2007-12-17 04:14:55 · 11 answers · asked by ? 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
Well in one sense when people converted to Christianity, all their pagan celebrations were replaced by Christan ones.
However, there is a widely believed myth (even in some otherwise respectable references) that the Church deliberately chose the date of Christmas to coincide with a traditional pagan festival.
There is no actual historical evidence for this at all. Saturnalia finished before 25th December. There was a feast inaugurated by Emperor Aurelian on 25th December but not until the late 3rd century, so it was not a traditional pagan celebration but more likely a reaction against Christianity - trying to promote Sun worship as an alternative.
The date of Christmas was set by Roman Christians so is unlikely to be anything at all to do with Celtic festivals.
2007-12-17 05:11:29 · answer #1 · answered by greenshootuk 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Check out the book "Stories Behind The Great Traditions of Christmas" by Ace Collins. Up until the 1800's the day recognized as Christ's BD was largely a pagan celebration. For centuries it was anything but a holy day. It was most often a sinful parade of excess, sort of like a modern day Mardi Gras. The drunken celebrations hearkened back to the time when Romans & Greeks marked the Winter Solstice with a week long festival of self-induilgenence. December 25th was eventually chosen as the date to celebrate Christ's BD by Pope Julius 1 in 320 as he got tired of seeing the birth of Christ celebrated on scores of different days by different churches all across the empire.
Check out the book. Very interesting information.
2007-12-17 04:30:27 · answer #2 · answered by lilith663 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Winter Solstice
2007-12-17 05:43:48 · answer #3 · answered by Chris F 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The second answer really nailed it.
Part of why the Christians started trying to change the way Saxon tribes were celebrating the solstice was they would sacrafice humans, and decorate trees with the body parts. The Christians were not too hot on that and got them to make ornaments and to bring them inside the home.
2007-12-17 04:33:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Saturnalia in Rome. Yule in Northern Europe.
2007-12-18 02:28:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
the winter solstice. as with all pagan festivals and gods the christian church superimposed their own celebrations and saints on the pagan framework.
2007-12-17 05:13:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
The Roman annual winter festival based on the earlier Etruscan winter festival based on the earlier Celtic winter festival based on the earlier Paleolithic winter festival etc etc. We've always done it...since we discovered that it began to get warmer after the sun started to move back northwards again. It can't come quickly enough for me. brrrrrrr! it's cold out there!
2007-12-17 04:20:44 · answer #7 · answered by John G 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Saturnalia (for one) which was celebrated today, Dec 17.
2007-12-17 04:55:05 · answer #8 · answered by philosophyangel 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I Googled because you didn't think to do so.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=pagan+origins+of+christmas&btnG=Search&meta=
2007-12-17 04:26:09 · answer #9 · answered by Tim D 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yule, or the winter solstice.
Though us neopagans still celebrate it =)
2007-12-17 09:37:34 · answer #10 · answered by sparkle 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