Why do Christians celebrate pagan holidays?

Question

Christmas is just Saturnalia, a Roman festival for the God Saturn.
Easter is a pagan celebration of fertility.

Why do Christians celebrate these holidays that have nothing to do with their god?

http://www.goodnewsaboutgod.com/studies/holidays2.htm

Nightwind, what's Eostre?
"Easter is not a Christian name. It is Chaldean (Babylonian) in origin - the name Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven."

k716 said:
"Why do Atheists celebrate Christian holidays, like CHRISTmas, which is when we celebrate Jesus' birth, and Easter, the celebration of Jesus' resurrection? See, it works both ways."

I don't know any atheists that celebrate christmas or easter; i'm agnostic and i sure as hell don't.

Answer 1

from Ihttp://de.essortment.com

In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.

Christmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree about which church celebrated it first. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.”

No one knows what 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 very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter.

The answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas. 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. It is in 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. 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. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.





Coppied from www.rightdivision.com
Wherever Christian worship of Jesus and Pagan worship of Attis were active in the same geographical area in ancient times, Christians "used to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on the same date; and pagans and Christians used to quarrel bitterly about which of their gods was the true prototype and which the imitation." Wiccans and other modern-day Neopagans continue to celebrate the Spring Equinox as one of their 8 yearly Sabbats (pagan holy days of celebration).

Pagan Easter Traditions

These have been derived primarily from Pagan traditions at Easter time:

Hot Cross Buns : At the feast of Eostre, the Saxon fertility Goddess, an ox was sacrificed. The ox's horns became a symbol for the feast. They were carved into the ritual bread. Thus originated "hot cross buns". The word "buns" is derived from the Saxon word "boun" which means "sacred ox ." Later, the symbol of a symmetrical cross was used to decorate the buns; the cross represented the moon, the heavenly body associated with the Goddess, and its four quarters.

Easter Rabbit and Eggs: The symbols of the Norse Goddess Ostara were the hare and the egg. Both represented fertility. From these, we have inherited the customs and symbols of the Easter egg and Easter rabbit. Dyed eggs also formed part of the rituals of the Babylonian mystery religions. Eggs "were sacred to many ancient civilizations and formed an integral part of religious ceremonies in Egypt and the Orient. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples, and the egg was regarded as the emblem of regenerative life proceeding from the mouth of the great Egyptian god."

Easter Lilies: "The so-called 'Easter lily' has long been revered by pagans of various lands as a holy symbol associated with the reproductive organs.

Easter Sunrise Service : This custom can be traced back to the ancient Pagan custom of welcoming the sun God at the vernal equinox - when daytime is about to exceed the length of the nighttime. It was a time to "celebrate the return of life and reproduction to animal and plant life as well."

Easter Candles : These are sometimes lit in churches on the eve of Easter Sunday. Some commentators believe that these can be directly linked to the Pagan customs of lighting bonfires at this time of year to welcome the rebirth/resurrection of the sun God.

Answer 2

Christmas is not Saturnalia. They were celebrated on different days. You are thinking of the day dedicated to Sol Invictus, which was invented by the Romans *after* Christmas was an established holiday among Roman Christians.

There is absolutely no connection between Easter and any pagan holiday. Check your sources.

And whoever gave Nightwind a thumbs-down is an idiot. She is absolutely correct in her answer.

Answer 3

I don't know when any pagan holidays are. I celebrate Christmas as a season of celebrating the birth of Christ, giving, sharing, being with family, and a very festive time of year. I don't know what Saturnalia is or how/why it relates to Christmas.

Why do Atheists celebrate Christian holidays, like CHRISTmas, which is when we celebrate Jesus' birth, and Easter, the celebration of Jesus' resurrection? See, it works both ways.

Answer 4

*punt*
Just because two holidays occur at the same general time does not make them the same. Not many similarities between Christmas and the Saturnalia at all. (New Years might be a better comparison to the Saturnalia)

There is little evidence that Easter is a "pagan celebration of fertility." Yes, "Easter" is close to "Eostre." But most languages use a word related to Passover to describe Easter, which looks absolutely nothing like Eostre, and celebrations of Easter would have started in Roman areas long before Christians even got to Germanic lands where Eostre was theoretically celebrated.

