“COMING FORTH INTO THE LIGHT

I was born the day

I thought:

What is?

What was?

And

What if?

I was transformed the day

My ego shattered,

And all the superficial, material

Things that mattered

To me before,

Suddenly ceased

To matter.

I really came into being

The day I no longer cared about

What the world thought of me,

Only on my thoughts for

Changing the world.”

― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

God has been conceived as either personal or impersonal. In theism, God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, while in deism, God is the creator, but not the sustainer, of the universe. In pantheism, God is the universe itself.

Brahma is the first god in the Hindu triumvirate, or trimurti. The triumvirate consists of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world.

“God made you a masterpiece – be blessed, secure, disciplined and equipped.” – Joel Osteen

Hinduism dies if untouchability lives, and untouchability has to die if Hinduism is to live.     - Mahatma Gandhi

“When the solution is simple, God is answering.” – Albert Einstein

The greatest contentment comes from devotion alone and not from it's rewards, therefore one who has this devotion seeks nothing else.      - Lord Krishna

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” – Saint Augustine

“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.” – C.S. Lewis

“God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.” – Billy Graham

The three essentials of Hinduism are belief in God, in the Vedas as revelation, in the doctrine of Karma and transmigration.      - Swami Vivekananda

The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results.  - Lord Krishna

You are what you believe in. You become that which you believe you can become. - Bhagavad Gita

 “God will never give you anything you can’t handle, so don’t stress.” – Kelly Clarkson

 “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God’s gift, that’s why we call it the present.” – Joan Rivers

The essence of Hinduism is the same essence of all true religions: Bhakti or pure love for God and genuine compassion for all beings.  - Radhanath Swami

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?” – William Arthur Ward

Affirm divine calmness and peace, and send out only thoughts of love and goodwill if you want to live in peace and harmony. Never get angry, for anger poisons your system. -  Paramahansa Yogananda

The ultimate goal of human life is to transcend culture and personality to the unconditioned pure being. But the means to do this is through our culture and way of life.  - David Frawley

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr

“Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.” – Hans Christian Andersen

“Being human means you will make mistakes. And you will make mistakes, because failure is God’s way of moving you in another direction.” – Oprah Winfrey

 “Krishna taught in the Bhadavad Gita: ‘karmanyeva-adhikaraste ma phalesu kadachana’, which means, ‘Be active, never be inactive, and don’t react to the outcome of the work.”  ― Anonymous, Buddhist Scriptures

“Every day is a gift from God. There’s no guarantee of tomorrow, so that tells me to see the good in this day to make the most of it.” – Joel Osteen

India is the meeting place of the religions and among these Hinduism alone is by itself a vast and complex thing, not so much a religion as a great diversified and yet subtly unified mass of spiritual thought, realization and aspiration.   - Sri Aurobindo

Hinduism at its best has spoken the only relevant truth about the way to self-realization in the full sense of the word.      - Count Hermann Keyserling

“Faith is about trusting God when you have unanswered questions.” – Joel Osteen

 “You are a spiritual being with a human experience.”   ― His Divine Holiness Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam

“I believe that whatever comes at a particular time is a blessing from God.” – A. R. Rahman

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” – Corrie Ten Boom

“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.” – Martin Luther

Hinduism the perennial philosophy that is at the core of all religions.      - Aldous Huxley

Here an attempt is made to explain suffering: the outcaste of traditional Hinduism is held to deserve his fetched fate; it is a punishment for the wrongs he did in a previous life.      - Walter Kaufmann

He alone sees truly who sees the Lord the same in every creature seeing the same Lord everywhere, he does not harm himself or others.      - Lord Krishna

“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” – Soren Kierkegaard

“Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.” – Socrates

 “Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realization and can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness is certainly a person eligible for liberation.”   ― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, The Bhagavad-gita

“Through hard work, perseverance and a faith in God, you can live your dreams.” – Ben Carson

“I will thank God for the day and the moment I have.” – Jim Valvano

“Look for God, suggests my Guru. Look for God like a man with his head on fire looks for water.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

“Let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is real. He is not only aware of us but cares for us. He is our Father. He is accessible to all who will seek Him.” – Gordon B. Hinckley

“God sleeps in the minerals, awakens in plants, walks in animals, and thinks in man.” – Arthur Young

“God gives us relatives; thank God, we can choose our friends.” – Addison Mizner

Kalkunte Agraharam has an old temple dating back to at least 2 Centuries.

