☆ENGLISH ONLY☆コミュのHoliday mixups in japan?

No, this is not a rant on how japan ruins christmas.

Proceeding..

I recieved a card in the mail today from my cousin and her class, in japan.

She was learning about the different holidays in western societies. (The USA, for example)

The card featured a handmade drawing of Santa/a big guy in a red and white suit with a beard and santa hat...

On a cross. Bleeding and a black bag on the floor.

I guess either the teacher or the class didn't know the difference between Santa and Jesus?

I, not being very religious saw it kind of comical.

This class is in an elementary school in Osaka. (I wish I knew which one)

What are your thoughts?
Do japanese classes, etc believe this as well?

The japanese holiday decorations scare me, in a way.
I can try to get a picture of the card, but my camera is being weird.

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[1] mixiユーザー 12月29日 04:19

Ｔｈａｔ’ｓ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｓｃａｒｙ．

[3] mixiユーザー 12月29日 06:00

I've heard about this exact thing - I think it was on snopes.com like, four years ago.

Maybe she sent you the card as a joke? It's definitely a pretty old image and it's made the rounds on the internet before.

Whoops, just looked it up, I wasn't imagining things: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/cross.asp

So either this is just a totally iconic image in Japan at this point (in which case what can you even say?), or everybody knows how wrong it is and she was being ironic.

[4] mixiユーザー 12月29日 06:03

btw, make sure you read the last paragraph of that article - it is possible the image on that card is American.

If it's not the same image in the photo they have, though, maybe you want to scan it and send it to snopes and prove the legend true.

[6] mixiユーザー 12月29日 16:48

Crucified Santa?

I guess some people would consider it both funny and sacrilegious, in a darkly ironic kinda way.

[7] mixiユーザー 12月29日 18:15

Also, considering how the current image of Santa Claus has been created by Coca Cola, the whole "a big guy in a red and white suit with a beard and santa hat" may be some sort of anti-consumerism propaganda!

[8] mixiユーザー 12月31日 06:27

xD She is a little girl! I can't believe it.

But thanks for the opinions. Maybe she say it in a store.

[9] mixiユーザー 12月31日 10:32

It was actually the European Christians who changed the day that St. Nicholas came. It used to be December 6th, but because St. Nick was the St, of giving, they changed it to xmas.

Also, fyi, Santa did not have the image he now has until the Coca Cola company had a campaign almost 80 years ago promoting coke with a red and white santa.

[10] mixiユーザー 01月01日 03:17

Haha.. Anyone want to let me know if all kids believe this? O mean, sure there are some that won't, but do the majority get taught this?

[11] mixiユーザー 01月01日 03:30

That's awful! But I guess I had to supress some horrified laughter. It's so shocking and ironic it's hard not to laugh.. which was probably the point of the card.. Don't send that to anyone with any attachment at all to Christmas, that'll likely get a lot of people angry.

[13] mixiユーザー 01月01日 04:02

Saint Nicholas is still celebrated on the 6th of December. On that day he comes with his helper to distribute presents and sweets for the well behaved children and a stick for the bad ones! Ofcourse in the end somehow every kid (young and old) turns out to be a good one... ahemm...

In addition we have the Christmas man, a totally different character, who comes on the evening of the 24th December. I guess in the US they merged both characters and created a Christmas man named after Saint Nicholas ^L^

So now we have two very similar old men handing out sweets i nthe last month of the year, and ah well that's what counts in the end, doesn't it?

[16] mixiユーザー 01月04日 02:19

Crucified Santa?
Being a satirical soul, i would love to see that!

I was trying to find an image of a Gothic Santa too for my cards this Chrsitmas.... But no luck...

And about Jolly old St. Nick...
I heard that he was originally kitted out in GREEN and white! That was until Coca-cola latched onto the idea and popularised the image of a red and white Santa...

[17] mixiユーザー 01月04日 02:46

Wow, I had no idea that the red and white image of Santa Clause actually came from Coca Cola. I guess Santa would be wearing something blue had it been Pepsi? :)

[18] mixiユーザー 01月04日 02:51

origionally he was wearing green :/

[19] mixiユーザー 01月04日 03:00

Wow, that's hilarious. Please please post a photo of that or something. Did your cousin draw it herself? If so, that's understandable - and down right adorable.

If not, perhaps Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic crusade had something to do with it. Some sort of Passion of Santa BS...

[20] mixiユーザー 01月04日 04:28

i think i've seen this kind of image - santa on the cross - in highschool from morbid students trying to make a statement.
but that's scary coming from ... elementary school kids??

[24] mixiユーザー 01月04日 07:36

Frauhlein Keller zwerg, those spoiled Germans.... sigh... :P

I too like to look at Christmas as having broken out of its religious restraints and evolved into an open for all celebration where our loved ones are the focal point. In that sense it's the best holiday around. The Santa on a cross is still disturbing though...

[26] mixiユーザー 01月07日 19:24

I would love to see this card. The description alone sounds awesome.

[27] mixiユーザー 01月07日 23:29

16 & 17> The Santa red and white Coca Cola thing is an urban myth.

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