Friday
Dec122008
The Pagan Origins of Christmas
Friday, December 12, 2008 at 8:20AM
My little Sister Lindsay posted this in the Aggregate and I liked it so much I just had to post it here.
Why is Christmas the wacky holiday that it is? Where do the traditions come from really? Well, I'll tell you.
Christians will tell you that it's a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Well, that's a lovely thought. Really, it is! Only.... nobody actually knows when Jesus was born. Most historians agree that it was not likely to be December, but rather sometime in September. That's really just a guess though, in my book, because it's based on the description in the Bible. And who knows what the writer may have omitted or added for flair or whatever. At any rate, it begs the question - Why December? Why December 25th? Did they just pick a day at random because nobody really knows when Jesus' birthday is? Well... not exactly.
There are many Pagan and other cultural celebrations that took place well before the participants heard of this Jesus guy. Many of which started before the supposed birth of Christ.
Probably the best known example is the European celebration called Yule. It's a celebration of the Winter Solstice. The coming of a new year of seasons! Well, that is actually simplifying it a bit. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year. The celebrators would go out and chop down the biggest tree they could and burn the log to honor the sun. (or lack thereof, I guess) It was a way of showing appreciation of the sun when it IS around to give life and grow crops. Mistletoe, and kissing under it, was part of the Yuletide tradition as well. It was thought to bring about fertility. (that's hot) Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the Gods. They often decorated their homes and towns with it to welcome the Gods and to hopefully get on good terms with them.
In Ancient Babylon they celebrated December 25th with a feast to honor the Son of Isis. (Goddess of Nature) They would party hard and eat till they were sick! (sounds fun) Gift giving was also a tradition here.
In Rome, long before the birth of Christ, they celebrated Saturnalia during the Winter Solstice. Honoring, you guessed it, Saturn! The God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. As you may have guessed, many parties and merrymaking were tradition here. In fact, Rome was where the tradition of carolers was born. They were called Mummers! (how cute is that) The Mummers would dress in costumes or festive clothing and go house to house singing for and entertaining their neighbors. This was often rewarded with gifts of warm drinks, food, or just an impromptu party.
And then there's everyones favorite Christmas tradition; The Christmas Tree. It always makes me happy to see a happy, shining tree in someones house. The symbol of the tree originates in Northern Europe and ties many of these different celebrations together. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during cold winters as a reminder to everyone that soon their crops would grow again. The boughs were sometimes carried around for good luck, and (if at a wedding), to represent fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshiping huge trees.
These are just a few of MANY examples of holidays/celebrations that took place during the end of December before Christmas existed.
Ok, so let's get back to my question. Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th?
Well, a loooooong time ago in Rome, (In the year 350ish, I think), there was a bit of a shift of power. Most people back then were what we would consider to be Pagan. And in case anyone is confused by the word "pagan", it doesn't mean that they worship the devil or are evil in any way. Quite the opposite! As you can see from the pagan celebration examples above, Pagans essentially worshiped the earth. Though, worshiped isn't quite the word for it in some cases. They respected the earth, and wanted to work WITH IT. They had their Gods, but they were many and they all had good AND evil in them. There was no "good God" and "bad Devil". Anyway, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. Obvioiusly, he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans to convert to Christianity. The new religion was accepted a bit easier because they wouldn't have their feasts or parties taken away from them. That was the plan, and it worked. Eventually.
Christmas = Christ-Mass. (you see what they did there? Clever.) Most historians agree that it began in Germany. Not everyone agrees on which Christian religion started celebrating it first, but I don't think it matters much. Especially since when the "integration" first began, Religious leaders saw the use of pagan traditions, (like the tree), as blasphemy. Eventually, it was accepted as a tool to gain more members to the fold. Sneaky! In fact, this is very controversial with many people even today. Many religious groups hate how Christmas is celebrated! But, as it stands, Christmas is a secular gift-fest, and I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. Does it represent what it's supposed to? Not really. The most well-meaning Christians DO try and keep Jebus in the holiday, but with all the traditions that have NOTHING to do with Christianity it's probably really hard. And that's probably why they shouldn't have taken over the Solstice in the first place. Oh well...
Just for fun, Let's recap:
Mistletoe: associated with the Goddess of Love, Frigga. represents fertility and peace.
Candles: encourages the sun to come back the next year.
Logs On Fire: in honor of the sun and it's gods.
Hollyberries: food of the Gods.
Gifts: to celebrate the son of Isis / The Romans / commercial takeover
Carolers: Roman mummers.
Hot Drinks: again, the Romans.
Feasts: who doesn't want an excuse for a good meal?
Tree: hope fore the next year of crops / celebration of Mother Earth
Boughs: good luck & fertility
Santa: "Father Christmas" originated in Germany. Sadly, Black Peter didn't catch on in the US. Takes the fun out of it, I say... Ha ha, actually the Santa Claus origin is a long one. I don't feel like getting into it right now. It's too complicated.
