Few people can confidently say why the United States celebrates Christmas on December 25. And I imagine even fewer people know why we give gifts, or why we pucker up when we find ourselves under some mistletoe. The answers to these questions are under a thick layer of rich human and mythological history. For me, the majority of these discoveries were absolutely shocking—Christ was never in Christmas.
Sol Invictus is the Roman sun god whose birthday celebration falls on December 25. Scholars agree that this date was most likely picked because the Roman calendar lists the 25th as the winter solstice. Interestingly, evidence suggests there was an undeniable overlap between the sun god Sol Invictus, Judaism and Christianity during the 1st through 3rd centuries CE. This makes very little sense because this time period was very tumultuous for both Christians and Jews. Still visible to this day are mosaics of Sol Invictus throughout synagogues in Israel. Why did the Jews ignore a blatant Pagan reference in their places of worship for well over a thousand of years? Or perhaps more importantly, why were the mosaics ever put there to begin with? Emmanuel Friedheim explains his reaction:
“The appearance of Helios [the Greek variant of the Roman Sol Invictus] aroused a stormy scholarly debate that intensified when the ancient synagogue at Hammath Tiberias was excavated . . . this is the earliest example of a depiction of the sun god, and it appeared in one of the most important Jewish centers during the Talmudic period.”
Perhaps it is safe to conclude, then, that the Greco-Roman sun gods were, at some point, substantially rooted in Jewish culture. Though scholars may never know, it’s possible this is why Christmas is celebrated on th...
... middle of paper ...
... Religious Customs, History, Legends, and Symbols from around the World; Supplemented by a Bibliography and Lists of Christmas Web Sites and Associations. Detroit, Mich: Omnigraphics, 2003. Print.
Henderson, Helene, and Sue Ellen Thompson. Holiday Symbols and Customs: A Guide to the Legend and Lore behind the Traditions, Rituals, Foods, Games, Animals, and Other Symbols and Activities Associated with Holidays and Holy Days, Feasts and Fasts, and Other Celebrations, Covering Ancient, Calendar, Religious, Historic, Folkloric, National, Promotional, and Sporting Events, as Observed in the United States and around the World. Detroit MI: Omnigraphics, 2009. Print.
Restad, Penne L. Christmas in America: A History. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. Print.
Salusbury, Matt. "By Jove! It's Christmas." History Today 59.12 (2009): 6-7. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
The image enforces the meaning of Christmas being lost, and that the people need to be aware of this now sacrilegious, laic time. The source displays the change from sacred Australia, which was a time of religion, to a more secular period. The source presents the contemporary cultural values of Australians today, often disassociating themselves from holy, divine objects, places or people. Losing their sacred connectedness to God or their purpose with religion. Taking Christ out of the equation presents how Jesus has been neglected by those supposed Christians of the modern day, who have forgotten the sole meaning of Christmas and their religion. This image imposes a reinforced message through an image presenting secularism of contemporary Australian Christmas with the words “missing”, and “what Jesus has become”. The view of Source 3 displays that anything of great importance in the religious sense, including Jesus, in temporal culture which exists in Australia is lost.
Questions arise with almost every holiday. These holidays have either started from falsehoods, or have been twisted from their original roots to fit the traditions of different time periods. Most holidays are thought of as Christian or have Christian origins, but have started from pagan roots.
What about other countries though? Is the Christmas season all about giving and receiving gifts? Are children in Spain rewarded by Santa with gifts and toys on Christmas Eve? In this essay we will look at what Christmas season means in Spain, and what traditions are prevalent in their culture. We will also look at the Christmas related traditions of Americans, and how those compare and contrast to those in Spain.
The well known holiday of Christmas today is far from what it was in it’s former being. Many aspects led to the change in Christmas, however Charles Dickens, a Victorian era author was arguably the most influential in the change. There was a time when christmas was not much more important than your average holiday. Without the work of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Regency Christmas would not have changed to be the way it is today. As we examine the Regency Christmas, the Christmas events in A Christmas Carol, new Christmas ideas, and today’s new christmas we will form the true Christmas.
