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Tristan_Geoff · 11-22-2016, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Prior to and through the early Christian centuries, winter festivals—especially those centered on the winter solstice—were the most popular of the year in many European pagan cultures. Reasons included the fact that less agricultural work needed to be done during the winter, as well as an expectation of better weather as spring approached.[72] Many modern Christmas customs have been directly influenced by such festivals, including gift-giving and merrymaking from the Roman Saturnalia, greenery, lights, and charity from the Roman New Year, and Yule logs and various foods from Germanic feasts.[73] The Egyptian deity Horus, son to goddess Isis, was celebrated at the winter solstice. Horus was often depicted being fed by his mother, which also influenced the symbolism of the Virgin Mary with baby Christ.

The pre-Christian Germanic peoples—including the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse—celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period, yielding modern English 'yule, today used as a synonym for Christmas.[74] In Germanic language-speaking areas, numerous elements of modern Christmas folk custom and iconography stem from Yule, including the Yule log, Yule boar, and the Yule goat.[74] Often leading a ghostly procession through the sky (the Wild Hunt), the long-bearded god Odin is referred to as 'the Yule one' and 'Yule father' in Old Norse texts, whereas the rest of the gods are referred to as 'Yule beings'.[75]

In eastern Europe also, old pagan traditions were incorporated into Christmas celebrations, an example being the Koleda,[76] which was incorporated into the Christmas carol.

One theory to explain the choice of December 25 for the celebration of the birth of Jesus is that the purpose was to Christianize the pagan festival in Rome of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, meaning "the birthday of the Unconquered Sun", a festival inaugurated by the Roman emperor Aurelian (270–275) to celebrate the sun god and celebrated at the winter solstice, December 25.[77][78] According to this theory, during the reign of the emperor Constantine (306-337), Christian writers assimilated this feast as the birthday of Jesus, associating him with the "sun of righteousness" mentioned in Malachi 4:2 (Sol Iustitiae).[77][78]

An explicit expression of this theory appears in an annotation of uncertain date added to a manuscript of a work by 12th-century Syrian bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi. The scribe who added it wrote: "It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day." [79] This idea became popular especially in the 18th and 19th centuries.[80][81][82]

Uh huh.

Ironically enough actually, one of the only holidays we Americans celebrate that's actually religious in origin is Halloween.