Many of the traditions connected to the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ have non-Christian origins. The word Christmas is from the old English “Crīstesmæsse”, the pre historic Christian churches referred the meaning to “Christ’s Mass” the Eucharistic feast celebration of Christ birthday.The Birth of ChristAlthough the year of Jesus Christ birth date was estimated by most modern theology scientists and historians somewhere between 7 and 2BC, the debate continues about the exact month and day of Jesus birth. Nowadays, the Twelve Days of Christmas aren’t kept so carefully as they once were, although people recall them through the famous song “ The Twelve Days of Christmas.”. Tia Kolbaba, associate professor for the Department of Religion at Rutgers University, told CP in an earlier interview that there was "not a lot of emphasis" on Christmas in the early Church. What do brightly lit trees and mistletoe have to do with the birth of a prophet in Bethlehem thousands of years ago? The celebration of Christmas started in Rome about 336 (but it did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century). In 274 AD, long after Saturnalia was already a thing, the Romans established yet another way to mark the season: a day to celebrate the sun god Sol Invictus. The sunrise on winter solstice was a sacred event to the ancient Celts. "The big question is whether they celebrated it or not," said Kolbaba, who noted that elements like the crèche or manger scene displays do not appear until around the 13th century. From the Council of Tour of 567, the Christian church declared the 12 days of Christmas as the unifying period of Christmas festival season “Christmastide“, giving the essential importance of Christmas Days between the feast of Christmas and the feast of Epiphany. But why was the period so long when Christ’s birth related to only one day?

The CE article concludes that when later Christians adopted the date of the 25th of December for Jesus' birth, \"the abundance of analogous midwinter festivals may indefinitely have helped the choice of the December date, the same instinct which set Natalis Invicti at the winter solstice will have sufficed, apart from deliberate adaptation or curious calculation, to set the Christian feast there too\". Except that it almost certainly wasn’t December 25th. Here are 10 reasons to reconsider, 5 truths to hold on to no matter what happens in election, 10 reasons why more black men (and women) are voting for Trump. Other Christmas symbols, such as trees and … Terms with an etymological equivalent to Yule are still used in Nordic countries and Estonia to describe Christmas and other festivals occurring during the winter holiday season . In the dark and cold of winter, at solstice the sun begins the long journey back towards its midsummer peak. Some of these traditions can be easily traced back to their origins, while the exact roots of others have become lost in time. Whether you’re tucking into rice balls in China, a watermelon in Iran or a slightly overcooked turkey breast in Blighty (should have shoved more butter under the skin, shouldn’t you?
Some in the modern day still adhere to the pagan meanings of the pre-Christian aspects of the Christmas holiday, reported Jefferson Calico of kentucky.com. Most of the traditions associated with pagan festivals are only remotely similar to Christmas celebrations. Lovely Celtic music too, A traditional Irish Christmas blessing in English is: 'May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door, and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas.

Celebrated on varying dates every November and/or December, Hannukah is grounded in verifiable historical fact, yet some have drawn comparisons between this 'Festival of Lights' (the lights harkening back to the miracle of the lamp) and pagan celebrations involving the lighting of candles in the depths of winter. Kolbaba noted that the early Church put a greater focus on Easter and the Lord's Day, with more attention toward the Second Coming. There’s also the bit in the Bible reporting a census being carried out on the citizens of the Roman Empire at the time of Christ’s birth; some believe it’s unlikely the Emperor would have sent his man out to collect the census information in the dire weather of winter. Aside from all that, it’s been more generally pointed out that, as shepherds were tending their flocks when Jesus was born, it’s more likely to have been spring rather than winter.

