The origin of Christmas stemmed from pagan festivals like Winter Solstice and Yule.
In the early pre-Christian era, European winter celebrations were very popular and followed pagan rituals that celebrated the darkest days of winter.
What is Paganism? Paganism describes the ancient and modern religions which identify Nature as the body of the Divine.
Pagans often speak of many Gods and Goddesses.
Paganism refers to the religions of ancient Greece and Rome and the surrounding areas.
Early Europeans observed the shortest day -- Winter Solstice -- celebrate the worst of the winter being over them as they look ahead to increased daylight hours.
During this celebration, they killed their livestock that would not survive the winter and gorged from late December through January.
At this time there was also the celebration by Scandinavians and Germans of the Yule season which runs for 13 days and begins the night before Winter Solstice.
In Germany, Odin was celebrated by many who viewed the pagan God as a fat, gift giving Elf who flew over houses during the night bestowing good tidings on people that were nice and bad tidings on others.
Another tradition during Yule was the burning of the Yule Log from a giant tree that was to protect the house from storms and bring it good luck throughout the year.
Sound like today's Christmas? You Bet! Christ wasn't born on December 25th.
No one knows the birth date of Christ, or even what year.
Christ, according to many historians was born in the springtime.
Nowhere in the New Testament do we see Christ's disciples observing His birthday.
The apostles did not honor pagan rituals, and accordingly, preached to other Christians to avoid the pagan rituals.
The origin of Christmas took place in 336 AD.
Pope Julius I declared the birth and celebration of Christ's birthday as Christmas and chose December 25th because it coincided with the popular pagan traditions of Winter Solstice.
The purpose was to replace the pagan celebrations with the Christian one.
It worked, and it worked extremely well! Could this be the most creative and successful marketing strategy ever implemented? Most Christmas customs, the decorating the evergreen "Christmas" tree, the hanging of mistletoe, gift exchanges, and Santa Claus, all came from pagan winter practices and secular traditions that were celebrated throughout Europe.
Christmas as we know it today, is not only a mix of ancient pagan practices and hundreds of years of adopting secular and religious traditions, it also has a Victorian period influence that affected the practice and acceptance of Christmas.
As early as the seventeenth century the celebration of Christmas was still regarded as a pagan festival that was not permitted in England and in many of the English colonies in America.
It took almost 800 years for Christmas to become the important festival it is today.
In the early seventeenth century, England's colorful leader Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan who followed the Bible to the word, banned Christmas as a Pagan celebration.
Christmas did not return as a Christian holiday in England until Charles II came to power.
During that period in history when the Puritans descended upon America, Christmas was not recognized as a Christian festivity.
Once the colonies became independent, English influence and practices declined and our founding fathers restored Christmas.
Over time, as Christians adopted Christmas and attended Christmas Mass, it became a tradition at the end of Mass to enter into wild celebrations of drinking similar to the Mardi Gras festivals, and It wasn't until the nineteenth century when the practice of Christmas and the festival like celebrations ceased and gave way to observing Christmas with family values and traditions.
Several events came into play in the Nineteenth century that changed the observance of Christmas to become a family focused tradition.
New York City created the first full time, salaried Police Force in America and assigned it a riot control function to combat the increasing race and industrial riots, as well as Christmas celebrations that were getting out of control.
The other was Washington Irving who authored a collection of short stories on The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, and the celebration of Christmas in an English country house.
The Christmas stories portrayed an English noble man who invited the poor into his home to celebrate Christmas in a caring, friendly manner to bridge the gap between the haves and have-not.
Irving's writings were believed to have widespread influence in establishing the tradition and meaning of Christmas of being a caring, non- status oriented observance of Christmas.
Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday in the US until June 26, 1870.
However, on December 6, 1999, federal judge U.
S.
District Judge Susan J.
Dlott ruled that Christmas has become so secular that the government does not violate the Constitution by declaring it a federal legal holiday.
Christmas has the unusual distinction of being a multi-cultural, multi-religious and secular holiday.
It is celebrated throughout the world, and in the US, over 90% of the population celebrates Christmas.
Depending on national and local customs, it integrates sun worship, polytheism, pagan nature religions, Christianity, and other later myths and traditions.
Christmas is also big business and is the most commercialized holiday in the world with many mass-produced symbols, decorations, and gifts manufactured in less developed countries and sold throughout the world.
The celebration of Christmas is enjoyed by nearly everyone! The non-religious celebrate the joyous traditions.
The Christians, who believe that Christmas and its rituals solely relate to the birth of Christ, celebrate the religious rituals.
The pagans celebrate the rituals of Winter Solstice and Yule.
Commercial enterprises enjoy the profits from the sale of decorations, symbols, and gifts.
