The shocking pagan origin of christmas
Christmas is one of the most celebrated religious holidays in the world. It’s a time for family, friends, and enormous amounts of food. Unlike Easter or Ramadan, there are no religious obligations that need to be met on Christmas day. The day itself is nothing more than a secular holiday. For many Americans, there is little to no understanding of the true origins of this festive celebration which leads to misplaced meanings and traditions.
The shocking pagan origin of Christmas was first celebrated by Roman pagans who wanted to adopt some other popular religions’ holidays around December 25th in order to appeal to wider audiences.
The shocking pagan origin of Christmas
The practice of Christmas has its roots in pagan festivals that are believed to have been celebrated by the ancient Romans. The earliest reference is in a letter by Pliny the Younger, when he talks about a feast that Romans celebrated on December 25th in honor of Saturn.
If you are interested in finding out more about this topic, you can check out my article on it here: https://www.journopad.com/article/the-shocking-pagan-origin-of-christmas.
what is pagan about Christmas
The pagan origin of Christmas is something that many Christians are not aware of. The religious holiday has roots in both Christianity and Paganism, and it can be traced back to the Roman festival Saturnalia.
It is important to note that the pagan origin of Christmas does not mean that practicing Christians should feel guilty or ashamed for celebrating it. The origins date back to a time when Christianity was in its infancy, and many early followers wanted the holiday they celebrated to be more like what they remembered from their childhoods.
Was Christmas a pagan holiday first
Christmas has its roots in pagan holiday celebrations. It is the day the sun was born, the day of light and rebirth.
Brought to Ireland by Saint Patrick, it commemorated his escape from captivity. The Irish people were celebrating their escape from slavery at Roman hands, and they called it “Crane” or “Festival of Lights” or “Feast of Thor.” It was declared that this celebration would be observed on December 25th. The Roman Catholic Church adopted this date as Christ’s birthday in an effort to Christianize pagan celebrations.
Was Christmas a pagan holiday
Christmas is a significant holiday for many Christians, but its origins are not as religious as many people would think. In fact, the story of Christmas is rooted in pagan celebrations from more than four thousand years ago.
In 350 BCE, the Romans invaded what is now modern-day England and established the winter solstice as a festival of Saturnalia and Natalis Invicti. The festivities lasted for three days and focused on giving gifts to children, feasting on roasted meat, and exchanging small candles shaped like penises that symbolized light conquering darkness.
The shocking pagan origin of Christmas.
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| The shocking pagan origin of Christmas |
Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time to enjoy the company of family and friends, to give gifts, and to feast on delicious food.
But where did this event come from? Surprisingly it has pagan origins.
Before Christianity was established, December 25th was celebrated by many cultures as the birthday of their winter gods such as Thor, Bacchus, and even Krishna! The Romans celebrated Saturnalia which involved gambling, drinking, and promiscuous behavior. It was only when Saint Nicholas became popular that he helped convert this day into a Christian celebration in an effort to replace the pagan celebrations (and probably made some money in the process).
When did pagan Christmas start
The pagan origin of Christmas is not something new. In fact, many people still don’t know about it and they probably never will.
There are a lot of pagan rituals and traditions that we typically associate with the Christmas holiday. For example, during the winter solstice, we light candles to bring light into our homes and we decorate our houses with evergreens to represent everlasting life in the midst of dark, cold winter.
We give gifts to one another as a symbol of peace and friendship (a tradition that was passed on from Romans).
Did Christmas start as a pagan holiday?
The pagan origin of Christmas is a topic that has been widely discussed in the media. The debate mainly focuses on how Christianity has adopted some pagan customs. For Christians, this makes Christmas very controversial for it is considered a form of idolatry to adapt customs from other religions.
For non-Christians, the holiday provides an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy time with family and friends while indulging in tasty treats such as pie, cookies, hot cocoa, and chocolate cakes.
When did Christmas originally start?
The word Christmas comes from the old English word “Cristes maesse” which means “Mass of Christ.” It wasn’t until the late Middle Ages that “Christmas” became “Christmas.” The pagan origins of our beloved celebration are not so shocking, after all.
The pagan origins of Christmas are not so shocking, after all.
When is Christmas celebrated?
The shocking pagan origin of Christmas
Christmas is a holiday that is celebrated by many people around the world. Some celebrate it as it’s just another day, while others see this as a holiday that promotes joy and peace to all people. Does Christmas have anything to do with Christianity? Let’s find out.
It is believed by some historians that Christmas started as an ancient pagan festival, honoring the winter solstice. This festival was celebrated on December 21st, also known as Yule or Saturnalia. The early Christians calculated December 25th (birthday of Jesus) to be near this date and decided to incorporate the Pagan festival into their celebrations.
December 25 pagan holiday sun
Christmas is a day to celebrate, but it is also rich in history.
A recent study found that Christmas has its roots in pagan traditions, from Osiris to Saturnalia. The Bible does not mention the holiday at all, and the dates of December 25th were chosen by early Christians so as not to compete with other popular winter celebrations.
The observance of Christmas had been banned until the 4th century AD when Christianity became legal under Constantine’s rule.
Is Christmas a pagan holiday catholic
The Christmas holiday is not an exclusive Christian tradition. In fact, it has a deep pagan origin that the early Christians were aware of and wished to gradually change over time.
In pre-Christian times, December 25th was a big winter celebration for the Romans. It was a day of festivities and drinking to honor Saturnalia, a Roman agricultural god who presided over the sowing of seeds in November and harvesting in March. The celebration included drinking parties, gambling games, singing songs, and decorating trees with lights which represented life during the winter months when there is no sun.
The Roman Saturnalia festival began on December 17th or 18th and lasted until January 2nd or January 3rd. When Christianity gained prominence in Rome around 300 AD, it co-opted this pagan celebration by combining it with the birth.