Answer 5

Anyone who actually follows the Halacha would tell you it is forbidden for a Jew to celebrate christmas in any fashion whatsoever! The Torah is clear, a Jew is forbidden from practicing the rituals & rites of any other religion. The fact that for some is a secular festival does not alter the fact that it is the festival of another religion and practiced as such by many. Orthodox Jews around the world do NOT celebrate christmas and in some communities it is seen as a day of morning due to its association with pogroms- though easter was a far worse time for those. There are those who refrain from all Atorah study on christmas, studying secular subjects instead so as not to have any Torah study associate with this day. Is it idolatry to celebrate it as a secular day? Nope is it forbidden? Yes

Answer 6

Good question. I personally do not celebrate the pagan origins of holidays, but a Christian alternative that represents Christ in all ways. No Christmas presents for me. That is not what it is all about! Oh and here is a link for you to look at about easter that I taught on at church!
http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract1.html

Answer 7

Is there any objection to sharing in celebrations that may have unchristian roots as long as it is not done for religious reasons?

Eph. 5:10, 11: “Keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord; and quit sharing with them in the unfruitful works that belong to the darkness, but, rather, even be reproving them.”

2 Cor. 6:14-18: “What fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Be′lial? Or what portion does a faithful person have with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? . . . ‘“Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,” says Jehovah, “and quit touching the unclean thing”’; ‘“and I will take you in, . . . and you will be sons and daughters to me,” says Jehovah the Almighty.’” (Genuine love for Jehovah and a strong desire to be pleasing to him will help a person to break free from unchristian practices that may have had emotional appeal. A person who really knows and loves Jehovah does not feel that by shunning practices that honor false gods or that promote falsehood he is in any way deprived of happiness. Genuine love causes him to rejoice, not over unrighteousness, but with the truth. See 1 Corinthians 13:6.)

Compare Exodus 32:4-10. Notice that the Israelites adopted an Egyptian religious practice but gave it a new name, “a festival to Jehovah.” But Jehovah severely punished them for this. Today we see only 20th-century practices associated with holidays. Some may appear harmless. But Jehovah observed firsthand the pagan religious practices from which these originated. Should not his view be what matters to us?

Illustration: Suppose a crowd come to a gentleman’s home saying they are there to celebrate his birthday. He does not favor the celebration of birthdays. He does not like to see people overeat or get drunk or engage in loose conduct. But some of them do all those things, and they bring presents for everyone there except him! On top of all that, they pick the birthday of one of the man’s enemies as the date for the celebration. How would the man feel? Would you want to be a party to it? This is exactly what is being done by Christmas celebrations.

Answer 8

You are mis-informed, dear one. There is only
*One Faith
*One God
*One Baptism
Christmas is God's 'birth' (when God decided to take on the limitations of man and come to earth). Easter is when God went to the Cross to save us from our sins. On Easter, we celebrate God's resurrection from the dead! This is 'what' Christians 'celebrate'!
Christians do not believe in pagan anything! Just because some pagan festival lands on a day that we celebrate our Savior, doesn't mean anything in regard to our faith. And just to help you out when you write about this in the future, use a 'small g' when you talk about a pagan god, and use a 'Capital G' when you speak of God the Creator. Blessings as you continue learning about the God of our Salvation!

Answer 9

Several other ancient religions had holidays on those days as well, for similar reasons. This just makes Christianity less separable than other failed religions. It's just withstood the test of time as of now.

Answer 10

Forget the fact that Jesus wasn't even Born in December. Much less the 25th of December.

Christians thumb down when it's to close to the truth. Why else? Proof against their delusion? It's OK. It is the truth that's all. So what? We can celebrate what we want. Including Christmas.

Answer 11

How ever you celebrate the holidays or say it "Tis the season for love, peace and goodwill to all people." Amaze yOUR world today.