Christmas - The Origin

Celebrations have been held at the Winter Solstice since the beginning of man. Early man noticed that the day was losing to the night steadily. They hoped that they could do something to bring back the light. Bonfires were built and rituals were done to help the light win the battle over darkness. This theme continues to this day in many places.

The feast of the Son of Isis was a celebration in Early Babylon. Part of the reason for eating so much was twofold. Some of the stored food was about to spoil. They also would gauge how much of the livestock they would need to replenish the herds the next year. Any extra animals would be eating food that could be used elsewhere. The giving of gifts was popular since they had been doing handicrafts to pass the time.

The Romans had the Saturnalia. Saturn was the God of Agriculture. A good time to start winning his favor. People known as "Mummers" would don costumes and go from house to house to entertain. This is at least the precursor to caroling.

Following this Mithras became very popular. He was referred to as the 'Unconquerable Sun'. His birthday was at the Winter Solstice. He was born from a hollowed hole in a rock. The first "Christian" Emperor, Constantine, was a devout Mithraic prior to converting. These two things are important. If you have noticed a close similarity in the birth story, there are other influences from Mithraic practices.

The exact day that Jesus Christ was born is unknown. The calendars used to denote time as AD (Anno Domini – year of the Lord) and BC (before Christ). Close inspection revealed an error in the assumed date of about 7 years. This is why time is called CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before Common Era). The bible says that there were new born lambs in the field. Biology proves that he could not have been born in December. Ewes stop ovulating at the Fall Equinox (September 22). Gestation is 42 days. This places the date in November at the latest. Most historians believe that the birth occurred in September at the latest. Most favored is about six months after the Jewish Passover.

Pope Julius I declared that Christ's birth would be celebrated on December 25 in 350 CE. He freely admitted his purpose was to make it as easy as possible for the pagan Romans to convert to Christianity. He also changed the day of worship to SUNday to appease the Mithraic Constantine for similar reasons. This practice was expanded by the Catholic Church to usurp sacred worship places, incorporate local gods and goddesses as "saints" so that the old generation could continue to worship in the old fashion while the new generation would not remember them.

Evergreen trees used to be decorated in nature to encourage the return of the Spring. They started to be taken indoors when an early monk considered them to be an "abomination" and cut them down. The druid believed trees to be sacred. They would decorate them during their rituals. The first record of a decorated evergreen appearing in a Christian Christmas celebration was in 1521. This was the Alsace region of Germany, the source of the song "O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree ...)". A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: "Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ." The first "Christ Mass" occurred in Germany. Both the Lutherans and the Catholics claim to be the first to do so.

The Catholic Church freely admits that they changed the dates. They claim they have that right. There are some Protestant groups that do not celebrate Christmas for that reason and the knowledge that the birth did not occur in December. There is also another Christmas... More on that in the 12 Days of Christmas

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