“Pie love thee, Lord Jesus”
Pie Jesu, surely?
Mm, sacrilicious: Greggs advent calendar features sausage roll in a manger
Nothing quite says Christmas like greasy, calorific overindulgence, and this year budget sausage roll shop Greggs is ready to get you in the mood with its "treat-filled" limited-edition advent calendar. Each door reveals a tear-off token that can be taken into Greggs branches to be exchanged for a different treat every day …
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Monday 13th November 2017 14:03 GMT Mage
Santa
Born much later and they think they recently know which formerly Byzantium Church has the tomb. He was a bloke that distributed stuff in his own locality to some poor people.
I've no idea when folk myth added flying reindeer or the necessity for a large red truck.
As Pratchett pointed out, people do love stories. Boar drawn sleigh? Sort of Nordic. Vanadis / Freya had a sleigh drawn by cats and rode a large boar. Possibly naked. Any connection between the formerly popular Norse Demi-godess and any original Vanir chieftess may be tenuous.
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Monday 13th November 2017 15:58 GMT Mage
Re: Freya is comparable to Venus or Aphrodite.
Ah, History written by winners.
The Romans (and Julius Caesar in his writings) knew most of their gods were re-labelled Greeks. They and later scholars assumed this applied to everyone. Mainland European Celts, particularly in Julius's time.
While there are certain themes that are universal, Freya is NOT a Norse Venus/Aphrodite/Astarte/Isis.
Lugh is not Mercury/Hermes. The Dagda, Odin/Wotan etc are not Zeus.
"demi" means not exactly or half. The Norse and Celtic mythic figures have a complex relationship to the idea of Worship. Legend gradually grows the godness of them, especially Celtic. The oldest major Norse texts are quite late, maybe 12th C Icelandic, I'm not sure. Irish texts are the oldest texts not about Greek/Roman myth in Western Europe. Some echo ancient Hindi / Indus valley stories, few Irish or Norse texts are like Greek or Roman.
Neo-pagan Celtic and Norse stuff is mostly made up in the 19th C as no actual written record of any rites exist. There are ornaments presumed to be religious amulets in Norse/Scandi graves. Loads of Scandi places are named after Freya.
The connection between Danu and Ireland seems to be a quite late post Christian invention as she was river goddess of the Danube. Ancient Irish texts mention goddesses of Boyne, Shannon and other Irish rivers. The Tuath Dé Danaan (Tribe of Goddess Danu) were originally only called Tuath Dé, the Tribe or people of the God. (Asterix's By Toutatis means by the God of the Tribe).
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Tuesday 14th November 2017 00:47 GMT John Brown (no body)
Re: Freya is comparable to Venus or Aphrodite.
"The Norse and Celtic mythic figures have a complex relationship to the idea of Worship."
Didn't they retire and move to New Zealand? I saw a documentary about it.
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Monday 13th November 2017 19:22 GMT handleoclast
Re: Santa
I've no idea when folk myth added flying reindeer or the necessity for a large red truck.
The derivation of much Christmas symbolism is to be found here. Enjoy your glass of hallucinogenic reindeer piss.
Note: beware of Harvey Weinstein or Louis CK offering to decorate your tree with "tinsel substitute."
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Monday 13th November 2017 14:15 GMT Mage
Christmas and Religion.
Almost nothing of the Christmas activities has any connection with Christianity. It's not even the proper date for the birth, no shepherd will be having sheep out in the Bethlehem fields in December.
I don't mind people having mince pies, Christmas trees, parties, decorations, fairy lights, alcoholic drink (drunkenness is wrong as is drink driving), Christmas cakes, Yule Logs, Christmas presents and "Santa Claus", because I'm not a 17th Century Puritan. I can't exactly see why Muslims and Ultra Orthodox would ban it because it's Christian, it's not. Perhaps because it's pagan, worldly, greedy self-indulgence? That's probably why Cromwell's crowd and the US Puritans banned it all.
Lidl had a set of ladies socks for Advent and then a Cien Beauty products Advent Calendar (I think both might leave your female friend underwhelmed). Chocolate is popular.
Lego had one. I see this year MegaBloks are copying them with a set of pseudo "minifigs". Lego is better.
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Monday 13th November 2017 15:40 GMT Mage
Re: what's wrong with being a 17th Century Puritan
I'm not interested in being one. I think you can join them in some small US towns? Not sure. I think they have given up hanging Catholics and burning witches, so I suppose as long as they keep the laws of the land it's OK if you want to be one.
I'm not interested in joining things generally. I suppose I admit to being a member of the human species. I'm suspicious of stereotypical labels as much as most organised religions.
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Monday 13th November 2017 20:25 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Christmas and Religion.
@Mage
because I'm not a 17th Century Puritan
And what's wrong with being a 17th Century Puritan, may I ask? Black goes with anything, and silver shoe buckles are totally un-necessary.
Aunt: [slaps Blackadder twice] Wicked child!!! Chairs are an invention of Satan!
In our house, Nathaniel sits on a spike!
Edmund: ...and yourself...?
Aunt: I sit on Nathaniel -- two spikes would be an extravagance.
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Monday 13th November 2017 14:44 GMT Pen-y-gors
I see you lot still find religion-bashing amusing.
I thought it was all about slagging off a sleazy purveyor of fat-laden pastry who really seem to have failed to comprehend the traditional meaning of Christ-mas. John Lennon got mild criticism for saying the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, now Greggs are likening themselves to Christ!
