{"id":1719,"date":"2023-12-12T13:40:28","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T13:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quantiv.com\/?p=1719"},"modified":"2023-12-12T15:44:09","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T15:44:09","slug":"the-visual-language-of-christmas-and-other-festivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quantiv.com\/the-visual-language-of-christmas-and-other-festivals\/","title":{"rendered":"The visual language of Christmas and other festivals"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"ChrisChris Conway
\nChief Architect, Quantiv<\/p>\n<\/div>

The approaching winter solstice has got me thinking about the different traditions and festivals that have light and reflection as central themes.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s Christmas<\/a> of course, and also Diwali and Hanukkah, to name just a few.<\/p>\n

And as well as the many words associated with each event, there are numerous pictures, symbols and icons, too. In fact, images often representing light are familiar features of each of these festivals.<\/p>\n

Christmas and its secular traditions<\/h3>\n

Using Christmas as an example, there are many secular traditions that have developed around this religious event. And in those traditions, images have become even more widespread \u2013 trees, snowmen, Santa Claus, elves, reindeer\u2026 the list goes on \u2013 while the words associated with those traditions are often captured in song.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve even developed ways to distribute those images. And for all the expansion of electronic communication, greeting cards remain one of the popular methods of sending festive cheer to our relatives and friends.<\/p>\n

Although words have been associated with religion for thousands of years, they were often the preserve of a very select few. Literacy was a rare skill until comparatively recently, and so images \u2013 and songs \u2013 were essential to convey ideas to a wider audience. For many, their experience of religion was defined by those seasonal images and songs.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019d also like to think this is a testament to the power of a good image (with caveats \u2013 see my earlier blog<\/a>).<\/p>\n

What can an image do?<\/h3>\n