Winterval

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"Poster with the headline 'Christmas in Birmingham', then a picture if a mother and children, with the words 'Come for the shopping, stay for the day'. Below that, in smaller type, the Birmingham City Council and Winterval 1998 logos."
1998 'Christmas in Birmingham' poster, with the Winterval logo in smaller type than the word 'Christmas'

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,[1] and then again from mid-October 1998 to mid-January 1999. The intention was to encourage people into the newly rejuvenated city centre,[2] with secular and religious events marking religious and other occasions during the relevant period. The name "Winterval" has since become used in the UK as shorthand for what are presented as attempts to "rebrand" Christmas so as not to exclude non-Christians.

1997

The name "Winterval" was a portmanteau of winter and festival, coined by the Council's Head of Events, Mike Chubb.[3] In October 2008 he explained:[3]

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Quite simply, as head of events at that time, we needed a vehicle which could cover the marketing of a whole season of events... Diwali (the Festival of Lights), Christmas Lights switch-on, BBC Children in Need, Aston Hall by Candlelight, Chinese New Year, New Year's Eve, etc. Also, a season that included theatre shows, an open-air ice-rink, the Frankfurt Open-air Christmas Market and the Christmas seasonal retail offer. Christmas—called Christmas!—and its celebration lay at the heart of Winterval. Political correctness was never the reasoning behind Winterval, but yes, it was intended to be inclusive—which is no bad thing to my mind—and a brand to which other initiatives could be developed as part of the Winterval offer, in order to sell the city at a time when all cities are competing against each other for the seasonal trade.

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.[1] The front cover of the promotional brochure used the word "Christmas" three times[1] and featured a photograph of the City's official Christmas tree.[1] Each of its six pages featured the word "Christmas" in text or images.[1]

1998

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.[4]

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.[5] The Archdeacon of Aston called it "a totally unnecessary example of political correctness to avoid sensitivities people simply do not have".[5] 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.[5] 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:[2]

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...there was a banner saying Merry Christmas across the front of the council house, Christmas lights, Christmas trees in the main civil squares, regular carol-singing sessions by school choirs, and the Lord Mayor sent a Christmas card with a traditional Christmas scene wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

Neighbouring Solihull council invited Birmingham residents desiring a traditional Christmas to go there instead.[2]

Legacy

Birmingham City Council did not use the name "Winterval" after the 1998–9 season,[2] but it persists as shorthand for any secular replacement for Christmas, used both by supporters[6][7] and opponents[8] 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.[2] As such, "Winterval" has been the topic of a question on the quiz-show QI.

On 8 November 2011 the Daily Mail issued a correction[9][10] after using the term 'Winterval' in an article it ran on 26 September 2011,[11] stating:

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Winterval was the collective name for a season of public events, both religious and secular, which took place in Birmingham in 1997 and 1998. We are happy to make clear that Winterval did not rename or replace Christmas.

— Daily Mail[9]

From 2012 onwards, the city council of Waterford in Ireland has branded its five-week pre-Christmas commercial festival as "Waterford Winterval".[12][13]

In 2014 the city of Stoke on Trent, in England, named its council-run Christmas festivities Winterfest.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. - note: though dated 25 September on-line, the article ran in the print edition dated 26 September
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Rebranding Christmas: More public bodies are refusing to give festival its name for fear of causing offence, Cole Moreton, The Independent, Sunday 14 December 2014

External links

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