I’ve just come back from being walked by our border collie! It’s a typical winter afternoon outside: cold, dreich and dark. However my walk was made more bearable by the bright Christmas displays in our High Street as well as in the gardens and front rooms of many households. This is the time of year when millions of religious people celebrate various festivals such as Hannukah, Christmas and Diwali. Millions of others prefer to mark this season in a more secular manner with little or no religious aspect to their festivities. But both religious and secular people seem to share at least one thing in common at this time - the importance of light in their celebrations.

Why does light play such a significant role in our festivities at this time of year? Some would say that bright, colourful lights cheer us up and help us to feel a little better during the bleak and dark winter nights. Light can bring us comfort and remind us that the darkness won’t last forever, longer days are coming. But light has a symbolic meaning too which is often expressed in religious ceremonies. Light represents goodness and overcoming evil, it points to a hopeful future. The opposite of light is darkness, and darkness is often seen in negative ways as something that can be evil, fearful and unsafe. Of course, there is a limit to how far we should take the use of symbolism. If we think of the symbolic use of light and darkness for example, we need to remember that too much light can be dangerous whilst darkness can be nourishing - we started life in the darkness of the womb after all!

I feel that it is important to say at this point that symbols should not be confused with signs. We are all very familiar with lots of different signs: think of road traffic signs, health and safety signs, shop signs, to name but a few. Signs often serve practical purposes and point to something clearly understood by people. Signs inform but they rarely evoke emotional reactions. Symbols perform a different function.

Symbols, unlike signs, point towards something more abstract, something not so tangible, they can be used to convey something in a way that words might not be able to do. We can use everyday things in a symbolic way and give them a new meaning. Certain actions or words can become symbolic, and we will frequently use colours or animals or shapes or items of food or clothing as symbols. In fact, almost anything can take on a symbolic meaning. Symbols can be interpreted in different ways or can convey different meanings, and they can evoke powerful reactions in people. Think of our national flag(s) for example, or wearing the red poppy around Armistice Day, or sporting your team colours during a derby match.

Symbolic words, actions and objects can play a profound role in ceremonies too. The lighting of a candle at a naming ceremony or the exchange of rings at a wedding or the scattering of flowers over the coffin at a funeral can be very powerful. Symbols can enhance these occasions and might be remembered when words are forgotten.

I wonder what symbolic words, actions or objects mean a lot to you – and why?

December 2023