The presiding diety in this temple is Lord Sri Ranganatha with his consorts

Sri Ranga Nayaki (Sri Maha Lakshmi) and Sri Andaal popularly called Thaayaars.

This Agraharam was once densely populated by a large Sri Vaishnava community, also known as Iyengaars (until about 60-70 years ago). And a vast of this community has left the village now and are settled all over the World with a majority f them in Bangalore.

The forefathers of the current generation of the Sri Vaishnava community have hailed from many parts of Tamilnadu. The documented original migrated family is that of the three sons and one daughter of Annadaanam Sri.Venkateshacharya from another Agraharam called DUSI located near Kanchipuram.This place is about 8km away on the Kanchipuram -Tiruvannamalai Road. This migration  must have occurred about 230-270 years ago after the fall of Gingee (Senjy in Tamil) to Hyderali. The then Maharaja of Mysore gave them this village as grant and thus an Agraharam was settled here.

There is a well documented 10 Generations of genealogy-Family Tree of all the three sons of Annadaanam Venkateshacharya.The current Generation is the 10 generation from Annadaanam Venkateshacharya.

Then there were others moving into this village due to relationship by marriage like the Chakravarthis, the Kidaambis now called the Cadaambis in Kalkunte of Kanchipuram. They were joined by the Perumaal Iyengaar family from Sri Rangam – Perumal in the Srivaishnava lingo is Lord Sri Ranganatha of Sri Rangam – the Thogare family from Thogur , there was others like the Gomatam family who were early settlers. Apart from this there is also a group migrated from Torepalli near Hosur with 5-6 generations genealogy since migration.

All of these families have a genealogy of 7-8 generations. Apart from this there were other two families who settled in another village now in Tamil Nadu near Sarjapur called Chicchurakanahalli and Sampangere in Kolar District.These families also had marital relationship with the Kalkunte families and are now settlers of Kalkunte itself.They also have a Genealogy of 8-9 generations.

The early settlers were proficient Vedic Scholars and were dedicated to God.

After settlement in the Agraharam they had established a small Temple for daily worship and the then presiding deity is known to be Lord Srinivasa.Once about 200 years ago the Lord Sri Ranganatha appeared in the dreams of a member of the Perumaal Iyengaar family and instructed to bring him from another nearby village about 15km away called Vokkaleri located in Malur Taluk,Kolar District.It is said that the Lord also appeared in the dream of the Vokkaleri Village head and instructed them to hand over the deity.

The Vokkaleri village was once ruled by Pallava kings and date back to 800A.D with copper plate inscription of that period.The close study of the iconography of the presiding deity Lord Ranganatha indicates this belonging to the Pallava architecture.

This movement of Lord Ranganatha from Vokkaleri to Kalkunte Agrahaaram must have occurred around 200 years back. The Temple was constructed right in the middle of their homes and from a small Sanctum Sanctorum was expanded into the current structure.The Raja Gopuram was built recently during nineteen seventies.

The name of the village Kalkunte is a deformed version of Kalkand ( Kallu Sakkare) According to some and another origin says Kenavil Kanda Perumaal ( The Lord seen in the Dreams).There is also a third origin where there was a Kunte a small water body totally surrounded by Kallu (Stones) located at the entrance of the village.

Today this has been land filled (about 60-70 years ago ) and is behind the Vahana Mantapam. Agraharams in the then Mysore State are the villages granted by the Maharaja for Brahmins to settle down to pursue their Vedic studies and teach spirituality to the entire community. The grant is documented in Venkatagiri Shasanam as per say.

There is a 6 line documentation about Kalkunte Agrahaaram in the Mysore Gazetteer then published by C.Hayavadan Rao in 1923 who had personally visited this village to collect the details.

The other facilities like Paakashala and the Dining Hall was added later as and when these were donated by the families migrating away from the village.

The Poojas in the Temple are conducted as per the PANCHARATRA AAGAMA method and also as per the Vadakalai Sampradayam taught by Sri Vedantha Desikan.

There is a separate sanctum for the Alwar and Aachaaryas consisting of Nammalwaar,

Sri Bhagavad Raamanujacharya and Sri Vedantha Desikan collectively called desikan Sannidhi.

