how did christmas start?

Question

some people say that it had beginnings in the bible when jesus was visited by the 3 wiseman bearing gifts. i dont completely agree with that. was it part of the church who wanted to do this or was it a mix between different faiths (roman mythology and christianity)

Answer 1

December 25th was a pagan holiday long before Jesus was around. It celebrated the birthday of another "crucified savior", Mirtha. :

""December 25th occurs about the time of the Winter Solistice, the shortest day of the year. The shortening days were taken as a sign that the Sun was getting weaker. After the Solistice, the days begin to get longer ...... and pagan peoples thought that was an indication that the Sun was getting stronger.

Thus, the Winter Solistice became the "birthday" of several gods: Attis, Frey, Thor, Dionysus, Osiris, Adonis, Mithra, Tammuz, Cernunnos and so forth. It is a "solar holiday," marking the time that the sun becomes apparently stronger day by day.




Mithra, by the way, was born on December 25, of a virgin. His birth was witnessed by shepherds and magicians [magi]. Mithra raised the dead and healed the sick and cast out demons. He returned to heaven at the spring equinox and before doing so had a last supper with his 12 disciples (representing the 12 signs of the zodiac), eating mizd, a piece of bread marked with a cross (an almost universal symbol of the sun).

Any of that sound familiar? "

Answer 2

My gracious, you're cynical. Christmas wasn't started by some advertisment firm wanting to sell cards or gifts.

It was the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, in a manger, visited by 3 Wisemen as foretold in the bible by the prophets.

Actually most faith traditions not just Christians, have similar stories in them about how their religion began.

The term Christianity was taken from Christ's name as his apostles evangelized the world after his death.

I know there are those who don't take the bible literally, I'm not sure everything isn't some sort of allegory but the truth is the early Christian church probaly borrowed from the Pagans to encourage people to celebrate at that time in December as there had always been festivals of light during that time of year.

Answer 3

Wow you think we could actually know this. But the truth is now a lie and perception without any investigation rules supreme! Its all a funny little fulfillment of the very thing that is supposed to be the phony Bologna.
Christmas was started to make the Pagans happy. They loved Jesus but didn't want to give up their parties. Sounds like right now right here no?

Answer 4

As Christianity took on more and more converts (including many former pagans; the former pagans liked their previous celebrations; and the Church added more and more holy days that were close to the time of the pagan celebrations.

The Winter Solstice became Christmas. December 25th was chosen because they was the birthday of the Persian Man-God Mithras.

Ostara's day (vernal equinox) became Easter *the day Christ is said to have risen from the dead.

Samhain (pronounced sowen) became "All Souls Day"

and many more

Answer 5

it was as a commemoration of Jesus' birth. Same way that your birthday celebration is initially your parents idea, so this was definitely a church idea, but the start of it was Jesus... In Germany an old pagan festival was then replaced by Christmas, but certain symbols such as advent wreaths and christmas trees were still kept from such festival

Answer 6

Christmas began in 4th century. The vatican needed to supply Christians a holiday because of the fact the pagans have been partying it up with wintry climate Solstice. This additionally became the appropriate danger to apply (as quickly as returned) a holiday to get converts (the church became very political). most of the traditions now are comparable to in the early years. The tree (which wasn't common until around 1600's while Prince Albert made it a "could-have"), the action picture star atop the tree (for pagans it symbolizes the 5 components and christians the action picture star in Bethlem), the nativity scene (germanic pagans celebrated the beginning of their sunlight god with a nativity scene sans the three smart adult males), present giving (pagans presented presents to the gods, christians commemorated the three smart adult males giving presents with this prepare). Oddly adequate in around 1600's in the U. S., christmas became banned because of the fact it held too many pagan traditions. On authentic of the actuality that the Christians bolted right here to get faraway from persecution....they actually did no longer desire to hold too many traditions that reminded them of painful cases. around the 1700's while "A Christmas Carol" became written, human beings began feasting as quickly as returned....only for the sake of staving off wintry climate blues. They then went to the church homes to work out how they could desire to have fun and that they introduced returned most of the previous traditions.

Answer 7

It began when the christians were converting the pagans who celabrated witerval on the 25th of december and so they said that would be celabrated as the birth of christ along with midnight mass and so chrstmass also nowhere in the bible does it say that jesus was born in the winter

Answer 8

It is generally accepted that Christmas began to be celebrated by the church in the early part of the third century.

Answer 9

According to a documentary on the History channel the other night, it started in the Victorian era. Jesus was actually born in April. Christmas being in December was actually created by retailers to end their retail year in the black. (having large profits).

Answer 10

Wright Sense is correct.
A pope in the 1300s I believe it was...changed Christmas to 25 December in an attempt to stamp out paganism.