Christmas in Traveller, your thoughts

[Blue Ghost]

X-mas trees on ships? What kind of gifts do you get your crew? Do you watch the totally emersive holo-virtual reality version of Rudolph or Here Comes Santa Claus, where you can actually interact with the characters? Does your ship's computer (AI) do something nice for you; i.e. the exact opposite of a HAL9000? Is there a jolly old Scout pilot dropping gifts to every planet in either the Solomani Confederation or Imperium on Dec 24th (old calendar)?

Do you put a glowing red light at the tip of your ship? How about those phony antlers? One antler a-la the Grinch on his dog?

 

[Spinward Scout]

How about those phony antlers? One antler a-la the Grinch on his dog?

Just tell people that don't celebrate it's a new type of static discharge probe.

 

[Timerover51]

Probably it would only be celebrated in the Solomani area or on Solomani ships. Given the Vilani being transported 300,000 years ago or so, they would have no concept of Christmas, except for possible missionary efforts from Terra.

I hesitate to make any more comments than that as I do not wish to run afoul of the discussion of religion.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Well, keep it secular. How would you celebrate Christmas in the Imperium; i.e. Santa style, with reindeer, elves, wooden toys, stop motion specials, and everything else that falls in that category.

Would you hang stockings in engineering?

Does your engineer shovel coal into the engines a-la the classic Trek bloopers?

Do you put a fake chimney on "top" of your starship?

 

[aramis]

Well, keep it secular. How would you celebrate Christmas in the Imperium; i.e. Santa style, with reindeer, elves, wooden toys, stop motion specials, and everything else that falls in that category.

Would you hang stockings in engineering?

Does your engineer shovel coal into the engines a-la the classic Trek bloopers?

Do you put a fake chimney on "top" of your starship?

Essentially, you can't keep it secular. The name is inherently a religious term.

 

[rancke]

Essentially, you can't keep it secular. The name is inherently a religious term.

The etymology of the name has a religious basis. But the meaning of words change over time. There are lots of people even today who ignore all religious connotations of Christmas. I'm sure that in another 3000 years there will be a lot more.


Hans

 

[whulorigan]

Well, keep it secular. How would you celebrate Christmas in the Imperium; i.e. Santa style, with reindeer, elves, wooden toys, stop motion specials, and everything else that falls in that category.

Essentially, you can't keep it secular. The name is inherently a religious term.

The etymology of the name has a religious basis. But the meaning of words change over time. There are lots of people even today who ignore all religious connotations of Christmas. I'm sure that in another 3000 years there will be a lot more.

Blue Ghost, why don't you re-post the thread in the Political Pulpit, then it will be free for discussion, whether religious or secular?

 

[rancke]

Blue Ghost, why don't you re-post the thread in the Political Pulpit, then it will be free for discussion, whether religious or secular?

Have a nice discussion.


Hans

 

[Xerxeskingofking]

correct me if I am wrong, but don't the Imperials celebrate a secular holiday on the first day of each year?

is their any reference to specific celebrations or traditions being carried out on holiday in any of the fluff?

if not, what do you think they should do? drink a toast to the third imperium and the Emperor?

 

[whulorigan]

correct me if I am wrong, but don't the Imperials celebrate a secular holiday on the first day of each year?

is their any reference to specific celebrations or traditions being carried out on holiday in any of the fluff?

if not, what do you think they should do? drink a toast to the third imperium and the Emperor?

Yes, in the Imperium, Holiday is a holiday.
It is the first day of the Imperial year, and is not part of any week (nor part of any unofficial "month" presumably).

[52 weeks/year x 7 days/week = 364 days (Which is also incidentally 13 28-day months)]. Add 1 day as "Holiday" to bring it up to 365 days.

Presumably people celebrate in many different ways - similar to the way "Labor Day" or similar secular holidays are celebrated today, I would guess. Drinking a toast to Emperor and Empire, cookouts, social gatherings, parades, fireworks, etc.

This of course would not supplant local secular and/or religious holidays of all types around the Imperium.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Well, *he said EXTREMELY exasperatedly* how in the world do you celebrate "Holiday"?

 

[Xerxeskingofking]

well, this lady has a few ideas.

this man as well, though his are a little less orthodox..

My guess is more planets will have things like speeches form the local noble, a official party at Captial Plaza/some other location, and everyone has a few drinks at their own home and makes resolutions they won't keep.

I think it might vary form area to area. I'd imagine the Vlani areas have a much more sombre, structured celebration while Solomani regions would tend to a more "Party" atmosphere.

 

[aramis]

Well, *he said EXTREMELY exasperatedly* how in the world do you celebrate "Holiday"?

See TTA. It discusses how it happens in Leedor on Aramis/Aramis/Spinward Marches.

 

[Blue Ghost]

well, this lady has a few ideas.

this man as well, though his are a little less orthodox..

My guess is more planets will have things like speeches form the local noble, a official party at Captial Plaza/some other location, and everyone has a few drinks at their own home and makes resolutions they won't keep.

I think it might vary form area to area. I'd imagine the Vlani areas have a much more sombre, structured celebration while Solomani regions would tend to a more "Party" atmosphere.

Yeah, but how do you dress up your starship? Do you or the female crew decorate the galley with streamers, a "Holiday" tree :CoW: , do you camp out in front of the local TAS for the black-Holiday sale a month before "Holiday"?

 

[mike wightman]

Ithklur love Christmas, especially the hats.

More seriously, the fact that they were able to identify with the solomani festive fat guy shows that such things are still celebrated IMHO.

 

[Sir Brad]

IMTU Christmas is more along the lines of the Japanese "Santa Day" a secularised gift giving holiday that is a battleground between Commercialism and the Peace & Good-will crowd who use it as an excuse for personal and mass gatherings of friends and family as well as pushing the chartable works and donations giving line.

some places "Santa Day" has re-growen in to a more ancient festival that runs two standard weeks called Saturnalia

 

[Blue Ghost]

And everyone gathers around the local gas giant to cut the turkey.

 

[Enoki]

I've done New Year's (Holiday) as one event. Another that I thought was appropriate was "Emperor's Day" on 300 of each year. It is primarily for nobles who have to pledge their fealty to the Emperor and make a (large) cash donation that gets sent along with their personal pledge to Capitol.

That is a good way to deprive a noble character of several thousand credits and up (more if you are higher up the noble food chain).

After all, it only makes sense that as a noble you are willing to show your loyalty to the empire by not just words but a substantial cash contribution to its continued existence...

The Imperium / Emperor ends up with billions a year in contributions to spend on pet projects and his minions (aka staff) also can track just how "generous" his nobility is... :devil:

It also makes a sort of technical means for a player to "buy" a title if they can come up with enough of a "contribution." :smirk:

 

[BlackBat242]

Blue Ghost, why don't you re-post the thread in the Political Pulpit, then it will be free for discussion by paid moot members only, whether religious or secular?

The Pit used to be available for all to visit, via password - but now it is a "members only club", and most CotI participants can't access it.

 

[rancke]

Regina/Regina (1910 A788899-C)......................................................................................................009-1105
aragraph: TRAVELLERS’ AID ADVISORY: This year the ancient, traditional Old Terran holiday known as Christmas falls on Sixday the 252nd. Regina is famous throughout the Domain of Deneb for the splendor of its Christmas celebrations, which include elements dating back to Old Terra more than 5000 years ago as well as elements from Regina’s own 1030 year long history.
aragraph: The festivities commence on the eve of Fiday the 251st with the Lighting of the Tree and lasts until Thirday the 263rd, ending with the Twelfth Day Parade. Ω​

Hans