If December wasn't Christ's 'real' birthday...?

Question

Then do you believe the historians who say it was put in December to give pagans something to celebrate and draw them into the faith, while at the same time covering up the fact that other beliefs exist? Or is it something more? (BTW, December 25th isn't Christ's birthday because the census was not in winter, and shepherds watched their flocks mainly in spring\summer). Some theorize that people counted 9 months from was was set as Christ's conception date, which would be March--the Incarnation.

I thought I had it right. I don't really mind that nobody knows Christ's real birthday--in billions of centuries what is a day? Christ matters. Still, it makes me sick that the birth of Christ was used as a tool by intorelant religious people.

Answer 1

Dec 25th was the biggest holiday in the Roman calender, the festival for Jupiter. When the Roman Gods were replaced by Christianity, the holidays were transferred over to the new religion. For example, Easter is really the holiday for the Goddess Oeaster.

Answer 2

He died at passover and he was 331/2 years old. counting that wouldn't make his birthday in December.
So some say it was Sept or Oct.
The reason was what you guessed it was, the pagans had a large celebration with gift giving and colored lights and drinking and festivities. There was a good reason for this.
They worshipped the sun and stars, and when it went away in the winter they have a celebration to bring it back. When spring came and it was back they said "see there it works"
When Jesus came he was the life giver and the son of God.
so the church just changed this pagan festival to be Jesus birthday. Problem solved. They were afraid not to do it and it did help in the conversion thing.
But it actually has nothing to do with Jesus being born.
Even the Christmas Tree was actually worshipped by them.
IN the winter it was the only green thing around so they felt it had special priviledges with God. In other words the tree was sacred symbol of life. All in this pagan religion.

Answer 3

Christ's Nativity was originally celebrated on Epiphany, which is the last day of the Advent Liturgy of Christmas. Of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" Epiphany is the final day.

Dec. 25 was originally Saturnalia in the pagan Roman Empire. Christians of that time countered with a celebration of their own to offset the revelry and orgiastic behavior that was going on around them. They started celebrating Christ's Nativity on Dec. 25. Later it was made the official Holy Day for celebrating the Nativity. I think most Christians (myself included) are aware that Christ probably wasn't actually born on this day. It's just the day we celebrate it. And the Catholic Church still celebrates Epiphany also - it's usually a couple of Sundays later in January.

Saturnalia has been long forgotten by most people, but Christmas is universally celebrated, even by people who don't profess to be Christian.

Our family over the past few years has rejected the secularization of Christmas, and we make it more of a Christ-centered holiday now......

Edit:

I will add that I find the preoccupation with buying and giving presents, Santa Claus, Charle's Dicken's 1700's urban London stories, etc. and just the general money orientation of the holiday somewhat offensive nowdays, and I just quietly try to stay away from it all. We try to make it a time of added prayer for our fellow man.

Answer 4

The 9 months also fits because in the pagan year, which mirrors the life cycle, the spring equinox (Ostara) is when the Goddess figure becomes pregnant with the light she will bear (the sun) on the Winter solstice. It all got translated right across to Christian figures.

The point of the Yule celebrations is to take the darkest, coldest, hardest, dreariest time of year, and celebrate light, life, hope, joy, giving, caring, and togetherness.

These things are universal human concepts that don’t belong to any one religion. These are the things that unite mankind. Frankly, if Jesus were to pick any day to have his birth celebrated, I think he might pick this very day.

We're all celebrating the same thing, just with different symbols.

Answer 5

From everything that I've read, and I read quite a bit, you're right, Yeshua Ben Yosiah was probably born in or around around March, but when Constantine convened the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. he had to come up with something to take the wind out of the Pagans' sails so they conveniently had Yeshua's birthday coincide with the Winter Solstice, which was a noted Pagan holiday.

Answer 6

They're probably right. For a long time, the Church went completely insane and did a whole bunch of stuff because they thought it was right, not because it was the right thing to do. I point thee at the Crusades, for one example.

Mostly, though, Christmas' date is symbolic: The start of a new year, the end of an old one (just about, anyway). Jesus' birth is the same: The end of the old ways, the start of the new…

Answer 7

I'm not a historian nor know much about when Jesus' birthday is. All I can gather is that He was born, and I just place His birth somewhere from January 1 to December 31, so I just try to celebrate it everyday.

Answer 8

It is the winter solstice which is significant to many religions. However for Constantine when he founded the Catholic church, he had a hard time recruiting Romans to a christian faith so he moved over certain rituals like Saturnalia the winter festival and that became xmas.

Answer 9

No, it was changed by Pope Liberius to steal the thunder away from the Pagan's Yule festival that were held at that time of year. Christ was born in Autumn.

Answer 10

Also, no one really knows what year he was born. Some monk in the Middle Ages picked a particular year. But many scholars now think he was born between 4 -7 years earlier.