Retitled: Christmas Origins
Sidenote
Although I am a Christian and I believe that Christ was died on the cross and was resurrected, I'd prefer not to celebrate Christmas. The Bible never instructs us to celebrate the birth of Christ, which is why my church doesn't do Christmas. I do celebrate his life and sacrifice everyday through my prayers and actions. My father does chose to do Christmas, which is why I do participate in the holiday. I'm guilty of enjoying the holiday and time spent with my family on it. But not many people are aware of origins of Christmas traditions, so here you go.
1. The Date
King Herod died before Passover, which during that year occurred during early April. Herod met with the wise men before his death when Jesus was 18 months old. This would place Jesus’ birth date six months after Herod’s date of death. According to this, Jesus was born around September or October. The Book of Luke describes shepherds tending to flocks outside during the birth. It is unlikely for this to occur in winter or the month of December.
Saturnalia was a Roman winter solstice festival. During this time, gifts were exchanged and the greeting “lo, Saturnalia” was customary. “Lo,” is an interjection which came from “ho.” (Hence, Santa says, “Ho, ho, ho.”) Ancient Babylonians also celebrated the feast of the Son of Isis on December 25. Pope Julius I declared in 350 AD that the birth of Christ would be celebrated on December 25. After this, it is likely Pagan Romans converted to Christianity knowing they’d still have December merriment.
2. The Tree
Jeremiah 10:2-4 clearly states placing a cut tree in your house is a forbidden heathen custom. During Saturnalia, Pagans decorated their house with evergreens and shiny bits of metal. The Pagans chose the evergreen tree because while the rest of nature withered, it remained green. To honor their god, Druids decorated evergreen trees in winter with candles and apples. Today, these are lights and ornaments, respectively. These practices all began before the birth of Christ.
Later, in the 16th century Germany, Ingeborg Weber-Keller decorated a fir tree with snacks for children. Some Germans began to associate the tree with Christmas. Martin Luther protested to this by saying, “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.”
By the 1700s, this became a widely accepted tradition in the homes of the Rhineland region. Around this time, Germans also began to decorate the tree with candles. This tradition was brought to America by Germans during the same century. However, while the traditional grew in Europe, the Christmas tree was not popular until 1850 in America.
3. Santa Claus
Saint Nicholas was a bishop who gave gifts to children and was known as the friend of children. The Germans merged this tradition with the holiday of Christmas. It was commonly known Saint Nicholas was charitable, leading German children to easily believe he was the source. The Dutch created another Saint Nicholas-like figure associated with Christmas. His name was “Sinterklaas,” which Americans turned into “Santa Claus.”
For Americans, Santa Claus was a Dutch sailor in a green coat. Washington Irving first depicted the character as a joke aimed towards the Dutch. Santa Claus gained his reindeer in the 1823 poem, “The Night Before Christmas.” He was shown in a number of outfits of all different colors, but most popularly in red after an 1885 Christmas card. Coca-Cola further popularized Santa through advertising.
It is uncertain where the concepts of the North Pole and Santa’s elves originate. The earliest connections with the North Pole came about in the early 20th century. It isn’t surprising someone chose to associate him with a cold and snowy place. The Germans were the first to give Saint Nicholas the credit for Christmas gifts. Somebody decided to explain where Santa Claus got the toys from in the first place and chose a workshop with elves. Santa Claus and his huge bag of gifts have brought a material focus to Christmas.
4. Other Traditions: The Yule Log and Mistletoe
“Yule” means “wheel,” which was the Pagan symbol for the sun. Yuletide was a festival celebrated once the winter days began to grow longer. A Yule log, which could actually be an entire tree, was slowly burned during these days to honor the sun’s “rebirth.”
The origins of mistletoe are not certain. However, there is a Scandinavian legend. One god was killed by another with an arrow of mistletoe. After he was resurrected, his mother hung mistletoe and promised to kiss any who passed underneath. Another theory suggests mistletoe was a symbol of fertility, making it desirable to kiss under it.
Notice:
Sorry that I made so many people upset with this... It's just a holiday.
