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2012 xmas quiz answers

Jan 1, 2012 | 11:19 AM

What Happened to the Three Kings?

No kings and possibly no sheep in Bethlehem on the first Christmas Day? It really spoils the creche scene we're used to! But wait. All is not lost. (And no, you can't have a second creche for only $19.95 no matter who you phone. There are no operators standing by…)

Back to the Three Kings. The Apostles who wrote the Christmas story can be excused for a few differences here and there. They got the story decades later. Papyrus was in short supply for those who weren't all that wealthy, so again, the Apostles can't be blamed if they fashioned a number of bits of stories into the one beautiful story we have now. Theologians are still arguing the details, but we can be fairly sure that the three kings were actually three members of a sacred caste which provided priests for Persia and inhabited Medes, which is roughly the area of Persia, now known as Iran. Given the distance, it is likely the three priests didn't arrive to see Jesus for many months and perhaps as much as a year after Jesus birth was born.

The first question I asked in the last column was which is the only month theologians have not declared to be the month Jesus was NOT born. The answer is July. Snow has never fallen in P.A. in July either.

Now, about the sheep: I had it in my head that lambs were born in March, but that seems to be questionable. A comment last week says that the writer had a lamb born on Christmas Day one year. It all depends on when the ewe was bred, he says. And, I suspect it also depends on climate, so lambs can be born whenever.

The Christmas tree was introduced to England by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. However, the custom was observed, not only in his native Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Germany), but in several other European countries. The custom in Canada may have come from other countries besides England.

Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem to take part in a census. David was of the line of David, so Bethlehem was where he had to be to report. If a few hundred miles riding a donkey doesn't bring on a birth, what will?

There is a Roman Catholic cathedral, Sacred Heart, on Fourth Avenue West, and the Anglican Cathedral, St. Alban the Martyr, better known just as St. Albans, is on Bishop McLean Crescent, surrounded by the downtown mall.

Poor old Oliver Cromwell gets blamed for canceling Christmas when he took over as ruler of England in 1648. However, it was actually the parliament under Charles I, just before his death, that actually dispensed with the holy day. Cromwell, however, left things as they were and Christmas wasn't celebrated again until Charles II was restored to the throne.

How many days of Christmas? There are twelve for western Christians, and Ukrainians start their Christmas on the sixth of January in keeping with the old calendar. The Ukrainian Christmas also lasts for twelve days. Neither celebration is noted for lords a' leaping.

A happy 365 day period depends on how much you imbibed the night before. So, Happy New 363 – 365 day New Year. I hope your 2012 is happy, healthy and safe and that not too many months pass until you remember to write 2012. It is customary to be on track by February.