The specialty of this deity is like that of SriRama and Krishna who went in search of their devotees. Sri Rama went to seek devotees like Shabari,Hanumantha,and Vibheeshana etc to the places where they stayed. Similarly Sri Krishna went to seek his devotees like Kubja, Vidhura,Pandavaas etc.Lord SriRanganatha in Kalkunte is also special for his Chaturbhuja Avataaram with Brahma in the Nabhi Kamalam.

The presence of Garuda has a Great significance.Those who are having Sarpa Dosham / Kuja Dosham / Ashlesha Dosham  (Also called Maangalik Dosh in Hindi)  etc can be ridden of all these Dosham completely by performing an Abhishekam to Moolavar  with Garudotsava Sevas.

There is Nithya Pooja conducted in this temple managed by the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Sabha,Regd,Kaklunte – a Trust founded to manage this temple about 100 years ago.

Gradually the curious villagers started offering food to the man, but he never asked anything from them. Sometimes he shared his food with the animals. Soon the young fakir, as he was started to be addressed, started expressing his view points with few elderly villagers. His simple language of expression and his special power of solving the problems of poor needy and destitutes soon made this less known fakir, known as Shri Sai Baba. As the days passed, devotees started streaming into Shirdi in ever growing numbers. The village was fast becoming a centre of pilgrimage. As gifts and presentations flowed in, the pomp and ceremony of Sai worship were evolving. Everyday Sai Baba would be a pauper having distributed all among the needy and the poor. But Sai Baba's life of a Fakir remained calm, undisturbed, unaltered and therein is the saint's Spiritual glory.

People also realized that this "Baba" was no ordinary person but a person with extraordinary godly powers. Such powers are not known or present in normal human beings. Baba preached his principle of love and faith in humanity to all his disciples. He always felt anguished over the fact that all those who came to him were more for their own personal problems and not for attaining the ultimate goal of reaching God which he felt could be attained only by true servicing of humanity.

Sai baba strongly believed in uniformity of religion and he never distinguished anyone on the basis of caste, creed or religion. He always made it a point not to return empty handed those who had come to him in their hour of need and grief. He performed miracles to alleviate the suffering of poor people. On one occasion he restored the eyes of a blind elderly and in another occasion he lighted a lantern with water when there was no oil to burn it.

As all good things have to end ultimately "Baba" also left his body on his own will on 15th Oct. 1918, leaving his millions of believers and followers crying. His body was laid in the Samadhi Mandir called "Booty", which he had asked his disciple to built before his death.

Sai Baba was Unique, in that, he lived his message through the Essence of his Being. His life and relationship with the common man was his teaching. The lmmense Energy that was manifest in the body of Sai was moving and is still moving in a mysterious way, creating and recreating itself everywhere, beyond the comprehension of time and space.Yet, he lived with the common folk as a penniless fakir, wearing a torn kafni, sleeping over a mat while resting his head on a brick, begging for his food. He radiated a mysterious smile and a deep inward look, of a peace that passeth all understanding. He was always and ever aware of what transpired within the hearts and minds of everyone, whether they be, His devotees or not. This Omnipresent and Omniscient Sri Sai Baba who left his mortal body in 1918, is the living spiritual force that is drawing people from all walks of life, from all parts of the world, into his fold, today.Sri Sai Baba lived, acted and behaved as only a "God descended on Earth" can. He came to serve mankind, to free them from the clutches of fear.

His most concise message for one and all alike was "Why fear when I am here". To take refuge in Sai, is to enter into ajourney to reach the Divine Oasis of Love and drink deep from the Fountain of Life, the source of all Spiritual Energy.Wherever the devotee is, Baba makes him recognize within himself his highest aspirations and goal and at one stroke, his conduct and the attitude to fellow beings is touched with the awareness of love, understanding, patience and faith. This is the promise that Sri Sai Baba holds out to all who come to Him. Sri Sai Baba was beyond the limitations of Time and Space and thus caste, creed, position dogmas and doctrines were fundamentally unimportant to him. Nobody really knew his parentage, where he came from or which religion he practised. He claimed no possessions nor accepted any disciples or gave any specific teaching.