Why is Christmas the wacky holiday that it is? Where do the traditions come from really? Well, I'll tell you.
Christians will tell you that it's a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Well, that's a lovely thought. Really, it is! Only.... nobody actually knows when Jesus was born. Most historians agree that it was not likely to be December, but rather sometime in September. That's really just a guess though, in my book, because it's based on the description in the Bible. And who knows what the writer may have omitted or added for flair or whatever. At any rate, it begs the question - Why December? Why December 25th? Did they just pick a day at random because nobody really knows when Jesus' birthday is? Well... not exactly.
There are many Pagan and other cultural celebrations that took place well before the participants heard of this Jesus guy. Many of which started before the supposed birth of Christ.
Probably the best known example is the European celebration called Yule. It's a celebration of the Winter Solstice. The coming of a new year of seasons! Well, that is actually simplifying it a bit. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year. The celebrators would go out and chop down the biggest tree they could and burn the log to honor the sun. (or lack thereof, I guess) It was a way of showing appreciation of the sun when it IS around to give life and grow crops. Mistletoe, and kissing under it, was part of the Yuletide tradition as well. It was thought to bring about fertility. (that's hot) Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the Gods. They often decorated their homes and towns with it to welcome the Gods and to hopefully get on good terms with them.
In Ancient Babylon they celebrated December 25th with a feast to honor the Son of Isis. (Goddess of Nature) They would party hard and eat till they were sick! (sounds fun) Gift giving was also a tradition here.
In Rome, long before the birth of Christ, they celebrated Saturnalia during the Winter Solstice. Honoring, you guessed it, Saturn! The God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. As you may have guessed, many parties and merrymaking were tradition here. In fact, Rome was where the tradition of carolers was born. They were called Mummers! (how cute is that) The Mummers would dress in costumes or festive clothing and go house to house singing for and entertaining their neighbors. This was often rewarded with gifts of warm drinks, food, or just an impromptu party.
And then there's everyones favorite Christmas tradition; The Christmas Tree. It always makes me happy to see a happy, shining tree in someones house. The symbol of the tree originates in Northern Europe and ties many of these different celebrations together. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during cold winters as a reminder to everyone that soon their crops would grow again. The boughs were sometimes carried around for good luck, and (if at a wedding), to represent fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshiping huge trees.
These are just a few of MANY examples of holidays/celebrations that took place during the end of December before Christmas existed.
Ok, so let's get back to my question. Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th?
Well, a loooooong time ago in Rome, (In the year 350ish, I think), there was a bit of a shift of power. Most people back then were what we would consider to be Pagan. And in case anyone is confused by the word "pagan", it doesn't mean that they worship the devil or are evil in any way. Quite the opposite! As you can see from the pagan celebration examples above, Pagans essentially worshiped the earth. Though, worshiped isn't quite the word for it in some cases. They respected the earth, and wanted to work WITH IT. They had their Gods, but they were many and they all had good AND evil in them. There was no "good God" and "bad Devil". Anyway, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. Obvioiusly, he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans to convert to Christianity. The new religion was accepted a bit easier because they wouldn't have their feasts or parties taken away from them. That was the plan, and it worked. Eventually.
Christmas = Christ-Mass. (you see what they did there? Clever.) Most historians agree that it began in Germany. Not everyone agrees on which Christian religion started celebrating it first, but I don't think it matters much. Especially since when the "integration" first began, Religious leaders saw the use of pagan traditions, (like the tree), as blasphemy. Eventually, it was accepted as a tool to gain more members to the fold. Sneaky! In fact, this is very controversial with many people even today. Many religious groups hate how Christmas is celebrated! But, as it stands, Christmas is a secular gift-fest, and I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. Does it represent what it's supposed to? Not really. The most well-meaning Christians DO try and keep Jebus in the holiday, but with all the traditions that have NOTHING to do with Christianity it's probably really hard. And that's probably why they shouldn't have taken over the Solstice in the first place. Oh well...
Just for fun, Let's recap:
Mistletoe: associated with the Goddess of Love, Frigga. represents fertility and peace.
Candles: encourages the sun to come back the next year.
Logs On Fire: in honor of the sun and it's gods.
Hollyberries: food of the Gods.
Gifts: to celebrate the son of Isis / The Romans / commercial takeover
Carolers: Roman mummers.
Hot Drinks: again, the Romans.
Feasts: who doesn't want an excuse for a good meal?
Tree: hope fore the next year of crops / celebration of Mother Earth
Boughs: good luck & fertility
Santa: "Father Christmas" originated in Germany. Sadly, Black Peter didn't catch on in the US. Takes the fun out of it, I say... Ha ha, actually the Santa Claus origin is a long one. I don't feel like getting into it right now. It's too complicated.