Why do people celebrate Holidays that have pagan backgrounds that can be found in any encyclopedia?

Question

look up any holiday and find where and how it originated

Answer 1

cause I'm pagan

Answer 2

When the christians were converting many people they started placing certain religious holidays around the same time as the native people's religion. That way it would be easier to convert people to christinanity. For instance, Christmas is really placed during the Roman religious celberation of Saturnalia (Spelling?). This was a week long celebration of Saturn that pretty much was just an excuse for the Romans to get drunk and party like its 999 (ha get it, 999, its a bad corny joke). They moved it there because they figured that the Romans would be much more open to the religion then if it had the same holidays that they had. In reality it has been dated that the actual events of Christmas happend in the early days of the month of June, no ware near December 25.

Also many of the people who practiced the old pagan religions where much more friendly than the christians. They also based many of their beliefs on nature and harmony with it. Christians tended to kill just about anyone who didn't agree with them.

But i'm really glad that we now live in a world where different religious sects won't kill you just because your of a different relgious background....

Answer 3

There's only 365 (sometimes 366) days in a year. You gotta celebrate holidays on SOME day. Anybody can take any day of the year and tie it in to some "evil" festival or whatnot.

Besides...what's the matter with Pagan holidays? I'm a Christian and I don't give a hoot if we celebrate St. Gundebert's Feast Day...a.k.a. "Holiday"(who was martyred by Pagans, by the way) on April 20...which is also Hitler's birthday.

The date on which Easter falls...three days after Passover...is a date based on a Pagan holiday.

Your Jehovian leanings are showing...lighten up a little. You don't have to sneer everytime somebody gives you a Target Gift Card in December.

Answer 4

If your pagan then there would still be some holidays you would celebrate in pagan style. As for non-pagans celebrating what were originaly pagan holidays, blame that on the christian church who were so desperate to gain power and influence over all people, "converted" the pagan holidays in existance then into christian holidays.

Answer 5

because when the Christians invaded i forget were i think it was Greece they tried to outlaw all the people's religious holidays and the people happened to be pagans but they still celebrated the so the Christin's made there holidays into there own like Easter came from ester the god of fertility and they have been celebrated like that ever since but most people forgot that they are pagan i think that's right anyway

Answer 6

Oh my goodness... I cant believe people really know the background of Holidays, and still celebrate them. Pagans, follow pagans. I say let them do what they want to, as long as you know whats right, and what Holy Days, not holidays, to celebrate. Pagans have their own gods to follow, and when you indulge in their created day, you are worshiping them as well. It ain't right though, because the first commandment clearly tells you not to worship any other god.

Answer 7

Because most care about money and fun and party's then if it is right or wrong. Like Xmas it was outlawed 2 times for being a pagan holiday that encouraged non Christian behavior once in England and once in the united states.

Answer 8

Because they're stupid or ignorant and/or have been brainwashed either by society or by their religion.

I celebrate these holidays because I DO know their origins and respect those origins. What's wrong with a little good old fashioned paganism anyway? It's a loving tradition full of life and respect for life.

Answer 9

Pagan backgrounds exist all around us and we have no choice but to utilize them. If one wishes to banish all aspects of paganism in this world, then little would remain. The calendar, lost. The clothing, lost. The inventions, lost.

Again, I recommend not basing your perceptions and beliefs of holidays and coincidences/traditions on anything Dan Brown writes.

Leave the Theology to the theologians and the fiction to the fiction writers. Understand that even agnostics like Bart Ehrman and Christians like Pope Benedict XVI agree on this. NOTE: Both are the preeminent theologians in their fields. Dan Brown, is not.

Answer 10

Ugh, come on. Those holidays were stolen from paganism, by the church, to demolish and remove paganism. If they couldn't celebrate it, then they may become that religion because it was there. Kinda like having that candy everyone wants, but they have to join your club to have any.

Answer 11

in one word tradition. take a picture of zeus and a picture of jesus and put them side by side,they look the same because the romans took the picture of the most intimadting god the romans could relate to and fixed him up abit to make the picture of jesus.what you people think jesus would have stood for a portrait,no that's vanitey. religions never die they are just absorbed into the next one.this is why people celebrate pagan holidays even if they are christian. that and a lack of knowledge behind the holiday.