Origins of Christmas
Historians are unsure exactly when Christians first began celebrating the Nativity of Christ.However , most scholars believe that Christmas originated in the 4th century as a Christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the winter solstice.Before the introduction of Christmas , each year beginning on December 17 Romans honored Saturn , the ancient god of agriculture , in a festival called Saturnalia. This festival lasted for 7 days and included the winter solstice , which usually occurred around December 25 on the ancient Julian calendar.During Saturnalia the Romans feasted , postponed all business and warfare , exchanged gifts , and temporarily freed their slaves.Many Romans also celebrated the lengthening of daylight following the winter solstice by participating in rituals to glorify Mithra , the ancient Persian god of light.These and other winter festivities continued through January 1 , the festival of Kalends , when Romans marked the day of the new moon and the first day of the month and year.
Although the Gospels descriebe Jesus ‘ birth in detail , they never mention the date , so historians do not know on what date he was born.The Roman Catholic Church chose December 25 as the day for the Feast of the Nativity in order to give Christmas meaning to existing pagan rituals.For example , the Church replaced festivities to commemorate the birth of Mithra , the god of light , with festivities honoring the birth of Jesus , whom the Bible calls the light of the world.The Catholic Church hoped to draw pagans into its religion by allowing them to continue their revelry while simultaneously honoring the birthday of Jesus.The Eastern Orthodox Church took a slightly different course.By the end of the 4th century the Eastern Church in Constantinopole had also begun to acknowledge December 25 as Jesus’ birthday , but it emphasized the celebration of Christ’s baptism on January 6 as the more important holiday.
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