Word from the Chair: Season’s Greetings
While good wishes should naturally be welcomed any time, there is a long tradition to extend well wishes and good will at the end of the year. Today the ‘Happy Holidays’ wish appears most common, replacing the ‘Merry Christmas’ wish, which has a long historical pedigree in the West. Still, ‘Happy Holidays’ derives etymologically from the old English haliday, which means holy day.* In Christianity the holy days refer to the period of Advent, four Sundays leading up to Christmas day and also include Epiphany on 6 January. In a diverse and secularizing world, not only language is changing but also the wording of wishes is subject to diversification. For some, the ‘War on Christmas’ wishes can sometimes become intense.
These discussions seem frivolous in comparison to the real wars that are being waged in the world today. In 2023 we have been witness to virulent conflict in different regions, the consequences of which were also felt very close to home in discussions and debates on campus. There is lots of reason to be sad about the loss of life and the large-scale destruction, and our hearts go out to all who are mourning. Especially in dark times like these, we also need to cherish the rays of light, however small. As a program, we can be content with the many respectful and constructive conversations we have managed to organize and conduct. Moreover, a glimmer of hope is the recent establishment of a Peace Academy. It is an attempt to bring students together to talk about how conflicts develop and continue but also how to meaningfully engage and develop activities to foster peace. Prof Maurits Berger is working currently with around ten students to get this initiative off the ground. We hope to share more details with you in our next International Studies newsletter.
At the time of year when the winter solstice occurs, the day of the year with the least sun light in the northern hemisphere, we are most in need of light and hope and wishes for better days ahead. Let us wish each other well, whatever secular or religious tradition we hail from, or whatever words we find useful to express ourselves and that it may come, most importantly, from the heart. Borrowing from T.S. Eliot, British American Nobel prize winner and playwright (possibly most famous for his poem Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, which Andrew Lloyd Webber turned into a famous musical) - ‘For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning’. His quote forms an invitation to grow in language and expression, as well as to experience new things.
Happy Festive Season and all good wishes for a new year filled with hope and new experiences,
The International Studies Program Board
* https://www.history.com/news/the-war-of-words-behind-happy-holidays