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Monday 13th November 2017 12:52 GMT theModge
Re: Sausage roll in a manger
I keep the kosher sausages right next to the halal bacon.
My devoutly atheist Iranian friend went through a protracted phase of asking is the [pork product on the menu] halal in restaurants. It was quite funny the first couple of times. Especially when the waitress looked confused and went to ask the kitchen.
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Monday 13th November 2017 13:42 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Sausage roll in a manger
"[...] asking is the [pork product on the menu] halal in restaurants"
In the kibbutz dining hall a rather fervent volunteer from New York wanted to know if the menu's "hamburgers" were pork free. The dining room supervisor assured him they were. In the kitchen I repeated the question - and the supervisor then just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
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Tuesday 14th November 2017 10:56 GMT Stoneshop
Re: keep the kosher sausages right next to the halal bacon.
Tayto smoky bacon crisps are kosher and meat free.
A pretty good vegetarian substitute for fried bacon cubes: dice a block of smoked tofu, put them in a hot skillet with a bit of oil, then after they're about halfway fried, add vegetable stock (quantity needs to be experimented with a bit, depending on the desired result). Keep the heat on until the stock has been absorbed into the cubes and the water evaporated, then fry until target crispiness achieved.
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Monday 13th November 2017 13:57 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: And....
If you are working on site - out of hours - then you are grateful for any shop that sells a hot snack.
In Pretoria, South Africa, we used to get our project team's food from a take-away just before they closed at 2am. As the shopkeeper only spoke Afrikaans then our only native-speaker in the team would fetch the order. She was always accompanied by whichever man was free at that moment.
This went on for several weeks. On one occasion two men went with her. In the shop there was a more than usual exchange in Afrikaans. She gave us the translation of what the shopkeeper said later - along the lines of "you're doing well tonight "
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Monday 13th November 2017 13:01 GMT Anonymous Coward
Wolfetone said "For once, can we leave the whole "Religion is bullshit" or "Atheists are cunts" thing at the door and JUST ENJOY THE SAUSAGE ROLLS!?!"
Your sentence exemplifies why religion is a bad thing, atheists don't like religions but religious people don't like atheists i.e. people rather than ideas.
For saying the "jealous god" religions are presented as being "good" they always seem to promote intolerance.
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Monday 13th November 2017 13:32 GMT wolfetone
"Wolfetone said "For once, can we leave the whole "Religion is bullshit" or "Atheists are cunts" thing at the door and JUST ENJOY THE SAUSAGE ROLLS!?!"
Your sentence exemplifies why religion is a bad thing, atheists don't like religions but religious people don't like atheists i.e. people rather than ideas.
For saying the "jealous god" religions are presented as being "good" they always seem to promote intolerance."
My sentence exemplifies one thing which you don't want to admit: I want to enjoy the sausage rolls without getting in to an argument that can never be won by either party.
This is a discussion about sausage rolls. Not religion.
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Monday 13th November 2017 13:34 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: The body of christ
Turns out to be 98% gristle
To be fair to Greggs, I've never got one of those retch-inducting great lumps of gristle that supermarkets manage to put in their economy sausages. Doesn't mean it isn't there, but if it is, at least Greggs make sure it's ground down so that is isn't apparent.
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Tuesday 14th November 2017 15:24 GMT CrazyOldCatMan
Re: The body of christ
retch-inducting great lumps of gristle that supermarkets manage to put in their economy
The clue is in the labelling. As with so many things[1] in life, buying 'economy' is usually futile.
[1] Sausages, chocolate, wine[2], members of the appropriate gender..
[2] Well, sometimes. Some cheap wine is surprisingly drinkable, especially if drunk quite close to the producer..
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Monday 13th November 2017 19:17 GMT Charlie Clark
Re: Tesco ad with Muslims
Not a problem per-se, as 99.99% of Christmas is secular.
But what if you're allergic to secular? ;-)
Christmas – the festival of the winter (or summer for those downunder) solstice lends – itself conveniently to all kinds of interpretation but best of all, and in my best Frank Gallagher impersonation, it's a great excuse for a party!
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Monday 13th November 2017 13:26 GMT tiggity
"The calendar is worth between £35-£60"
That might be what the vouchers equate to in terms of cost of Greggs Items.
IMHO its worth very little
Disclosure: I'm not a veggie / vegan, I eat meat, just not convinced Greggs sausage roll I once tried tasted much of meat (didn't taste of anything much at all really) and have no desire to repeat a Greggs "taste experience"
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Monday 13th November 2017 13:49 GMT Admiral Grace Hopper
"All from one magical animal"
A very dear friend bought this Pork Scratching Advent Calendar for me. I am a very lucky girl indeed.
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Monday 13th November 2017 22:19 GMT Fruit and Nutcase
Sausage Roll Correspondent
Another review by Kat Hall, The Register's Sausage Roll Correspondent
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/08/08/footlong_sausage_roll_just_1_pound/
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Tuesday 14th November 2017 00:49 GMT Alistair
for us northern left pondians,
I'll just note that we have this:
http://craftbeerimports.ca/beer-advent#
And I'm kinda picky about my sausage rolls. Sadly, the only commercial one I ever connected with left (to my knowledge) this mortal plane about 25 years ago. Shop lasted another 12 years or so but the youngster just didn't have the touch his Nana did. And she could make to die for veal and lasagna to boot.
Happy hakwchristice
Biting the hand that feeds IT
