Modern-day Halloween, Christmas, and Easter all have been derived from Pagan practices and beliefs. I know some of you will say you celebrate Christmas because it commemorates Christ's birth, or that you celebrate Easter because of the resurrection. However, Christ was not born on Dec 25, and there were no Christmas trees at His birth. As for Easter, why the Easter bunny thing? This is pagan too.
If scary masks on Halloween are bad, why then put out a Christmas tree or have an Easter egg hunt, if all of these practices are Pagan in origin?
2006-07-15 06:32:41 · 21 answers · asked by Dolores G. Llamas 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
There's a Christian lady I work with who doesn't celebrate Halloween, yet celebrates Christmas and Easter. Personally, I find it ridiculous. To most, they aren't thinking of Pagan holidays when the set out a Christmas tree, don a scary mask, or hide the colored eggs. It's just part of the festivities, that's as deep as it goes.
Personally I'm not a Christian, so whatever people wanna do is fine. I'm just curious as to the reasoning behind considering one holiday's practices as evil/pagan (btw, Pagan isn't exactly evil either) and not be mindful of the origins in the symbols of the other holidays.
Whatever people wanna do is fine, I'm just poking brains, that's all.
2006-07-15 06:59:55 · update #1
One more thing... I don't have kids yet, but I say let 'em have all the fun they can. Give them as much "childhood" for as long and as much as you can, while they're still innocent enough to enjoy it.
Commercialism... the only Xmas gift I buy is for my sister. We live together and she's Catholic, so I can't not get her a gift. I do, however, get her a gift for Ayyam-i-Ha, the Baha'i gift giving season. (I'm a Baha'i.) The release from buying a ton of gifts has been LIBERATING! Whew!!
2006-07-15 07:07:22 · update #2
Okay....here's the difference... the dates used are admittedly pagan in origin. These dates were used by the chruch to try to wipe clean the pagan connotations so long held by followers of that religion, to sanctify them if you will. What separates Christmas and Easter from Halloween is that there is no religious reason for Halloween and in fact only indulges the pagan beliefs. Christmas and Easter are events that defined Christianity as we know it. We celebrate the reason, not the date.
2006-07-15 06:41:05 · answer #1 · answered by ncblugirl 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The short answer is "tradition".
The longer is answer is that Early Christianity, in an effort to help win converts, tolerated /incorporated/re-purposed local festivals into the Church Calendar.
Going by the Bible, Jesus' birth would be sometime in August or September.
The December date is used, simply because the Church in Rome allowed new converts to continue their practice of observing Saturnalia in mid-December. Protestant Christianity started out by rejecting the most scriptural aspects of Catholic Christianity. How many of those were rejected, and when they were rejected is dependent upon which Protestant denomination one is talking about. [FWIW, Catholic Christianity later rejected some of its most blatantly scriptural practices.]
Easter is celebrated according to where the moon was, when Jesus was crucified. The Easter bunny crept into Easter, via a pagan festival. This was a compromise with pagans at the time. [Christians set the date. Pagans ran the event.]
Halloween crept into the Christian calendar as All Saints day. The church _usually_ managed to keep the distinction between celebrating All Saint's day and Samhein differentiated.
How these events have been celebrated, by both the secular world, and Christianity, has changed over the years. At different points in both US, and British history, the celebration of all three has been banned, and then allowed. [In Britain, the ban was not usually enforced, except thru "social pressure".]
How those events are celebrated in contemporary society bear no resemblance to how they were celebrated when they were pagan festivals.
A strong case can be made that the only reason these holidays are still celebrated, is commerce, not religious.
Try finding a Christmas Tree to put up on first night. Better still, try disposing of a Christmas Tree the day after Twelfth Night.
[It is a safe bet to say that you will have to chop it up yourself, because the pick up date for Christmas trees passed more than a week before twelfth night --- which is the date that "tradition" would dictate taking the tree down, if one was observing Christmas as a period of Christian Holy Days.]
As a side note, I'll just point out that some pagans object to those holidays, on the grounds that Christians have bastardized them.
2006-07-15 09:19:45 · answer #2 · answered by jblake80856 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, you already answered your own question. Christians celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus (note, if you don't know someone's exact birthday, you just have to find a day to celebrate it) and Easter because of the resurrection. Who says that christians put up christmas trees and paint eggs? You are placing main stream and popular views of the holidays to everyone.
