Christmas Customs

The greatest gift of all was given by God himself. He made a way for all to escape the penalty of sins by Christ crucified on the cross at Calvary. In order to be a recipient of his grace one must believe and be baptized in the name of Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins after real repentance. Nobody knows the exact day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is almost certain that Jesus was not born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is highly unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. Early Catholics wanted to create a special day in December to take the place a Roman Pagan holiday. In 350, Pope (Short for "Pontifex Maximus" or a pagan title meaning great bridge builder.) Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. It was made on that specific date to replace former pagan activities. There is little doubt that the Pope was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert over. The Catholics would celebrate special days by holding a mass. On December 25, they held the Christ Mass. Over the years the word has become Christmas. Here are it's pagan roots. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast., In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. From ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born. In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year. Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. The mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods. The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. The custom of decorating a tree as part of Christmas celebrations comes from Germany. Martin Luther is credited with the custom of putting candles on the evergreen tree. Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's husband) brought the custom to England in a wonderful example of two families and cultures blending their traditions. In the 1800s the Pennsylvanian Germans continued the German custom in the new world. Martin Collins from Bibletools.com believes that the origin of the Christmas tree is tied to the ancient myth of Gilgamesh and Horus, which they associate with character Nimrod in the Bible. Interestingly, that association places the origins of the Christmas tree in to a celebration Nimrod as the "Son of Heaven." By associating this symbol with Jesus, many Christians are replacing that pagan symbology with a Christian one by celebrating the Birth of Jesus on December 25 instead of the Birthday of Nimrod. The Druids also used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees. These are the origins of Christmas in the old world. In the new world we see others. Poinsettias are a beautiful red flower from Mexico that blooms in December. According to legend, a brother and sister had no gift to give the Church in honor of the birth of Jesus. They brought green weeds and

decorated around the nativity scene. Miraculously the flower bloomed in red and green stars. During the 17th century, Franciscan priests used the flowers during nativity processions. The first US ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Joel Poinsett brought the plant to the United States to be part of Christmas celebrations. The story of Santa Claus has its origins in the life of St. Nicholas who was well known for his generosity and love of children. Saint Nicholas (270-346 A.D.) is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a Bishop of Myra which is modern day Turkey. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonder worker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose English name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as is common for early Christian saints. The red costume is thought to come from red bishop's robes. But many of the details of Santa Claus' Christmas Eve travels come from a poem composed by Dr. Clement Moore, called "The Night Before Christmas" in 1822. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer appeared in 1939. He was part of a marketing idea for the Montgomery Ward department store in Chicago. They were looking for something that Santa Claus could hand out to children. The story, with illustrations, was printed as a booklet and given to children at Christmas time over the next 10 years. The song was first recorded by Gene Autry in 1949 and went straight to the top of the Hit Parade. Christmas for many is a celebration that blends the customs and stories of the both the old world and the new world.