So it’s Christmas eve – which means only one thing -we’ve come to the end of our Christmas facts! Hope you’ve enjoyed them as much as we have! Plus it’s also given us the excuse to raid out Bluestocking Christmas show picture file – and today’s is from last year’s Hothouse Flowers show, and who better than one performer our audience always went wild for – Flixx Demontrant! This was Flixx’ last show and we were truly honored he chose to spend it with us! Pic by Miss Moth 

Fact #24 December 25. 

Many Gods celebrate their birthdays on December 25, historically. For starters, there’s Ishtar, the babylonian goddess (although everyone seems to think she is egyptian!) of love, war, fertility and sexuality, Mithra the ancient Iranian god of light and Sol invictus, the ‘unconquered Sun’, god of the later Roman period. When Julius Caesar introduced the Julian Calendar in 45 BC, the winter solstice date was 25 December, hence the re-birth of the sun after the longest day becoming the birthday of these sun and light (and other important) gods. Some early christian writers are responsible for us celebrating jesus’ birthday on this date as in scriptures his birth was connected (or it was interpreted as) the re-birth of the sun by them.

All we have to say is happy christmas everyone! We hope it’s a good one, and we’ll see you on New Years Eve for our Victorian Soiree at Hogarths, Swansea. Tickets are £5 in advance from Hogarths (may be more ££s on the door) in aid of Shelter Cymru