem.