Christmas

[Mantis41]

I was wondering how an old Pagan celebration became a celebration for the birth of Christ.

Most historians agree that if Jesus did exist then his birth could not have been in December as the shepherds were tending their flocks.

So...... How on earth did an old Pagan celebration on the 25th of Decemeber get transformed into the most important date on the Christian calendar? Even more bizare is the celebration still maintains much of the pagan symbolism and ritual.

 

[ProtoKun7]

It's not clear why it was moved to December 25th, but for one thing it's closer to the celebration of Saturnalia.

Keep in mind, that not at any point did the Bible mention anything about celebrating Jesus' birth anyway.

 

[Depravo]

I was wondering how an old Pagan celebration became a celebration for the birth of Christ.

It was the work of the Christians. They did the same with Easter.

 

[Law]

The pagans said it as a joke, and the Christians believed them like they blindly believe everything else.

 

[petspaps]

it was changed after ceasar, i think, remade the calendar similar to the modern one. but what is most funny is the irony of it.

 

[ProtoKun7]

I was wondering how an old Pagan celebration became a celebration for the birth of Christ.

It was the work of the Christians. They did the same with Easter.

When you think about it, Christmas is a pagan celebration turned "Christian", while Easter is a Christian celebration turned pagan.

 

[Depravo]

I was wondering how an old Pagan celebration became a celebration for the birth of Christ.

It was the work of the Christians. They did the same with Easter.

When you think about it, Christmas is a pagan celebration turned "Christian", while Easter is a Christian celebration turned pagan.

No, it was a Pagan springtime celebration of fertility and rebirth (hence the whole rabbit/chick thing). The Christians thought this would be a good time to shoehorn in a celebration about the 'rebirth' of Jesus because they know a good metaphor when they see one. The same applies to Christmas. It was around the time of the winter solstice when pagans celebrated the the day the light starts to return. Again, the Christians spotted the metaphor and 'jacked it.

 

[ThePowerOutage]

Ceasar Agautaus (or was it agustine?) wanted everyone to join Christianity in round the 2-3rd century (I can't remember) and therefore adopted pagan holidays, dressing them up to seem Christian. Christmas = Roughly Closest date to saturnalias. Easter = roughly close to date of Resurection of Christ (even though the bible says to commemorate his death not resurrection around Easter) and the Bunny, Eggs and Crusifix are all fertility symbols.
Though whoever made up the word Santa certainly has a dark sense if humor.
It's an anagram of satan. Also, the letters can be taken from saturnalias

 

[ProtoKun7]

I was wondering how an old Pagan celebration became a celebration for the birth of Christ.

It was the work of the Christians. They did the same with Easter.

When you think about it, Christmas is a pagan celebration turned "Christian", while Easter is a Christian celebration turned pagan.

No, it was a Pagan springtime celebration of fertility and rebirth (hence the whole rabbit/chick thing). The Christians thought this would be a good time to shoehorn in a celebration about the 'rebirth' of Jesus because they know a good metaphor when they see one. The same applies to Christmas. It was around the time of the winter solstice when pagans celebrated the the day the light starts to return. Again, the Christians spotted the metaphor and 'jacked it.

No, my point is that we're supposed to commemorate the death of Jesus, but pretty much everything about Easter was brought in by pagans (the rabbits, the eggs, all of it).

 

[Y05h1]

Eh, who cares... in the end it's all just an excuse to celebrate.
I love excuses.

 

[MilkPSP]

I believe that Christmas was adopted by the Catholic Church so it could be easier for pagans to convert to Christianity, and they could then keep their holiday from before. After that, people decided to make it a day to celebrate the birth of Christ, since, most likely at that time, they didn't have an estimate of the day Jesus was born, and it became traditional to say that was the time Jesus was born, because they may as well have picked a day rather than not celebrating at all.

 

[Mantis41]

No, it was a Pagan springtime celebration of fertility and rebirth (hence the whole rabbit/chick thing). The Christians thought this would be a good time to shoehorn in a celebration about the 'rebirth' of Jesus because they know a good metaphor when they see one. The same applies to Christmas. It was around the time of the winter solstice when pagans celebrated the the day the light starts to return. Again, the Christians spotted the metaphor and 'jacked it.

Loved this post. Thanks Depravo.

 

[Vigilante]

The date was chosen by the Roman Catholic Church. Because Rome dominated most of the “Christian” world for centuries, the date became tradition throughout most of Christendom.

The original significance of December 25 is that it was a well-known festival day celebrating the annual return of the sun. December 21 is the winter solstice (shortest day of the year and thus a key date on the calendar), and December 25 is the first day that ancients could clearly note that the days were definitely getting longer and the sunlight was returning.

So, why was December 25 chosen to remember Jesus Christ’s birth with a mass (or Communion supper)? Since no one knows the day of his birth, the Roman Catholic Church felt free to chose this date. The Church wished to replace the pagan festival with a Christian holy day (holiday). The psychology was that is easier to take away an unholy (but traditional) festival from the population, when you can replace it with a good one. Otherwise, the Church would have left a void where there was a long-standing tradition, and risked producing a discontented population and a rapid return to the old ways.

I just got this from a site but I hope it anwsers your question

Source:http://www.christiananswers.net/christmas/mythsaboutchristmas.html

 

[Mantis41]

Thanks Vigilante

After all the years you would have thought most of the pagan symbolism would have been slowly removed it is strange that so much of it still remains.

 

[Deleted User]

I am a Christian I also believe that Christmas is pagan... I do not celebrate it, I may watch the shows, I may go to my friends Christmas parties (for the food) but I do not celebrate it. The most pagan thing about Christmas is the Christmas tree, people worship them. God does not like those things and people talk about putting Christ into Christmas, God turns His ears from them.

 

[Vigilante]

Thanks Vigilante

After all the years you would have thought most of the pagan symbolism would have been slowly removed it is strange that so much of it still remains.

Your welcome

 

[Shinigami357]

Meh. The root of christianity (aka the Roman Catholic Church) is just the Roman Empire in disguise anyways. They still own half the world, and we still subscribe to their celebrations. But still, who can resist gifts and parties and no work/school, amirite???


*sarcasm switch off*

 

[Thesolcity]

I always thought that it was the 25th because we forgot to take in the conversion to Gregorian calendar for everything. Not because "christians are blind sheep hurr durr" plenty of things weren't properly converted to the calendar we use today.

 

[.Chris]

I do not believe this blasphemy!

 

[redsmas]

I don't know if someone has mentioned this yet or not but here is a small snippit of information I gathered.

Modern scholars have argued that the festival was placed on the date of the solstice because this was on this day that the Sun reversed its southward retreat and proved itself to be "unconquered".Some early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus."O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born...Christ should be born", Cyprian wrote. John Chrysostom also commented on the connection: "They call it the 'Birthday of the Unconquered'. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord . . .?"[8]