A Brief History and Origin of Christmas: Pagan Rites, Drunken Revels
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| A Brief History and Origin of Christmas: Pagan Rites, Drunken Revels |
The modern celebration of Christmas is not at all what it used to be. It has become a commercialized, corporate event. Yet, the spirit of Christmas is still alive in many ways.
Commercialism aside, many people still celebrate the birth of Jesus. December 25th marks the festival known as Saturnalia which was traditionally celebrated on December 17th in Rome.
The pagan beliefs associated with Saturnalia included gift-giving and exchanging, decorating evergreen trees, feasting, drinking wine and beer to excess, singing carols and songs.
The Roman Catholic Church took these traditions and merged them with their own customs to create the modern-day celebration of Christmas that we know today.
A Brief History and Origin of Christmas: Pagan Rites, Drunken Revels
A Brief History of Christmas
The earliest evidence of a celebration associated with Christmas comes from the writings of the early church fathers including St. Francis of Assisi who lived in 1223-1294 CE. The church remembers the celebration of Jesus' birth during the Nativity Fast. These traditions include fasting on bread and water.
Today, the tradition has been jettisoned and that is because the church has taken the celebration far beyond its initial Pagan roots and has turned it into a secular holiday. The church has, to date, overlooked the significance of Santa Claus, which represents Christ in all his light.
Nevertheless, in recent years, there have been efforts by some groups to bring the pagan and even Christian celebrations back into mainstream Christmas celebrations.
The Origin of Christmas
Celebrating a festival in December is not a strange thing at all. Even Christianity celebrated the winter solstice on December 25th in the first century BC. The Church Fathers attributed the celebration to the death of Jesus at the same time. Thus, the festival became known as “Christ’s Mass”.
The Romans believed the winter solstice was a time when the Roman Goddess of Agriculture, Demeter, brought in a bountiful harvest. The Romans observed the traditional Winter Solstice because it was a time to honour Demeter. Therefore, to the Roman tradition, the winter solstice was known as the “Christmas holiday”.
It is important to note that the very word Christmas is derived from a pagan goddess called “Chritannia”. The word Christmas actually came from the Catholic Church.
The Meaning of Christmas
The December 25th date associated with Christmas day is one that was originally set up to mark the birth of Jesus and not that of a mythical mythological hero. The date was established based on the astronomical event known as the Winter Solstice.
The earth’s axis of rotation points north as the earth turns from its summer to its winter season, as shown on this simple planetarium illustration. This event marks the midpoint of winter. The winter solstice occurs when the northern hemisphere is tilted furthest away from the sun.
It results in the shortest period of daylight during the year. The solstice begins on December 21 and ends on December 22. By making the date December 25, the date marks the middle of winter.
What is the Future for Christmas?
It seems that every year Christmas is becoming a little more secularized and commercialized. This makes one wonder if the birth of Christ is in any danger of becoming a mere religious holiday, or if the secular aspect is slowly but surely being eroded.
In recent years, people are turning away from the Church and toward a secularized and commercialized version of Christmas.
With the influx of the Internet, Christmas has become a day of gifts, cards, parties, and many other things. Sometimes, it seems like Christmas has become more about having a good time than it is about the birth of Christ. There is a lot of pressure to spend money during this time of the year.
How the Modern-Day Celebrations Came about Christmas
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| How the Modern-Day Celebrations Came about Christmas |
The roots of Christmas are generally believed to be the celebration of the winter solstice, which is said to be the longest night and shortest day of the year. In honour of the longest night, Roman culture observed the Saturnalia festival between December 17 and December 23.
As Roman culture ended and Christianity began to take hold, Christians were pressured to make this holiday different to make it more appealing to the non-Christian people.
The early Christians introduced the celebration of Christmas to incorporate the Pagan traditions, in addition to the beliefs of the Church. In fact, they took these celebrations and combined them with the traditions of Christianity.
Conclusion
If you are unsure of what Christmas is, what pagan traditions are associated with Christmas and who celebrated the first Christmas in any way, don’t fret. The main thing is to realize that the true meaning of Christmas is not lost on anyone.
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A Brief History and Origin of Christmas: Pagan Rites, Drunken Revels
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