reported Jefferson Calico of kentucky.com. Instead, the habit of visiting each other’s houses on 26th December has continued, without hunting small birds! That’s because Hanukkah commemorates the triumphant rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after it was desecrated on the orders of a king of the Seleucid Empire, who cracked down on Jewish practices in the second century BC. All in all, Saturnalia had all the hype and excitement we associate with Christmas today. "In Pagan spirituality, December is the transition to the new year and is thought of as a time of upheaval as well as new beginnings. So yes, you can have a family Yule celebration and still have a holiday tree, roast chestnuts on the open fire, and even hang stockings with care by the fire. The saga goes onto to say that, 'Before that, Yule was celebrated on midwinter night', and that the king 'coaxed those who were dearest to him into becoming Christians'. The candle in the window marks the way to warmth and hospitality to anyone who finds themselves, like Mary and Joseph in the New Testament, without a place to stay at Christmastime. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts\" - those authors lived into the 3rd century. "Groups of people who follow contemporary pagan religious traditions will be gathering to celebrate the old/new holiday of Yule: the Festival of Light in contemporary pagan nature religion," wrote Calico. In other words, turning it from a solstice festival into a celebration of Jesus. It is interesting to see how traditions where pretty much the same in areas with short days during winter. Although today we tend to think of it as a big, cakey confection to stuff into our faces in the rare moments we’re not gorging on mince pies and Quality Street, Yule logs were originally real, actual logs. December 25th. But if the Catholic Church gradually came to embrace Christmas, the … Of course, others have suggested varying dates for when John’s father would have been attending to his priestly duties, and there’s really no way of telling for certain.
They were also allowed to openly criticise those in power, making Saturnalia an annual flowering of free speech and cheeky satire. Over in China, meanwhile, there’s the Dongzhi festival of December, which again brings families together for some serious celebrating time, with traditional foods including balls of glutinous rice served in savoury and sweet broths, and traditional dumplings. The church in Rome began celebrating Christmas on December 25 during the reign of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, possibly to weaken pagan traditions. The Council of Tours established the Twelve Days in 567AD when they announced that the period between Christ’s nativity on December 25thand Epiphany on January 6thshould be part of the Christ Mass celebrations. Candlelight conquered darkness and evergreens were prized for remaining green in even the brutal winters. ), the roots of it all go back to the common consciousness of our distant ancestors. Bottom line: nobody knows when Jesus’ birthday was. It was celebrated mid- to late-December between the 17 th and 23 rd of the month. To which others might point out that the Roman Empire’s HR department probably wasn’t too fussed about the comfort and well-being of their staff, so it may well have been winter after all. Others contend that September was the actual birth month, getting this from calculations involving John the Baptist’s father. What does a jolly, portly man in red and white garb have to do with Christianity? What’s the meaning behind the Yule log? All Rights Reserved. There have been numerous interpretations of what the Star really was, and what its appearance can tell us about the timeline of Christ’s life. The slightly longer answer is that a lot of modern Pagans find a way to blend the Christmas traditions of their childhood with the Pagan beliefs they've come to embrace as adults. Other regions in the Roman Empire continued the secular celebration in festive atmosphere ’till the end of month of December every year, long after it was officially removed from the official calendar. Why? Today it can still be seen in spectacular fashion at Newgrange in Ireland. Answer: There is no doubt that some of what we now refer to as Christmas traditions can be traced back, in some form, to pagan cultures and celebrations. Nowadays, the Twelve Days of Christmas aren’t kept so carefully as they once were, although people recall them through the famous song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”However, in the Middle Ages, it was commonplace for workers to down tools and relax and celebrate Christ’s birth with masses and revels stretched over almost two weeks. Baldr was killed, and Frigg’s tears of woe were caught on the mistletoe’s branches, turning into the white, pearl-like berries, symbolising her love for him. Many present-day Christmas customs and traditions such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from pagan Yule traditions.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Originates from the Numerous Pagan Festivals Once celebrated around midwinter. Do you want award-winning journalism with a Christian worldview, delivered to your inbox? Even so, some say that various Christmas traditions have pagan origins, so the question is legitimate. Most famous of all was the Saturnalia, which started on December 17 and by the imperial period, lasted for a week. Although the early Christian church leaders described Saturnalia Feast as unbiblical and contradict the fundamental belief of Christians at that time, the Christian Leaders managed to changed the pagans cultures by naming the 25th day to be Jesus Christ’s birth day.How did the Twelve Days of Christmas Start?Other Christian churches celebrate Christmas every 25th of December using the Julian calendar which the festive currently correspond to January 7 in Gregorian calendar, that is the day after the feast of Epiphany concluded. Christmas has been marked in Ireland since St. Patrick brought Christianity to the island in the fifth century. Likewise, Saturnalia, which has also been proposed an origin of Christmas, was never celebrated on December 25. Christmas makes no sense, and we’re not just talking about that time David Bowie and Bing Crosby collaborated on a festive sing-along. The Yule log itself is a relic of those long-lost days. The celebration of the turning point towards more light sounds familiar but yet different of course. Many people have a general inkling about the way old pagan traditions and celebrations fed into Christmas as we know it today. The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1908 states that \"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Prof. Hutton, a respected and careful primary-sources historian, mentions Christmas in his valuable book on the history of modern Paganism. But joining the dots between Saturnalia, Sol Invictus and Christmas doesn’t tell the whole story. The ringing of bells, for example, is generally thought to have had its origin in the early pagan winter celebration of ringing of bells to drive out evil spirits.

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