Throughout history, countless traditions have been created to celebrate several holidays. Many of those who celebrate the holiday traditions are unaware of their origins, but naturally accept them as cultural customs. To be specific, the popular Christian holiday, Christmas, has influenced many traditions including the stories of Santa Claus, the exchanging of gifts, the placement of trees in homes, and the decoration of glowing lights.
...nse to the lavish celebrations of the Winter Solstice, did the Church, some sixteen hundred years ago, begin to create a high holy day of the birth of Christ and attempt to transfer the focus of the celebrations from the sun in the heavens to the Son of God. The Winter Solstice was overlaid with Christmas, and along the way, we lost some of the deep connections of our celebrations to the seasonal, hemispheric event. Many people today are looking to regain the connection; and perhaps, the impulse to hold onto certain traditions; such as candles, evergreens, feasting and generosity; are echoes of a past that extends back in time many thousand of years.
Christmas, few people stop to think how it originated. Started as a pagan holiday during the time of Romans, it developed in to a Christian celebration dedicated for Christ. People in different age groups, both kids and adults, enjoy the season of Christmas. Christmas has been very big and an inspiring holiday for many families around the world for many centuries. Packed with busy shoppers, jingle bells, colorful lights and Santa Claus, Christmas is thought by many people to be “the most wonderful time of the year”. Winter, snow, Christmas tree, decorations and Santa Claus are very important things which makes us think that it is the most beautiful day of all the year. Everybody waits for Christmas, because that day has varies meaning for different people. But for kids, rather than shoppers, colorful lights, Santa Claus is their main reason why they count the days till Christmas eve. Even though one might say that Santa is just a big lie, Santa Claus brings a whole new meaning to the season of Christmas. Although almost everyone has already figured out that Santa Claus is a big myth, kids, who are younger than 12 or 13 years, should have the right to be fascinated, to speculated, and to use Santa Claus as a possible role model.
Christmas was created by Christians as a religious feast day, to combat the feast day that pagans celebrated. Now it is still a major feast day, however the religious aspect
The Christmas tree has many symbols that correspond to life. Because of its ability to live through the year, the evergreen tree is a symbol of everlasting life and growth (Rice). The Christmas tree symbolized an everlasting light, and a testimony of power to the Romans (Symbolic). To Christians, the Christmas tree was a symbol of the birth and the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Symbolic). Japanese and Chinese people used the Christmas tree to symbolize longevity and immortality (Symbolic). The Celtic people used the Christmas tree to represent the life of deities of life (Symbolic). Because it was exhibited as a Pagan symbol, most people believed the trees should not be put up at Christmas (Symbolic). The Christmas tree was also a symbol of
Ancient Egyptians tried to understand their place in the universe. This is why their mythology is centered on nature such as the earth, sky, moon, sun, stars, and the Nile River. There are many Egyptian myths of creation, but the Heliopolitan Tradition, Hermopolitan Ogdoad, and the Memphite Theology are the most commonly used. They all have some common elements and gods. For example, many of t...
I was very surprised to find that Christmas, what I thought was an American holiday, is actually a celebration observed in many countries around the world, including the country of Uganda (“Uganda”). Since Christmas is an important holiday to me, and is commonly observed in the United States, I thought it would be interesting to learn about other cultures’ Christmas traditions and celebrations.
It is a time to spread the love that Jesus so happily gave to us and it is a time to share His story. How will today’s children ever know the meaning behind Christmas if someone does not tell them? It is important that children today not only believe in Santa and have great imaginations, but, that they believe in Jesus Christ and Him being the reason we celebrate Christmas. It is important that children obtain real world knowledge and begin obtaining that knowledge at a young
Christmas traditions across the country varies. Around Christmas time, you see almost every house covered in Christmas lights, wreaths, and yard decorations. Although, all the world is not Christian, and Christmas is a Christian holiday; everyone has made their own Christmas that fits the culture that they are living in. Even though the environment, excitement, and the mood of celebration differs, the main spirit remains all the same. In America, hanging stockings, baking cakes, and giving fruit, and candy as gifts has been a long standing tradition that is being passed down to generations.
It's thought that Jesus of Nazareth was born in springtime. A Pope, Julius I, chose December 25th for the celebration of his birth in the 4th century -- to include a Christian element in the long-established mid-winter festivals.
passing like it was a circus parade" (444). Christmas has already been referred to as looking "more lonely