Did you ever wonder about the origins of Christmas?
The Christmas that we celebrate today derived from pre-Christian
Germanic, Roman, and Celtic people who celebrated the winter solstice. The use
of holly, mistletoe, yule logs, wassail bowls, and decorating a tree derived
from early pagan customs. Many European countries still call this celebration
"Yule-tide" meaning "wheel time," the cycles of time. None
of these derive from Christian origin.
The Persian Mithras cult spread during the 3rd and 4th centuries B.C.E.
and predates Christian ceremonies and rites such as: baptism, communion wafer,
and Sunday rest. On December 25, the sacrifice of a bull celebrated the Sol
invictus (the invincible sun) and signaled the birth of a young sun god who
sprang from a rock or a cave in the form of a newborn infant.
The Romans celebrated the Winter Solstice on December 25th as a renewing
of the sun every year. Also the Romans celebrated the festival of the
Saturnalia from December 17th to the 24th to honor Saturn, the god of grain and
agriculture. The festival consisted of a period of goodwill, devoted to
visiting friends and the giving of gifts.
At the beginning of the first century, Christianity emerged as a
fledgling religion but not until the 4th century did Christians celebrate the
birth of Jesus. The motive behind the introduction of this celebration aimed at
subverting the practice of pagan rituals such as Mithra and Saturnalia. Pope
Liberus introduced the Nativity on December 25th 354 C.E.. By the 5th century,
the event became so customary that it began to mark the beginning of the
ceremonial year.
Today, we still celebrate with ornaments on trees, mistletoe and giving
gifts, none of which has anything to do with Christian mythology. So instead of
celebrating the Christian deception, why not opt for the earlier non-god
celebration of the Winter Solstice? After all, it represents an actual event as
the planet earth orbits about the sun. The universe presents us with far more
magnificent events than the superstitious religionists have ever dreamt up.
Even more than the imagination of Dr. Seuss.
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