Dec 25, 2008 by december 1582 ad the shortest day of the year had shifted 12 days on the roman julian calendar to wednesday, december 12, 1582. Herod who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world. No one knows when zoroaster was born, but he is remembered as part of the new year festival in iran in march. December 25 is the 359th day of the year 360th in leap years in the gregorian calendar. December 25 was then decreed as jesus birthday with the spring equinox full moon in marchapril designated as his death day. The reason for establishing december25 as christmas is somewhat obscure, but it is usually held that the day was chosen to correspond to pagan festivals that took place around the time of the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen, to celebrate the rebirth of the sun. The christmas rituals, symbols, and figures are merely remnants of the pagan rituals, symbols, and figures of old. December 25 as jesus birthday comes from sextus julius africanuss book. Jul 02, 20 with the pagan birthday celebration of the sungod. We can still see the pagan origins of christmas in many holiday traditions, including mistletoe. Pagan history of december 25 jesus christ was not born on. The answer points back to the romans pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. Dec 16, 20 while these explanations of how december 25 came to be the date of christmas are all plausible, we know one thing for sure.
Valentines day is a pagan festival that celebrates love and lust, and the pagan book of days shows that the roman goddess februa is patroness of love and celebrated by the romans through orgiastic rites. Oct 10, 2016 the christmas superholiday is the standard for popular observances today. Did you know yeshua the messiah was born nowhere near december 25, but that was the birth day of the sun god, sol invictus or mithras. For example, horus was believed to have been born in the summer. As you can see there is a reason to celebrate just about any day of the year. In ancient baby lon, the 25th of december was known as yule day or the birth of the promised child day. For three full days december 2224 asar lies dead and the twins grow in asets belly. It was supposed to posses the power of revealing treasures in the earth, and was formed into a divining rod. The plants, spirits, and rituals at the origins of yuletide. This was the day of the birth of the incarnate sun, who appeared as a baby child to redeem a world bound in darkness.
The pagan origins of christmas december 25th birthday of the sun. December 25th was always a pagan holiday called, saturnalia for literally thousands of years before christians claimed ownership of december 25th, it was a pagan holiday celebrating the birth of the sun god, sol invictus which concluded their annual winter festival of saturnalia. Stolen on their admission by early christian bishops from the saturnalia celebration. Answer 5 but still, these antichristmas groups condemning that christmas was of pagan origin due to its date december 25 is similar of pagan festival date, of sol invictus, without knowing the fact that december 25 is also a jewish festival of light during 25th of kislev, called hanukah, they had this already long before christ. How december 25 became christmas biblical archaeology society. But the christians commemoration of the birth of jesus on december 25 was prior to all this. Discover the most famous december 25 birthdays including ashley nichole, sarabeautycorner, justin trudeau, daysha taylor, bobbiejo and many more.
The mithra connection to that day was first recorded in 336 ad by philocalus, who added it to his codexcalendar in 354 ad. The winter solstice is the time when the daylight hours stop getting shorter and instead begin to get longer. Since dec 25 is actually a pagan saturnalia ritual. Psychic tv a pagan day pages from a notebook 1984, vinyl. Once again, the date of december 25th is not mentioned in the bible and thus holds no significance to the story of jesus christ. Other christian churches celebrate christmas every 25th of december using the julian calendar which the festive currently correspond to january 7 in gregorian calendar, that is the day. The most common theory today dates the liturgical designation back to the fourth century.
A guide to the festivals, traditions, and sacred days of the year pennick, nigel on. Although jesus birth is celebrated every year on december 25, luke and. Theres a disagreement about why the church chose dec. This book would be an excellent allhousehold read for the twelve days. It was also looked upon as the seat of life of the sacred oak. Therefore, the aforementioned orthodox christians mark december 25 and thus christmas on the day that is internationally considered to be january 7. Saturnalia was held on desember 1618 birth of roman sol fell on winter solstice. As a result, december 25 on the julian calendar currently corresponds to january 7 on the calendar used by most governments and people in everyday life. If this date, december 25, also happened to give the church a sacred feast with which to counter pagan celebrations, then it was arguably the best possible choice for the day on which to honor. Dec 24, 2014 since it appears unlikely that jesus was born on 25th december, it raises the logical question of why christmas is celebrated on this date. It was in the fifth century that the roman catholic church commanded that the birth of christ be observed forever on december 25 the day of the old roman feast of the birth of sol one of the names of the sungod.
The catholic church, from at least the second century, has claimed that christ was born on december 25. Frequently, the statement is used to dismiss the christian tradition of the birth of the christ on that day and by inference, christian tradition in general as mere pagan superstition. This celebration christmas was probably influenced by pagan unchristian festivals held at that. The green tree is a symbol of the greenskinned asar, god of fertility and vegetation. The eventual choice of december 25, made perhaps as early as 273, reflects a convergence of origens concern about pagan gods and the churchs identification of gods son with the celestial sun. One of the prevalent theories on why christmas is celebrated on dec. However, it is commonly alleged that our lord jesus christ was not born on december 25.
Isis, horus, and the holy day of december 25th isiopolis. The only bible verse that talks about 25th december. The church in rome began celebrating christmas on december 25 during the reign of constantine, the first christian emperor, possibly to weaken pagan traditions. Why christmas is held on 25th december ancient origins.