The other thing I would say, is that there is nothing against following pagan "practices". Worshipping pagan "gods" however would go against the tenets of christianity.
Not quite sure where you are getting that scary masks on Halloween are bad, but there are many christians who do participate in Halloween, its fun, plan and simple. Today's modern version of the holiday has little to do with the pagan roots of the night. Besides, it puts money back into the economy and that's a good thing.
2006-07-15 06:40:48 · answer #3 · answered by Darius 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Halloween is a secular tradition (pagan, yes) but has nothing to do with the traditions of Christianity. True a lot of the Christian holydays and festivals come from Greek or Roman traditions and some (like Christmas) have become entirely pagan again, having lost pretty much all religious meaning, Easter being more a Rite of Spring, a Rebirth (that of Christ by the way) more than anything else. Christianity has lost a good deal of its veneer in Europe and America, but people do need a spiritual element in their lives. Something will spring back eventually. In the meantime I'd rather have a "pagan" feast with Santa Claus than the rigidity of a taliban and their mullahs in my face.
2006-07-15 06:49:56 · answer #4 · answered by robert43041 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I celebrate all 3. Halloween, however, IS the pagan holiday. It was instituted to off-set November 1st, All Saints Day. Christmas, and Easter were off shoots to off-set other Pagan holidays. Halloween is the only one that worked in reverse.
I celebrate for my kids. We dont have an "Easter Bunny" in our home, and my kids know there is no "Santa". We have a tree, just because it is traditional, but for no other reason that that. Halloween is just fun for my kids, and my daughter knows its history, just like the other two holidays. Its just traditional, it means nothing to our faith.
2006-07-15 06:42:13 · answer #5 · answered by sweetie_baby 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You are right. It's the same thing. I am a christian and I don't buy a christmas trees anymore and I don't purchase bunnies for easter. Commercialism and greed will advertise the holiday seasons to make money on God. I as a christian know better and celebrate it my own way, for what it's really all about. But I can't speak for others, only myself.
2006-07-15 06:42:27 · answer #6 · answered by Ven 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when I was a kid (not that long ago Im only 33) there wasnt any of this controversy about halloween. Everyone celebrated it and had fun with it. It hasnt been until recently that people have started getting upset by it. I really dont understand why all of a sudden it has become such a big deal. I get tired of people trying constantly to ruin other people's enjoyment of life pagan or not who cares
2006-07-15 07:00:14 · answer #7 · answered by erik c 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i say just let the kids have fun they arent gonna understand the deep religious meaning of chirstmas, easter or why halloween us bad they are just gonna cry cuz they cant dress up and get candy..when i was little we wore our costumes to school, had parties now u can only wear black and orange on halloween cuz too many parents complained about it...those days were some of my best memories how ridiculous is that....these things are for kids if u wanna make it religious thats fine but dont take the fun away from them..think of all ur child hood memories if ur a christian who lets ur kids out on halloween ur not suddenly a pagen anti christ....
2006-07-15 06:50:01 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Halloween originally started with witches and witchcraft. That is evil because GOD is the only one with the power to rule over our lives. Christmas was an original Roman Holiday, but the fact is we are celebrating Jesus Christ. ARe you saying we shouldn't celebrate the fact that He lives? Easter isn't really Easter. It is Resuretion Sunday. PAgans frame it to make it to their liking. CHristians are decorating in CHristmas, and Easter Egg Hunts are for the blind Christians. PAgans make it to their liking. So they twist GODLY holidays.
2006-07-15 06:39:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
I love you !!! :D
They all are Pagan, Cept Yule (Pagan Christmas) Is celebrated on the 21st of December!
They are all on different dates but none the less all Pagan Holidays! or "Sabbats" !!
I believe they were trying to take attention off our holidays!
And just because Samhain (Halloween) Is when our Sun God dies and the God of Hunt takes over and all the spirits are more active doesnt make it evil!! Come on now....
If you look at it and the things that accually happen on halloween its not evil!!
Kids do evil things, like tricks and stuff but thats by their own will. Us Pagans dont do evil things at all!! :)
So like.. stop stealing our holidays and stuff.
2006-07-15 06:42:07 · answer #10 · answered by Branwen 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