Ducks Mahal

Who Started Christmas anyway?

As part of my yearly Christmas tradition, I send this paper in hopes of shedding light on the origins of Christmas. It serves as a reminder as to why Christians celebrate Christmas – when there really isn’t a clear reason to do so. I hope you enjoy this in the spirit in which it is meant (Christmas) and in discovering the myths and legends behind this tradition.

May we begin?

Christmas has its roots dating way back to the darkness of early civilization. It has become a mélange of various holidays around the December winter solstice time of year. One thing is absolutely certain; it definitely is not the birthday of Jesus. The Bible is silent as to when Jesus was actually born and there are no other historical documents and archeology to indicate the true date. There are some theologians who have tried to point to certain events in the Bible that might give a clue as to when Jesus was actually born. Most point to early October. Still no one really knows. But, historical Roman documents do attest to his life and crucifixion. Please feel free to research any of this on the internet or in the King James Version Holy Bible.

Western Civilization textbooks trace Christmas back to several winter solstice celebrations around which are points when nights are the longest and the photo time of day the shortest. Christmas started as celebration of the darkness soon to be increased by the spring of plenty. As a Christian, I say this is an exact allegory of my Lord Jesus who came as the light.

The pagan ritual of worshipping Mithras occurred during the time of early Christianity. This was a rival alternative religion to Christianity as Mithras was worshipped by Roman soldiers in secret underground chapels. Mithras had many of the same attributes of Jesus, caring for people and other humanity prone characteristics. The birth date of Mithras was discovered to be December 25.

There was another pagan holiday celebration at the same time that involved the debauchery of Saturnalia (December 17 to 25). Saturn was the mythical god of agriculture. His wife Ops was the goddess of plenty. It is obvious these folks occupied their time with very exotic activity while the weather was not fit for farming or conquering other nations. This also followed typical solstice worships which occurred on December 22.

Decorating a Christmas tree began as a pagan ritual. There are many who feel this ceremony has its origins in Jeremiah 10:2-4. This is what the LORD says: “2 Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.” Please note, Christmas trees are okay; just don’t bow down to any in worship and you’ll be just fine.

There is one perspective on Christmas trees written by a radio evangelist whom I consider pedant and an erudite. I’ll at least mention it, but find him suspect because he rarely if ever reveals his sources and rarely tells the whole story. He states, “…Christian symbols found in homes at Christmas time. The first was a ‘Paradise tree,’ an evergreen which was hung with apples which represented the tree of life in the Garden of Eden.” In researching this on the Internet, the Iowa State, Department of Horticulture states, “The Christmas tree is a tradition which began in Germany in the seventeenth century. There are several legends concerning the origin of the Christmas tree. Historians do know that the primitive cultures of northern Europe believed that evergreen trees possessed godlike powers. The evergreen tree also symbolized immortality. The Germanic peoples would bring evergreen boughs into their homes during winter to insure the protection of the home and the return of life to the snow-covered forest. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, eventually the evergreen tree was transformed into a Christian symbol.”

The Iowa State, Department of Horticulture says about Holly and Mistletoe, “Holly was considered sacred by the ancient Romans. Holly was used to honor Saturn, god of agriculture, during their Saturnalia festival held during the winter solstice. The Romans gave one another holly wreaths, carried it in processions, and decked images of Saturn with it. During the early years of the Christian religion in Rome, many Christians continued to deck their homes with holly to avoid detection and persecution by Roman authorities. Gradually, holly became a symbol of Christmas when Christianity became the dominant religion of the empire.”

“Traditions involving mistletoe date back to ancient times. Druids believed that mistletoe could bestow health and good luck. Welsh farmers associated mistletoe with fertility. A good mistletoe crop foretold a good crop the following season. Mistletoe was also thought to influence human fertility and was prescribed to individuals who had problems bearing children.” I suppose this is where the tradition of kissing under Mistletoe began. Mistletoe incidentally is an opportunistic parasite that grows in trees.

We know that early Christians celebrated Christmas since 4th century AD. Dutch settlers brought to the Americas the custom of celebrating Saint Nicholas’s Eve (December 5) with gift giving. British settlers took over the tradition as part of their Christmas celebration.

There is also the Jewish festival of Hanukkah (December 6), an eight-day festival beginning on the 25th day of Kislev, commemorating the victory in 165 B.C. of the Maccabees over Antiochus Epiphanes.

So it’s hard to say exactly where this tradition started and why it started. Again, it seems to be a mélange of a many celebrations.

Truth be told, I personally don’t care much for Christmas as it is racked full of anxiety making to assure all the parts are in motion such as gift giving, food preparation, parties, card mailing and the like. Why are we so full of giving during this one part of the year when suffering for many is a year long event? But, we should honor the efforts of those who celebrate this day anyway and still come together as friends and family. I think it all depends on what’s in our heart. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God – in all things. When we consider all the pressures Christmas brings maybe it is a good idea to also remember and celebrate the birth of baby Jesus from a Virgin Mother as the Bible foretold would be the Messiah who reclaimed all that which Adam lost in the Garden of Eden. When we have salvation, what greater gift is there and what greater person to have given it than the Giver! (God blesses us all).

Accept salvation as a gift and in so doing, I will see you in Heaven and you will find me in the guitar section of the big choir, cutting some blues licks with the boyz in the back of the house.

Peace be with you. I love you all, some more than others.

Image ganked from these guys: http://www.hermeytheclown.com/Santa_Guitar_1.jpg