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A Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ is known as Christmas. Christmas (“mass on Christ’s day”) is a new invention of the English language. Germanic Jl or Anglo-Saxon gel may have been the origin of Yule, which referred to the winter solstice feast. Navidad in Spanish (Navidad), Natale in Italian (Natale), and Noel in French (Noel) all possibly refer to the birth of a child. The term “Christmas” means “holy night” in German. As a secular family festival since the early 20th century, Christmas has become increasingly ornate in its gift exchange, with Christians and non-Christians equally participating. Santa Claus, a legendary character in this secular Christmas celebration of pagan and Roman cultures, plays a key role.
Origins of Christmas:
In addition to the pagan and Roman cultures, the origins of Christmas may be traced to the pagans. It was customary for the Romans to celebrate two feasts in the last full week of December. The first was a two-week festival honouring Saturn, the god of agriculture in their pantheon. On December 25, Mithra, their sun god, was born. Excessive drinking was a feature of both occurrences.
On December 21, the longest night of the year, pagan cultures also lit bonfires and candles to fight against the darkness. The Roman cultures, who celebrate this nondenominational Christmas celebration as their holidays, also embraced this rite.
Christianity spread over Europe and could not halt pagan rituals and celebrations. They used a pagan custom to commemorate Jesus’ birth since no one knew the precise date.
Who were the Pagans?
This word includes Romans and Norse in Scandinavia. As Christianity swept over Europe in the early AD, missionaries met many individuals with diverse religious views. All of these people and faiths were called ‘pagan.’
Christians wanted to expand their faith over Europe, yet they were captivated by paganism. They were intrigued enough to adopt some of their ideas and practices for Christian festivals.
This is a good time to look at a few pagan Christmas traditions.
Gift-Giving and Saturnalia
The Roman cultures celebrated Saturnalia between December seventeenth and twenty-fourth. This feast honoured Saturn, the agriculture deity. Romans spent Saturnalia eating, drinking, giving presents, and being merry.
Romans exchanged modest gifts for good fortune. The gifts were meant to bring an abundant crop next year, and the Romans gave just one gift to one another. What started as a little business among the Romans has now grown into a multimillion-dollar enterprise
Santa’s Image and Christmas Stockings
It wasn’t until the 1930s that Coca-Cola came up with the red-haired Santa with the white beard that we know today. The notion of an older man offering presents to children stems from paganism.
The children of the patron saint, the poor, and prostitutes was St. Nicholas. In the 4th century AD, St. Nicholas was a kind bishop who distributed gifts to the poor and wore a Santa robe with a long beard.
Odin existed before Nicholas, and the Germanic tribes in the pre-industrial era revered this god. He was often shown as an elderly man riding a white horse called Sleipnir, with a long white beard. Sleipnir was fed carrots and straw by children in the winter. As we do now, Children would receive gifts from Odin, who would fly over and put them into their booties.
Santa Claus is a combination of Saint Nicholas, Odin, and Sleipnir, as well as the Coca-Cola mascot.
Christmas Carols
Wassailing, the pagan term for door-to-door carol singing, is the opposite of the Christian Christmas carol. Waes hael, which translates to “good health,” is the word’s origin. Wassailers gather in little groups and sing loudly to ward off evil spirits and wish others well.
No wassailing group was complete without mulled wine, curdled cream, baked apples, spices, and sugar. These merry carols inspired St. Francis, who started the tradition of Christmas carolling.
Kissing Beneath A Milestone
The practice is claimed to have been inspired by ancient pagan ceremonies. The mistletoe was popular in ancient times, and they revered it as an important plant in the Pagan religion.
The Romans honoured Saturn with mistletoe at Saturnalia. They performed fertility rites beneath the mistletoe to make him happy. Because family is always around, we’ve simplified the mistletoe ritual to a kiss.
The mistletoe was a Druid emblem of peace and happiness. Under the mistletoe, rivals would lay down their guns and agree to a truce agreement. When two individuals kiss, a truce is proclaimed.
Holly Decorating:
Mistletoe was more important to the Pagans than any other plant. Another plant associated with Saturn was the holly. At Saturnalia, Romans traded holy wreaths for good fortune. Early Christians first celebrated Christmas around the time of Saturnalia, but they were persecuted because of their beliefs. Christian celebrations were able to be disguised as Saturnalia because of the timing of Christmas and Saturnalia.
Christians decorated their homes with holly wreaths to make it seem like they were celebrating Saturnalia. This information allows them to identify with other Christians and enjoy their religious holiday with them. Paganism declined, and Christmas began to take root.
Tree decoration Of Christmas
Another Roman-inspired tradition is the decorating of trees. During Saturnalia, Romans decorated trees outside their homes with little metal ornaments, and the family of Saturn’s patron saint is depicted in each ornament.
On the winter solstice, trees were decked with candles and fruits in homage to Odin. For Christians, Christmas trees have always been adorned with lights and ornaments.
Conclusion
After the civil war, the nation sought ways to overcome divisions and unite. President Ulysses S. Grant established a federal holiday in 1870. Despite the evolution of Christmas traditions, Washington Irving’s desire for a family atmosphere endures. We take advantage of this time to share happiness by sending cards, donating to charity, and exchanging presents.
