Christmas Holiday

From LoveToKnow Christmas

A celebration around the winter solstice was a common practice throughout the northern hemisphere for centuries, but it has not always been a Christmas holiday. Only within the last 600 or so years, with the widespread acceptance of Christianity, has there been a designated Christmas holiday. While many other religions and cultures may not recognize the “Christ” in the holiday, the period of time is still one of reverence and celebration for millions.

Saturnalia and Juvenalia Prompt a Celebration of Christ

In Roman mythology, Saturn is the god of agriculture. To honor him, celebrants arranged great month-long feasts and parties starting the week prior to the winter solstice. During this gala, known as Saturnalia, masters and slaves switched roles, children were out of school, and businesses shut down.

Ancient Romans also celebrated Juvenalia, or Juvenales Ludi, scenic games instituted by the Emperor Nero. The name was later given to those games which were exhibited by the emperors on the 1st of January in each year.

Many Romans observed the birth of a sun god, Mithra, on December 25. Followers believed Mithra to be the most powerful deity, and considered his birthday a holy day.

While much evidence suggests that Jesus was born in the spring, Pope Julius I declared December 25 as the birthday of Christ during his papacy in the fourth century. Easter had always been the primary holiday of the faith, but many Christian church officials believed that Christianity would be more widely accepted and practiced if the observance of the savior’s birth coincided with other popular festivities of the time.

Officials also hoped this would be a way to dissuade individuals from participating in ceremonies of debauchery, and celebrate with reverence instead.

Calling Back the Sun

Winter north of the equator can be a dreary time. Bygone civilizations in Europe, and particularly in Scandinavia, deemed it necessary to “call back the sun” with rituals, offerings, and celebrations. These ceremonies ensured the sun would return, and bring with it the warmth of spring.

As Christianity spread during the Middle Ages, many of our modern Christmas holiday customs developed from earlier pagan observances.

  • The burning of a yule log.
  • Using an evergreen tree as a symbol of good fortune.
  • Hanging mistletoe to ward off evil spirits and increase fertility. Be careful whom you kiss!
  • Our gift-giver Father Christmas or Santa, derived from the Turkish St. Nicholas, the Dutch Kris Kringle, the French Pere Noel, the Russian Babouschka, and the Italian La Befana.
  • Having a grand feast to celebrate but also to conserve. Many farmers slaughtered animals during this time, both to have enough meat for the winter and to conserve limited animal feed.
  • Demonstrating charity toward those less fortunate. Just as the Romans masters traded places with their slaves, many other cultures learned to extend goodwill during this time as a way to give thanks and honor Jesus.

We also take a hint of holiday expectations from the fictional work of 19th century English authors Washington Irving and Charles Dickens, both of whom planted visions of sugarplums in our heads, as well as many other such “traditions” which the Christmas holiday now includes.

A Note About the Word Pagan

Generally, Webster’s defines a pagan as “heathen – not recognizing the god of Christianity, Islam, or Judaism”.

However, in reality, there are no less than three possible origins for the word and a number of different meanings, many of which are widely misunderstood. If you’re interested in understanding the history of the word and the philosophy, this site may be of some help.

Learn More about the Christmas Holiday

The History Channel’s website is rich with detail about ancient customs and the evolution of the Christmas holiday. The site also offers information on other holidays such as Thanksgiving (there was not turkey at the first feast!), Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the lore of Santa.

In addition, there is a wonderful explanation of world traditions for this special time of year that can put a delightful spin on your own Christmas dinner, conversation, and games later in the day.

  • Ask your oldest daughter to become “Lussi”, as those in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland do, to celebrate St. Lucia's Day.
  • Have the youngest child look outside for the evening star, as they do in the Ukraine. Once it appears, the holiday feast can begin.
  • Hang a piñata filled with trinkets, coins, and candy. Children of Mexico look forward to this during Christmas and other celebrations.
  • Host an outdoor bar-be-que like Australians do. Since Christmas falls during their summer season, those who celebrate Christmas do it outside and, more particularly, at the beach.
  • Break tradition completely and exchange gifts as most do in Greece: on January 1, which is St. Basil’s Day.

Another great holiday educational resource is the Museum of Science and Industry's website.

Want to Change Your View of the Christmas Holiday?

For millions of people, it is customary to flock to post-Thanksgiving sales in order to score big on gifts, but many other people desire a stress-free, less commercial, and more spiritual Christmas holiday.

One popular book on the subject is Unplug the Christmas Machine by Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli. The authors cover a variety of subjects, such as teaching children that the holiday is more than just presents; handling the expectations of family; stronger communication with a companion about views of the holiday and more.

In Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich, author Duane Elgin explores the idea of releasing yourself from the “enslavement of the pursuit of status symbols”, an action he believes helps personal and spiritual growth.

Joe Dominquez and Vicky Robin’s Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence is more of a primer to help people think about their money in different ways in order to break away from certain societal expectations and live better with less.


 


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