During the Christmas season, many people talk about the need to return to what Christmas was originally meant to celebrate--family, love, togetherness, and the birth of Jesus Christ in the manger. Well, Christmas is all those things, except for the last.

At least since 2000 B.C., people all over the world have been celebrating the winter solstice, that special day of the year when the northern hemisphere is at its greatest angle from the sun, causing the shortest duration of sunlight before it begins to lengthen. Pagans in Rome had been worshipping the sun, welcoming its "rebirth" at the winter solstice for many years, often feasting and giving presents to one another on that date. At that time in Rome, people used the Julian calendar which overestimated the length of a year by just a hair. Over time, the calendar estimated the winter solstice as occurring on later and later days during December. One particular year, Roman Pagans decided it was time to officially instate the celebration. It was 274 A.D., and the winter solstice fell on December 25th. They called it Natalis Solis Invici, or "The Birth of the Invincible Sun," also choosing the date to be the sun god Mithra's birthday.

At that time in Rome, Pagans often suppressed and persecuted those practicing Christianity, a new sect gaining popularity. Christians, particularly teacher Origen in the Gospel of Matthew, condemned the practice of recognizing birthdays of supreme beings, due to its Pagan connections and blatant idolism. But the Christian sects at the time eventually decided to hijack the December 25th date in order to replace Paganism, to persuade converts, and to alleviate persecution of Christians.¹

They were successful. In 336 A.D., Pope Julius assigned December 25th as the birth date of Jesus Christ, calling it the "Feast of the Nativity," and continued the existing celebration practices. Throughout the next several centuries, the "Feast of the Nativity" spread throughout Europe and parts of the Middle East, taking on names such as Dies Natalis Domini, "Birthday of the Lord," then Christes Maesse, and finally "Christmas." In the 1600s, Puritan Oliver Cromwell outlawed all celebrations of Christmas in England, and Puritans outlawed it in Boston as well. However, it was soon reinstated. Christmas was not a federal holiday in the United States until as late as 1870. In fact, on December 25th, 1789, the U.S. Congress held session.

Does this illegitimatize Christmas as a true Christian celebration? At a recent forum discussion conducted by Truth Matters, a handful of Christian students recognized the true Pagan origin, yet argued that the meaning has changed. They said what matters to people now is the purpose it holds for each person individually, regardless of the traditional story's lack of connection with December 25th celebrations. On the other hand, one speaker recommended that Christians stop celebrating Christmas as it is today due to its Pagan components, and that Christmas has been watered down and corrupted by such practices. He quoted from the Bible, "Learn not the way of the heathen," suggesting that Christmas is associated with things Pagan, or Non-Christian, and thus should be abandoned... or at least cleaned up a bit.

Personally, learning the true history and origin of Christmas does not repel me from the celebration. It does the opposite. For a while I had been wondering why I was celebrating the birth of a figure in Christianity when I am not a Christian, and when I don't want to be one either. The truth is, Christmas did not come from Christianity or from the birth of Jesus. It was merely Christianity's hijacked version of the winter solstice celebrations. Given the choice between the two as a reason to celebrate with family and friends, recognizing a natural astronomical phenomenon, as a mark of the passage of time and the coming of a new year, is something I would much rather do instead.

Visit "The History of Christmas" display in the Garfield Ave. entranceway of the McIntyre Library during the month of December for more details and resources on this topic. It was designed and assembled by the College Freethought Society, a UWEC student organization recognizing the diversity of religious and non-religious views on campus, and advocating a more secular campus perspective. For more information, you can email Wendy Lyman.

Footnotes:
1 The History Channel- Christmas. http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/christmas/real2.html