In the early pre-Christian era, European winter celebrations were very popular and followed pagan rituals that celebrated the darkest days of winter.
What is Paganism? Paganism describes the ancient and modern religions which identify Nature as the body of the Divine.
Pagans often speak of many Gods and Goddesses.
Paganism refers to the religions of ancient Greece and Rome and the surrounding areas.
Early Europeans observed the shortest day -- Winter Solstice -- celebrate the worst of the winter being over them as they look ahead to increased daylight hours.
During this celebration, they killed their livestock that would not survive the winter and gorged from late December through January.
At this time there was also the celebration by Scandinavians and Germans of the Yule season which runs for 13 days and begins the night before Winter Solstice.
In Germany, Odin was celebrated by many who viewed the pagan God as a fat, gift giving Elf who flew over houses during the night bestowing good tidings on people that were nice and bad tidings on others.
Another tradition during Yule was the burning of the Yule Log from a giant tree that was to protect the house from storms and bring it good luck throughout the year.
Sound like today's Christmas? You Bet! Christ wasn't born on December 25th.
No one knows the birth date of Christ, or even what year.
Christ, according to many historians was born in the springtime.
Nowhere in the New Testament do we see Christ's disciples observing His birthday.
The apostles did not honor pagan rituals, and accordingly, preached to other Christians to avoid the pagan rituals.
The origin of Christmas took place in 336 AD.
Pope Julius I declared the birth and celebration of Christ's birthday as Christmas and chose December 25th because it coincided with the popular pagan traditions of Winter Solstice.
The purpose was to replace the pagan celebrations with the Christian one.
It worked, and it worked extremely well! Could this be the most creative and successful marketing strategy ever implemented? Most Christmas customs, the decorating the evergreen "Christmas" tree, the hanging of mistletoe, gift exchanges, and Santa Claus, all came from pagan winter practices and secular traditions that were celebrated throughout Europe.
Christmas as we know it today, is not only a mix of ancient pagan practices and hundreds of years of adopting secular and religious traditions, it also has a Victorian period influence that affected the practice and acceptance of Christmas.
As early as the seventeenth century the celebration of Christmas was still regarded as a pagan festival that was not permitted in England and in many of the English colonies in America.
It took almost 800 years for Christmas to become the important festival it is today.
In the early seventeenth century, England's colorful leader Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan who followed the Bible to the word, banned Christmas as a Pagan celebration.
Christmas did not return as a Christian holiday in England until Charles II came to power.
During that period in history when the Puritans descended upon America, Christmas was not recognized as a Christian festivity.
Once the colonies became independent, English influence and practices declined and our founding fathers restored Christmas.
Over time, as Christians adopted Christmas and attended Christmas Mass, it became a tradition at the end of Mass to enter into wild celebrations of drinking similar to the Mardi Gras festivals, and It wasn't until the nineteenth century when the practice of Christmas and the festival like celebrations ceased and gave way to observing Christmas with family values and traditions.
Several events came into play in the Nineteenth century that changed the observance of Christmas to become a family focused tradition.
New York City created the first full time, salaried Police Force in America and assigned it a riot control function to combat the increasing race and industrial riots, as well as Christmas celebrations that were getting out of control.
The other was Washington Irving who authored a collection of short stories on The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, and the celebration of Christmas in an English country house.
The Christmas stories portrayed an English noble man who invited the poor into his home to celebrate Christmas in a caring, friendly manner to bridge the gap between the haves and have-not.
Irving's writings were believed to have widespread influence in establishing the tradition and meaning of Christmas of being a caring, non- status oriented observance of Christmas.
Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday in the US until June 26, 1870.
However, on December 6, 1999, federal judge U.
S.
District Judge Susan J.
Dlott ruled that Christmas has become so secular that the government does not violate the Constitution by declaring it a federal legal holiday.
Christmas has the unusual distinction of being a multi-cultural, multi-religious and secular holiday.
It is celebrated throughout the world, and in the US, over 90% of the population celebrates Christmas.
Depending on national and local customs, it integrates sun worship, polytheism, pagan nature religions, Christianity, and other later myths and traditions.
Christmas is also big business and is the most commercialized holiday in the world with many mass-produced symbols, decorations, and gifts manufactured in less developed countries and sold throughout the world.
The celebration of Christmas is enjoyed by nearly everyone! The non-religious celebrate the joyous traditions.
The Christians, who believe that Christmas and its rituals solely relate to the birth of Christ, celebrate the religious rituals.
The pagans celebrate the rituals of Winter Solstice and Yule.
Commercial enterprises enjoy the profits from the sale of decorations, symbols, and gifts.
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