The pagan history of christmas started with the greeks. Saturnalia fell on december 1618, according to macrobius, which was a saturnalia observant. Did you know december 25 was the concluding day of the pagan winter festival called the saturnalia. The holiday was originally set to honor semiramis, tammuz, and nimrod the first family of the occult. In short, todays christianity is an unholy marriage of roman idolatry and christ sentiments designed by constantine to maintain religious and political if not economical order and harmony in the empire. The evidence that this day held a special significance to christians predates the proof of a supposed celebration of sol invictus or other pagan deities on that day. How december 25 became christmas biblical archaeology.
Debunking the claim that christians borrowed the date from pagans. Furthermore, even if jesus was born on december 25th god never commanded that we commemorate his birth. Dec 24, 2012 the following is adapted from taylor marshalls new book. Dec 14, 2014 in this video, i address the question of whether or not jesus was born on december 25. Oct 12, 2017 2 dec 21 25 is the winter solstice the shortest day of the year when the sun appears to disappear for 3 days.
The date of december 25 to celebrate christs birth was chosen to conform to the old, pagan roman holidays called saturnalia and brumalia. The ancient romans kept these holidays around the time of the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. A marginal note on a manuscript of the writings of the syriac biblical commentator dionysius barsalibi states that in ancient times the christmas holiday was actually shifted from january 6 to december 25 so that it fell on the same date as the pagan sol invictus holiday. The decision to celebrate christmas on december 25 was made sometime during the fourth century by church bishops in rome. For literally thousands of years before christians claimed ownership of december 25th, it was a pagan holiday celebrating the birth of the sun god, sol invictus which concluded their annual winter festival of saturnalia. A guide to the festivals, traditions, and sacred days of the year. Jesus was born in march, yet his birth is celebrated on december 25, the time of. Christmas or christmas day commemorates and celebrates the birth of jesus. How did december 25 become the official date for christmas. Two celebrations in particular took place around december 25 the saturnalia, and the birthday of the sun god, mithra. The colored lights are symbols of aset, goddess of magick and divine. In polytheistic rome, december 25 was a celebration of the unconquered sun, marking the return of longer days. By december 1582 ad the shortest day of the year had shifted 12 days on the roman julian calendar to wednesday, december 12, 1582.
See more ideas about december 25, pagan yule and pagan christmas. Dec 23, 2016 the problem is that its completely false. The two great holidays when the pagans gathered mistletoe were midsummer day, the summer solstice, and december 25, the winter solstice. Today, many of the pagan uses are reflected in christmas. They did not need to wait several days till december 25 to figure out that. Sep 06, 2016 the pagan calendar of days this page serves as a jumping off point to everything you ever wanted to know about pagan holidays, festivals, feast days, and the wheel of the year. Christmas, the argument goes, is really a spinoff from these pagan solar festivals.
The pagan celebration of the unconquerable sun sol invictus on december 25 was instituted by roman emperor aurelian in 274 ad. Both medieval and modern sources claim that the early church during the 300s solemnized the nativity on this particular day to counter the pagan feast of natalis invicti, birth of the unconquerable one. No one knows what day jesus was born, his birthday was not celebrated in the first century, christmas is not mentioned in the. Why then do we observe his birthday on december 25.
Pagan history of december 25 jesus christ was not born. In fact, the selection of this date has its root in both persian and pagan traditions. The article was first republished in bible history daily in december 2012. Additionally, in mithraism there is no date of mithras birth. Pagan sungods are born on december 25th a compromise and deception of christendom december 25. It just so happens that on the twentyfifth of december in the roman empire there was a pagan holiday that was linked to mystery religions. The pagan origins of the christmas date, as well as pagan origins for many christmas customs giftgiving and merrymaking from roman saturnalia.
Early christians brought pagan elements into the celebration of their christmas celebrations, thereby. Pagan day and the related 1988 album allegory and self were rereleased in 2017 by sacred bones records and dais records. Dec 25, 2015 question what pagan holiday falls on december 25. According to the ancient julian calendar, the day of the winter solstice was december 25. Dec 23, 2016 in fact, theres much in the new testament narratives that would indicate that it didnt occur during that time of year. Harriet beecher stowe has a character in her 1878 novel poganuc people. Dec 22, 2008 mostbut not allof the christian world now agrees on the gregorian calendar and the december 25 date. Families will gather on december 25, gorge themselves on ham and turkey, stare at a decorated tree while a swooning bing provides the ambience, and exchange billions of dollars in gifts, many of them unwanted. According to popular tradition, christmas is celebrated on 25th december to honor the birth of jesus. December 25 christmas day has been a federal holiday in the united states since 1870. The 25th of december pagan feast or patristic tradition. December 25 is the traditional anniversary of the birth of christ, but most scholars are unsure about the true date for christs birth. The holiday was celebrated as the roman pagan solstice, or birthday of the unconquered sun, which began on december 17 and ended december 25.
It followed saturnalia, a festival where people feasted and exchanged gifts. On this day december 25th the twins are born, the reincarnation or resurrection of their father. However, the original december 25th birth date was retained for all pagan sun gods by the roman saturnalia and sol invictus traditions. What the bible says about christmas, pagan origins of. In fact, december 25 was the winter solstice on the roman calendar, the shortest day of the year. The date is also significant because it has always marked the winter solstice. It doesnt take much of an internet search to discover the fact that the goddess isis bore the holy child horus on december 25th.
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