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Cardinal ChristmaS
BY
BRIAN CHUNG
W
en people ponder
bout Christmas, they
end to think of an
xpensive period of
time, somewhat peaceful and a
rather insignificant holiday. The
significance and prominence of
Christmas were further reduced
when restaurants and hotels began
offering expensive buffets, and
malls went about their
"unbelievable" Christmas shopping
bargains, deals and entertainment
showcases.
However, many are unaware
that Christmas has in fact, been
one ofmany festivals that has
affected history. Below, we share a
few significant and interesting
anecdotes of Christmases that have
gone by, that have made history but
had little to do with the true
meaning of Christmas.
WORLD WAR I CHRISTMAS
TRUCE
We start our tale at No-Man's land
during World War I (WWI). Also
known as the Great War, WWI
witnessed the deaths ofmillions of
soldiers frommany nations. It was a
time filled with bloodshed from the
war, disease in the formofTrench
Feet and Hypothermia - atime of
grief and anguish. However, it was
at this very war where Christmas
and football managed to bring back
atiny bit of hope to humanity.
Christmas ofI914 was a little
different fromwhat many expected
- ofbullets and blood. Instead, it
was filled with chocolate, snaps
and joy as soldiers from the
German and British fronts
celebrated the occasion together.
This was the scene at the famous
WWI Christmas Truce. Survivors
of the war described this special
Christmas as atime where gifts
exchanged hands, carols were sung
and agame of football was played
between the Germans and the
Brits. These were documented in
the letters and diaries of soldiers. It
was during this dark time in
history that the Christmas ofI914
managed to make adifference,
admitting the Great War into
history books as a significant event
to be remembered.
The impact of this "Christmas
Truce" was noteworthy, inspiring
the making ofmusic videos and
advertisements. An example of its
impact and influence is British
grocery chain Sainsbury's 2014
Christmas advertisement which
gained over 18million views on
YouTube.
SURRENDER O F H O N G
K O N G
From one battle to another,
Christmas was ableak time for
Connections
>Significant events that took place onChristmas day
that shaped our world today
many in Hong Kong in
British history. On Dec 8,
1941, Japan launched an
assault on Hong Kong
after the destruction of
Pearl Harbour. The British
Inilitary could not defend
the city as the Japanese
cut offBrit military
access,
preventing
reinforcement
as well as an
evacuation
route. With no
way out, the
British military
had no choice
but to surrender
on that fateful
Christmas day.
The surrender of
Hong Kong set
Japan for acruel
invasion and
occupation of afew
countries
throughout Asia.
The locals dubbed
the Christmas ofI941
as the "Black
Christmas" many
braced
themselves for
the massacres
and brutalities committed by
Japanese forces. With plenty of
photographic evidence of
Japanese atrocity committed
during this World War II, it
was hard for many who
survived this war to forget
this dark and clouded
Christmas.
DEATH O F CHARLIE
CHAPLIN
Moving on from the
bloodshed ofWWI
and II, we continue
our historical
journey to the days
before
technicolour. No
one echoed the
silent film genre
better than Charlie
Chaplin. The British
comedian had made
aname for himself
in the silent film era.
Known was
Chaplin across the
globe for his many
comedy features
and famous films
such as
The
Tramp, The Kid,
The Pilgrim
and
The Great
Dictator.
However, it was a sad and
mournful day for many fans of
silent filmwhen on Christmas day
in 1977, Chaplin passed on.
Nevertheless, the silent actor's
story did not end at his death and
funeral. A group of robbers was
reported to have stolen his body
and demanded USD400,ooo for its
return. The robbers were
eventually captured and Chaplin's
body was reburied
II
weeks later.
The irony of this account is that
the incident inspired a2014 French
film entitled
The Price of Fame
depicting the story of two
immigrants stealing the body of
Charlie Chaplin for ransom.
GODFATHER Ill PREMIER
Speaking of films, the Christmas of
1990 led to the conclusion of a
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famous movie series directed by
Francis Ford Coppola -
The
Godfather.
During this year,
The
Godfather III,
the third and final
film of
The Godfather
trilogy was
premiered.
The film also saw the end of the
main character, Michael Corleone,
head of amafia family. In the film,
Corleone's life ends along with the
series but with abang! The
greatest twist was kept till the last
in this trilogy, which was the
godfather's effort to protect his
family where instead he lost
everything he wanted to protect.
Although the film received
mixed reviews, it was nominated
for the Academy Awards in afew
categories. Since then, the
Godfather
series has made it into
the "classics" among mafia film
enthusiasts, amovie they cannot
refuse.
DISSOLUTION O F THE
SOVIET UN I ON
While the United States enjoyed
the conclusion of the
Godfather
trilogy, the Soviet Union
experienced somewhat similar the
fate of the Godfather - beginning its
decline. The communist
superpower started to lose grip in
the Cold War, beginning with the
destruction of the Berlin Wall It
was amatter of time for the Soviet
Union to lose its hold on Eastern
Europe.
In 1991 on Christmas Day, the
last president of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev, resigned from
administration after a failed coup
attempt by the opposition. The
resignation was broadcasted
across the country and the Russian
tricolour flag was raised to full
mast to fly. Gorbachev was
succeeded by Boris Yeltsin, the
first president ofmodern Russia.
With Gorbachev's resignation, the
Soviet Union succumbed and
finally bowed out.
THEFT O F THE STONE O F
DESTINY
From the cold front of Siberia, we
now approach the chilly Scottish
isle where something unexpected
took place on Christmas. It was 1950
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DECEMBER 8, 2016