This anonymity lent a strange facet to his interaction with the people who came to him for guidance. To the Hindus he was an orthodox Brahmin, with a sacred fire, enjoining the worship of many gods and the devout study of various Hindu scriptures. He lived in a mosque but always referred to it as "Dwarkamay!" (Lord Krishna's birth place is Dwaraka). To the Moslems he was a fakir living in a mosque observing the disciplines of Islam, uttering "Allah Malik" (God is the master) guiding Muslim seekers along the lines c)f their own religion. To the Parsis he was the sacred rire worshipper. His life was a living manifestation c)f the Sermon of the Christ and of the Eight-fold path of the Buddha.

Sai Baba's attraction and appeal lie in this fact that he was a perfect model of the harmony of all religions, for whom this world - with all its sectarian and religious antagonism, had been waiting. Sai Baba lived to awaken and lead mankind to the varities of spiritual life. He set in motion a wave of spirituality, which is now spreading all over the globe. All his life's activities constituted the upliftment of mankind. By first conferring temporal benefits, he drew unto himself countless souls caught up in ignorance (darkness) and opened their eyes to the true meaning of life. The miracles which manifested through Sai Baba were just such as were needed to create faith in the people and to make his devotees ethically and spiritually better evolved. Baba did not purposefully perform miracles to show his powers. The very strength of his perfect realisation, in its interaction with nature, caused "the miracle" to take place. Thus he drew people from their deluded pursuits after earthly objects of a transitory nature and induced and inspired them to strive for self-realisation. He continued this glorious work until the last moment of his human embodiment in Shirdi.

Amazingly, there are a phenomenally large number of Instances in which Sai Baba has been literally physically appearing before his devotees, even decades after his passing out of the physical body.Sai Baba is constantly and simultaneously proving that he Is alive in spirit and responds to our sincere prayers. He Is the One Spirit of all existence. which is God in all the forms of God, in all the saints, in all the men and in all the creatures.All those who sincerely take to a life of inner development, Sai Baba lifts him to a higher level. Every one derives benefit according to the ripeness o f his soul and in accordance with his inner yearning.Baba assured his devotees by his saying "I am at Shirdi and everywhere. Whatever you do, wherever you may be, ever bear this in mind, that I am always aware of everything". Sai Baba does not belong to any single tradition but to all mankind on the path of goodness, love and understanding.

TIRUPATI: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams that manages the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala here today said it expected to fetch an overall revenue of about Rs 2,894 crore for the fiscal, a top TTD official said.

Of the total revenue, the cash offering in the temple hundi (offering box) by devotees was projected at Rs 1,156 crore, TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal told reporters today.

The sale of various worship tickets including rituals and special entry tickets could get about Rs 303 crore while the much sought after sacred laddu prasadam sale might earn about Rs 180 crore.

The revenue from the TTD accommodations allotted to devotees was estimated to be around Rs.110 crore, he said.

The auction sale of human hair to be offered by lakhs of devotees as fulfilment of vow before offering worship at the hill temple was guesstimated to be around Rs.125 crore, Singhal said.

On the payment side, the official said the salaries and other wages to the over 7000 TTD staff might touch about Rs. 600 crore while the expenses for the out-sourcing personnel could cost about Rs.214 crore.

About Swami Vivekananda

Spirituality In India : Must Read

Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human experience something that touches us all.

The meaning of spirituality has developed and expanded over time, and various connotations can be found alongside each other.

As the global community becomes increasingly capitalistic, the quest for spirituality grows in urgency.  India, its people, its infrastructure, and indeed its very soil, encourage and breed Spiritualism, allowing religions to thrive, flourish and prosper.

India boasts the presence of every major religion in the world, as well many of their off-shoots and facets, all being supported, nourished, and living in comparative harmony. Many of these religions were conceived in India, and others have come to India seeking a safe haven from persecution after being created in their own lands. The age-old environment has always supported such freedom of belief. We will thus find Judaism, Islam, The Bahá'í Faith, Christianity, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism amoungst the major religions being practiced in India, together with a variety of The Lesser Known Religions.

Since religion is the most enduring preservative of social customs, architecture, diet, thought and way of life, you will consequently find an unparalleled variety of customs, architecture, diet, thought and way of life in India.

