Winterval
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Winterval was a season of public events in Birmingham, England, organised by Birmingham City Council in each of two consecutive winters: first from 20 November to 31 December 1997,<ref name="bcc1997" /> and then again from mid-October 1998 to mid-January 1999. The intention was to encourage people into the newly rejuvenated city centre,<ref name="guar2006" /> with secular and religious events marking religious and other occasions, including Christmas, during the relevant period. The name "Winterval" has since become used in the UK as shorthand for what are misrepresented as attempts to "rebrand" Christmas so as not to exclude non-Christians.<ref name="guar2011" />
1997Edit
The name "Winterval" was a portmanteau of winter and festival, coined by the Council's Head of Events, Mike Chubb.<ref name="pigsonthewing" /> In October 2008 he explained:<ref name="pigsonthewing" />
The programme of events in 1997 included theatre and arts events; marking of Diwali; candlelit tours of Aston Hall; an outdoor ice rink; a German-style Christmas market; Christmas lights in the streets; and a New Year's Eve Party.<ref name="bcc1997" /> The front cover of the promotional brochure used the word "Christmas" three times<ref name="bcc1997" /> and featured a photograph of the City's official Christmas tree.<ref name="bcc1997" /> Each of its six pages featured the word "Christmas" in text or images.<ref name="bcc1997" />
1998Edit
The extended Winterval the following year included: Hallowe'en; Guy Fawkes Night; Diwali; Ramadan and Eid; Hanukkah; Advent, Christmas, and Boxing Day; New Year's Eve; and Chinese New Year.
Posters were displayed, advertising Christmas events, with the word "Christmas" in large type, and the "Winterval 98" logo only as a footnote.<ref name="Pickles" />
Church of England leaders in Birmingham criticised the 1998 "Winterval" concept. Mark Santer, then Bishop of Birmingham, said in a message to his parishes that he "laughed out loud" when he learned of the concept of Winterval, which he considered to be "a way of not talking about Christmas" and "a well-meaning attempt not to offend". He wondered whether Christianity had been censored.<ref name="bbc1998" /> The Archdeacon of Aston called it "a totally unnecessary example of political correctness to avoid sensitivities people simply do not have".<ref name="bbc1998" /> The council responded that "Christmas is the very heart of Winterval", saying that Christmas-themed events were prominent among those included in Winterval, and that Christmas-related words and symbols were prominent in its publicity material.<ref name="bbc1998" /> While the Winterval season was longer than the Christmas season, Christmas was the focus of the relevant portion of Winterval, and a statement from Birmingham Council explained:<ref name="guar2006" />
Neighbouring Solihull council invited Birmingham residents desiring a traditional Christmas to go there instead.<ref name="guar2006" />
LegacyEdit
Birmingham City Council did not use the name "Winterval" after the 1998–9 season,<ref name="guar2006" /> but it persists as shorthand for any secular replacement for Christmas, used both by supporters<ref name="ChurchinWales" /> and opponents<ref name="Times_2009" /> of the traditional Christmas; it is also cited as a cautionary tale or urban legend by those who regard allegations of the existence of a "war on Christmas" as overblown.<ref name="guar2006" />
On 8 November 2011 the Daily Mail issued a correction<ref name="Baxter" /> after using the term 'Winterval' in an opinion piece by Melanie Phillips, which it ran on 26 September 2011, stating:<ref name="DM-press-gazette"/>
The lawyer and law correspondent David Allen Green, and the campaigner Inayat Bunglawala both included Winterval as an example in evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press.<ref name="Allen Green" /><ref name="Bowater" /> Green wrote:<ref name="Allen Green" />
The city of Waterford in Ireland has named its municipal mid-winter festivities 'Winterval' since 2012 as an annual event that continues up to the present.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
See alsoEdit
- Christmas controversies
- Christmas and holiday season
- List of winter festivals
- Winterlude – a winter festival held annually in the Canadian National Capital Region
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Winterval: the unpalatable making of a modern myth
- 'Winterval debunked' QI clip on their official YouTube Channel