Sources
Yeah, it's not MLA format... So kill me.
http://lnstar.com/mall/main-areas/santafaq.htm
http://de.essortment.com/christmaspagan_rece.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/p_greetham/wisemen/chron.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_log
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_claus
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/The_Pagan_Beliefs_Surrounding_Christmas:_Contents
Although I am a Christian and I believe that Christ was died on the cross and was resurrected, I'd prefer not to celebrate Christmas. The Bible never instructs us to celebrate the birth of Christ, which is why my church doesn't do Christmas. I do celebrate his life and sacrifice everyday through my prayers and actions. My father does chose to do Christmas, which is why I do participate in the holiday. I'm guilty of enjoying the holiday and time spent with my family on it. But not many people are aware of origins of Christmas traditions, so here you go.
1. The Date
King Herod died before Passover, which during that year occurred during early April. Herod met with the wise men before his death when Jesus was 18 months old. This would place Jesus’ birth date six months after Herod’s date of death. According to this, Jesus was born around September or October. The Book of Luke describes shepherds tending to flocks outside during the birth. It is unlikely for this to occur in winter or the month of December.
Saturnalia was a Roman winter solstice festival. During this time, gifts were exchanged and the greeting “lo, Saturnalia” was customary. “Lo,” is an interjection which came from “ho.” (Hence, Santa says, “Ho, ho, ho.”) Ancient Babylonians also celebrated the feast of the Son of Isis on December 25. Pope Julius I declared in 350 AD that the birth of Christ would be celebrated on December 25. After this, it is likely Pagan Romans converted to Christianity knowing they’d still have December merriment.
2. The Tree
Jeremiah 10:2-4 clearly states placing a cut tree in your house is a forbidden heathen custom. During Saturnalia, Pagans decorated their house with evergreens and shiny bits of metal. The Pagans chose the evergreen tree because while the rest of nature withered, it remained green. To honor their god, Druids decorated evergreen trees in winter with candles and apples. Today, these are lights and ornaments, respectively. These practices all began before the birth of Christ.
Later, in the 16th century Germany, Ingeborg Weber-Keller decorated a fir tree with snacks for children. Some Germans began to associate the tree with Christmas. Martin Luther protested to this by saying, “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.”
By the 1700s, this became a widely accepted tradition in the homes of the Rhineland region. Around this time, Germans also began to decorate the tree with candles. This tradition was brought to America by Germans during the same century. However, while the traditional grew in Europe, the Christmas tree was not popular until 1850 in America.
3. Santa Claus
Saint Nicholas was a bishop who gave gifts to children and was known as the friend of children. The Germans merged this tradition with the holiday of Christmas. It was commonly known Saint Nicholas was charitable, leading German children to easily believe he was the source. The Dutch created another Saint Nicholas-like figure associated with Christmas. His name was “Sinterklaas,” which Americans turned into “Santa Claus.”
For Americans, Santa Claus was a Dutch sailor in a green coat. Washington Irving first depicted the character as a joke aimed towards the Dutch. Santa Claus gained his reindeer in the 1823 poem, “The Night Before Christmas.” He was shown in a number of outfits of all different colors, but most popularly in red after an 1885 Christmas card. Coca-Cola further popularized Santa through advertising.
It is uncertain where the concepts of the North Pole and Santa’s elves originate. The earliest connections with the North Pole came about in the early 20th century. It isn’t surprising someone chose to associate him with a cold and snowy place. The Germans were the first to give Saint Nicholas the credit for Christmas gifts. Somebody decided to explain where Santa Claus got the toys from in the first place and chose a workshop with elves. Santa Claus and his huge bag of gifts have brought a material focus to Christmas.
4. Other Traditions: The Yule Log and Mistletoe
“Yule” means “wheel,” which was the Pagan symbol for the sun. Yuletide was a festival celebrated once the winter days began to grow longer. A Yule log, which could actually be an entire tree, was slowly burned during these days to honor the sun’s “rebirth.”
The origins of mistletoe are not certain. However, there is a Scandinavian legend. One god was killed by another with an arrow of mistletoe. After he was resurrected, his mother hung mistletoe and promised to kiss any who passed underneath. Another theory suggests mistletoe was a symbol of fertility, making it desirable to kiss under it.
Notice:
Sorry that I made so many people upset with this... It's just a holiday.
Sources
Yeah, it's not MLA format... So kill me.
http://lnstar.com/mall/main-areas/santafaq.htm
http://de.essortment.com/christmaspagan_rece.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/p_greetham/wisemen/chron.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_log
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_claus
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/The_Pagan_Beliefs_Surrounding_Christmas:_Contents