Whether you define spiritualism as "having something to do with the spirit or soul" (for example "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us”), "caring much for things of the spirit or soul", (such as "men are they who see that spirituality is stronger than any material force"), or "having to do with spirits; supernatural" ("Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen"), you will find all of your senses saturated by spiritualism in India.

The diversity of India’s cultural heritage is demonstrated by the fact that apart from Hindi and English being the main languages of the country, there are an ADDITIONAL 17 languages recognized for official purposes: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu - (just take a look at an Indian bank note!)

Spirituality and mystical charm have always drawn people from all over the world to India. As the world becomes increasingly capitalistic and materialist, the quest and urgency for spirituality grows more and more. The traditional Indian way of life has helped in the evolution and growth of Spiritualism. Numerous cultures and religions have thrived and flourished together for ages and resulted into the unique Indian way of life.

At different points in the history of our civilization numerous spiritual leaders and saints have delivered the message of peace, brotherhood and co existence that is so very well rooted in our culture. Arts like Yoga and Ayurveda coupled with religion have played an important role in the evolution and existence of spirituality in India. Through the ages, various Ashrams and centers of excellence came up in different parts of India. These centers have helped in spreading the message of compassion, care and positive living.

Thus, Indian spirituality is all about showing respect to all living beings-animals trees, rocks and even water and lead a positive and healthy life. It is believed that the supreme Creator has put each one of us in this world for a purpose and that purpose is to be compassionate, caring and loving to one-another. As mentioned earlier, the great Indian spiritual personalities and gurus have played an important role in spreading the message of love, care and the need for positive living all over the world.

New Belief in God is an inseparable part of the Indian philosophy. Intertwined with its sheer spiritualism, Indian philosophy stands as an emblem of ultimate consciousness. The very presence of the metaphysical God, ideally unifies with the absolute reality in Indian philosophy whilst reverberating the aura of spiritualism in the most eloquent way.

The inviolate Truth about spirituality in the form of God or Ishvara is imparted in the Bhagvad Gita, the Ultimate Literature of Life, as it has been reckoned. In Gita, the words of Lord Krishna, echoes the authentic aura of spirituality, which delicately defines the Indian Philosophy as a "spiritual journey". The presence of God as the supreme power, the concept of "Omnipresence of the Omnipotent" therefore finds a divine dimension amidst the concept of Indian philosophy. Indian philosophy suggests that all that exists in this universe is the ultimate manifestation of God. The words of Krishna further support this. As Krishna says:

"I am the original fragrance of earth and the heat of fire. I am the life of all that lives and I am the penance of all seekers. I am the consciousness of all who have developed their consciousness. I am the splendor of all which is fine."

This is the part where Indian philosophy ultimately offers a definite contour to the term "Spirituality". As this is when, finally the emergence of that Ultimate Consciousness of the Greatest Knowledge happens which leads one towards felicity and towards that eternal bliss. This is the very halo of spiritualism in Indian philosophy, which finally binds the religiosity and the phantasmal elements with that sheer thread of tenet and feelings. Indian philosophy is therefore a religious tradition. The pride of the Indian philosophy again lies in that magical blend of the concept of reality or in that absolute reality with that of the existence of personal God which ultimately leads to a meaningful life. This immense fusion further crafts Indian philosophy as the most tolerant religions. Ishvara is the very core of Indian Philosophy.

Ishvara in Sanskrit means, the Lord. In Indian philosophy therefore Ishvara is reckoned as the ultimate Ruler , the supreme power and is indeed the preternatural Being of the Cosmos :

God is the creator, the preserver and the destroyer of the cosmos. He is the divinity and this very idea is the crux of Indian philosophy. The concept of Brahman in Indian philosophy again offers a rather spiritual facet to Indian philosophy; as according to Krishna " . ...Into Brahman I plant the seed giving birth to all living beings..." Brahman therefore remains as the logo of the Divine essence of the cosmos. The reference of Brahman is there also in Mundaka Upanishad, which structures the base of the Indian philosophy.

The ideal harmonization of spiritualism and religiosity in Indian beliefs makes the Indian philosophy a never-ending journey in understanding the "Knowledge" of that perpetual contentment. God is the ultimate reality; the unchallengeable, the huge, the brightest light who is there almost everywhere --- even in the green grass, in the bight fire, in the living air, in the round ocean, in the blue sky and finally in the mind of man. To experience His immortality, to feel His presence and to sense His enigmatic immensity the pious man plunges into the ocean of consciousness whilst praying.

