CULTURE/SOCIETY: The Origin Of Bah Humbug

This is from me, and is NOT some reprinted material. - OlderMusicGeek

Last year, I had the following at the end of all my Christmas posts...

Happy Christmas and/or Boxing Day and/or Kwanzaa and/or Hannakah and/or Bodhi Day and/or Sanghamitta Day and/or Shabe Cheleh and/or Makara Sankranti and/or Junkanoo and/or Dong Zhi and/or Toji and/or Soyal and/or Yule and/or Seva Zistane and/or Alban Arthan and/or Long Night and/or Mean Geimrech and/or Brumalia and/or Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and/or Saturnalia and/or Lenaea and/or Wren Day and/or Tekufah Tevet and/or Winter Solstice and/or ChriFSMas and/or any other December or winter solstice holidays i missed!

Oh, and Bah Humbug to those who don't celebrate the holidays! :)

Some of you asked about this "Bah Humbug" holiday.

So I thought I would explained this little known holiday.

It occurs on the winter solstice or rather during the longest night of the year.

Originally, the holiday was started by a ancient Greek school of philosophers known as the Skeptikoi. The purpose of it then was to "comtemplate how the unknowability of the world is like the darkest darkness".

It was called "βάλλω baukopanourgos" - "throwing of the humbug". The insects were so numerous that night, that they were swatting them left and right. And many of the insects got knocked around.

Somehow, βάλλω or "ballo" eventually became "bah" and "baukopanourgos" was translated to its English equivalent.


This time of contemplation was then picked up the school of philosophers in ancient Greeks known as the "κύων" or the "dogs" or The "Cynics".

They were called the dogs because they felt virtue was the only thing needed for happiness, and anything else - including family, money, and even hygiene - weren't needed.

But under The Cynics, this holiday became about they needed nothing, not even light, instead of the unknowable.


As time went on, "Bah Humbugs" became "Bah Humbug" and it became about things we don't need rather than not needing anything. So by Victorian times, it was a time to contemplate on serious matters rather than frivolous things.

And humbug got associated with nonsense and silly things. And also with hoaxes and jests.

And since "bah" rather than "boo" was used to scare people in Victoria times, most people assume "bah humbug" was away of telling people to send away their nonsense.

Thus, Ebenezer Scrooge telling his nephew "bah humbug" when he brought up Christmas.

Wikipedia entry on Skepticism
Wikipedia entry on The Cynics
Wikipedia entry for Humbug
The Uncyclopedia entry for Humbug

A link to all my Christmas posts

Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you're celebrating!
MY CHRISTMAS INTERNET RADIO STATIONS
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OlderMusicGeek's Christmas QuickMix
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