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Christmas

A Short History of Christmas

12 December 2018 Hits:21109

Christmas shares a similar history with Halloween — both were pagan festivals adopted by the church to use an established celebration to reflect and promote Christian truth.

The church didn’t celebrate the birth of Christ until the third century because no one knew—or could agree on—the date. It’s unlikely shepherds were watching their flocks during a Northern Hemisphere winter. More often, they would have been doing so in spring or at least in warmer months. Still, the exact date of Jesus’ birth remains a mystery. In the first few centuries, Easter was the main celebration for the Christian church.

Christmas Begins

In the fourth century, church officials decided to establish the celebration of Jesus’s birth as a holiday. It was Pope Julius I who chose December 25 to align with the culture of that time. December 25 was also the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born from a rock. For some Romans, Mithra’s birthday was the most sacred day of the year. It coincided with the Saturnalia festival, a holiday honouring Saturn, the god of agriculture. According to History.com, Saturnalia began the week before the winter solstice and lasted a whole month. It was a hedonistic occasion, filled with abundant food and drink—much like Christmas is for many people today!

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January, in recognition of the return of the sun. In Germany, people honoured the pagan god Odin during the mid-winter holiday.

Christmas Spreads

Christmas was originally known as the Feast of the Nativity, a tradition that reached Egypt by 432 AD and England by the end of the sixth century. By the end of the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had spread to Scandinavia. Today, in the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, Christmas is observed 13 days after the 25th, which is also called the Epiphany or Three Kings Day, marking the day the three wise men are believed to have finally found Jesus in the manger – if only they had a GPS!

By holding Christmas alongside traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the likelihood that Christmas would be widely accepted. Still, they lost the power to control how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had largely replaced pagan religion. On Christmas, believers attended church before celebrating raucously in a drunken, carnival-like setting.

Christmas Cancelled

In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated across Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took control of England in 1645, they promised to rid the country of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas.

In June 1647, a British Parliamentary ordinance abolished the feasts of Christmas, Easter, and Whitsun. During Christmas 1647, several ministers were arrested by authorities for trying to preach on Christmas Day. But good sense eventually prevailed over religious fundamentalism, and King Charles II restored Christmas in 1660.

Christmas Influenced

Washington Irving’s stories portrayed Christmas as a peaceful, warm-hearted, family-centred holiday that unites people across social lines, fostering feelings of community and goodwill among readers.

Also, around this time, English author Charles Dickens published his classic book, A Christmas Carol. The story’s message, the importance of charity and goodwill towards all humankind, struck a powerful chord in both the United States and England, showing members of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday.

Over the past few decades, some old traditions have been added to the “new” view of Christmas presented by Irving and Dickens – people have started decorating trees, sending Christmas cards, and giving gifts.

Christmas Today

And that’s how we celebrate Christmas today in Australia. Many believe we observe Christmas in the same way it has been for centuries, but that’s not quite right. Thanks to two books, we’ve truly reinvented the holiday to suit the cultural needs of a growing nation – and it’s a great opportunity for Christians to connect with the culture.

Although the date might not be precise, celebrating Jesus’ birth recalls God’s love and purpose, inspiring reverence and hope in our lives and communities.

Photograph Credit:  Mithra, taken by Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany.

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