2007-11-23 05:21:15 · 19 answers · asked by MoPleasure4U 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Winter Solstice is a 'rebirth phenomenon'.
It is that point in the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) when the days stop getting shorter and start getting longer. In essence, it would have told people that the light is not 'going away', but is returning.
The slight change in the length of the day starts to be noticeable around the 25th or so...
So is it any wonder that the Christians assigned this day to the birth of Jesus of Nazareth?
2007-11-23 05:25:15 · answer #1 · answered by Bye for now... 5 · 6⤊ 0⤋
The Winter Solstice (around December 21, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere) has always been a time of celebration. For many, many centuries before Christianity "borrowed" the occasion to celebrate Christ's birthday, late neolithic cultures celebrated the fact that the days would start to get longer again and that the growing season would eventually return.
2007-11-23 05:31:45 · answer #2 · answered by 222 Sexy 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nothing whatsoever. The Church took the day that pagans used to celebrate the Winter Solstice and assumed the birth of Jesus Christ on top of it to force the pagans to convert to Christianity. The Christians knew that Jesus was born in the spring, they were just intolerant and wanted their religion to dominate the planet.
2007-11-23 06:33:29 · answer #3 · answered by Bookworm 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's creative plagiarism. The winter solstice was originally a pagan celebration of the "birth of the sun God". The Christians recreated it an called it a celebration of the "birth of the son of God".
The Christians also borrowed the claim of a son of god... the pagans had done that too, 2000 years earlier. Tammuz was born to a virgin, named Mylitta, on December 25. He is referred to in the Bible (Ezekiel 8:14) - After the summer solstice Tammuz was ritually morned, and in the winter solstice he was celebrated.
2007-11-23 05:40:04 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Ancient cultures celebrated the symbolic 'birth' of the Sun at Winter Solstice/Yuletide. The Sun reaches its lowest point in the South on Dec 23rd and then is 'reborn'.
Christians 'borrowed' the festival and celebrated the 'birth of the Son', in a prolonged patriarchal, monotheistic, coup d'etat.
Not only that, but consider the Mithraic origins...
"The 21st of December, which is the solstice of winter, is still celebrated in Iran. It is called “Yalda” and it represents the victory of light over darkness, which symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Mithraism was brought to Europe by Greek soldiers after the defeat of the Persians by Alexander and by the forth century AD it was the predominant religion of Europe and the main rival to Christianity. The worship of Mithra spread throughout Asia to Europe where he was called Deus Sol Invictus Mithras. Romans adopted this festivity to celebrate the god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god during the winter solstice. The winter holiday became known as Saturnalia and began the week prior to December 25th. The festival was characterized by gift-giving, feasting, singing and the priests of Saturn called dendrophori, carried wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession. "
http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina21224.htm
Coincidence? You decide...
2007-11-23 05:32:43 · answer #5 · answered by Bajingo 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Nothing in reality. In tradition the pagan celebration of the "return of the sun" was replaced by the rulers in Rome with celebrating December 25th as the day of Jesus' birth even though the actual day is not known and the Biblical record that indicates that the shepherds who were out with their flocks around Jerusalem when Jesus was born shows that his birth did not occur in the cold month of December.
2007-11-23 05:49:35 · answer #6 · answered by Martin S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
during the mid 400's. Pope Sixtus made an official "Christ mass" Which was his best guess (which turns out to be wrong) on the day Jesus was born. He chose to coincide it with the Pagan's sun God birthday which takes place during their winter solstice.
2007-11-23 05:27:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
There would be no Christian Christmas without a Solstice...
2007-11-23 05:32:11 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing! However, many things in modern Christianity were adapted from paganism because of the traditions of the times. Jesus Christ was born in late spring/early summer...God Bless!
2007-11-23 05:31:54 · answer #9 · answered by anxirihui 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Nothing really. They are both winter celebrations along with a thousand others from a thousand cultures.
2007-11-23 06:38:31 · answer #10 · answered by ~Heathen Princess~ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