"Lead me from the unreal to the Real. Lead me from darkness unto Light. Lead me from death to Immortality."

Charlie Chaplin's 3 Heart touching Statements 

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, "The Tramp", and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the film industry.

Famous for his character "The Tramp," the sweet little man with a bowler hat, mustache and cane, Charlie Chaplin was an iconic figure of the silent-film era and was one of film's first superstars, elevating the industry in a way few could have ever imagined.

1. Nothing is permanent in this world, not even our troubles. . . . !

2. The most wasted day in life, the day in which, we have not laughed.

3. I like walking in the rain, because no one can see my tears.

This is attitude

This is attitude

This is attitude

WHY WE HAVE SO MANY TEMPLES, IF GOD IS EVERYWHERE ?

A WISE MAN SAID :

AIR IS EVERYWHERE,

BUT WE STILL NEED A FAN TO FEEL IT .

This is attitude

(Hillary and Tensing in picture)

This is attitude

This is attitude

This is attitude

"You never conquer a mountain. You stand on the summit a few moments; then the wind blows your footprints away."

-Arlene Blum

This is attitude

“I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.”

Chinese proverb

This is attitude

“The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become.”

Ben Herbste

How December 25th Became Christmas

On December 25th of every year the entire Christian world comes together, putting aside petty quarrels and minor differences, to commemorate the birth of Jesus. (Well, most of us come together anyway).

The Orthodox Churches have it on different days because of some sort of disagreement over Gregorian calendars. And there are a few Christian groups around who don't celebrate it at all (too material, I guess).

In any case; on December 25th most of the Christians that I know celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ -- very likely the holiest event ever to take place anywhere on the Earth, and an entirely worthy occasion to celebrate. But don't you ever wonder if we've got anything about it right? Is it even on the right date?

~ Complex Answers to Simple Questions ~

Don't bet the farm.

First off, they didn't exactly keep birth records of the common folk in 0 or 1 or 2 AD (not to say that Jesus was common, but… well, you know the story.) Secondly, even if they did, there's the problem of leap year. Every four years the powers that be add an extra day to compensate for a less than perfect rotation of the earth. The Romans even didn't know about that, convoluting time and calendars even more.

Plus some people back then used a lunar calendar and some used the solar version that we use today. Finally, the authors of the Gospels (Mathew and Luke particularly) either didn't know or didn't think it was important enough to mention the date of Jesus' birth. Who even knows if they recognized birthdays in ancient Judea?

The bottom line is that nobody knows the exact date of Jesus' birth, but the smart money is betting that it was sometime in early spring. There's some historical data, but the best hint is that famous story about shepherds tending their flocks by night. Shepherds tend to only stay up with the sheep during lambing season, and lambing season is in spring. But since no one knows, you might as well go along with the spirit of the season and enjoy all the cheer and good will towards men.

~ Hat Tricks ~

There is, however, some interesting history to the day we choose to remember the birth of the Christ child. It's not just some random date that somebody pulled out of a hat you know.

There have been festivals of every sort around the winter solstice going back to the Babylonians. But it was the Roman Emperor Aurelian who fixed the actual date. He called December 25th "The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun", and put it right in the middle of the feast of Saturnalia. (The Romans really knew how to have a feast: Saturnalia lasted a week.)

This was a always a time a great merry making there were big dinners, halls bedecked with laurels and green trees, people carrying lighted candles through the streets, and the giving of gifts was a common practice. In fact, you might say that the Christmas spirit is really the spirit of Saturnalia passed on over time.

~ Enter the Christians ~

The Christians, in the meantime, were having the "Mass of Christ" at various times and places. This wasn't a commemoration of the birth of Jesus so much as it was a time to reflect on His life and acts. So, when Constantine made Christianity the religion of Rome, the Catholics needed a way to convert the pagans running around the streets of Rome with their candles and presents to Christian practices.

One imagines it went a little something like this: "You have an unconquered sun, we have an unconquered Son. You give gifts -- we have wise men bringing gifts. You have bonfires and lamps and candles -- we have a new star. It's not really all that hard put the two together." Or something like that.

So the date of Christmas became the 25th, the pagans became Christians, and everybody got a day to celebrate selflessness, joy, and light.