Chris' Christian Blog

Winter solstice

"Winter solstice" 

What can I say about the winter solstice? Actually I could talk quite a bit about it. You see I have always been one to approach everything with an analytical mind. So when I became a Christian so many years ago that I remember being baptized in a puddle also occupied by a brontosaurus, I wanted to learn the scriptures as well as I could. I studied them in detail and I studied the era in which they were written. One thing I know with certainty is that Christ wasn't born on December 25th and probably not even in winter. The church, under the authority of the papacy, declared December 25th a day of celebration of the birth of Christ because they were losing too many people to the pagan festivals celebrating the winter solstice. Many of our modern traditions surrounding Christmas date back to the celebration of the solstice. Gift giving was a pagan tradition. The pagans felt that doing so pleased the gods and gave the gods a reason to have hope in mankind. The yule log, another of our oft celebrated traditions also dates back to then. The pagans would cut the biggest log they could find to burn in the fire. The length of time it took the log to burn determined the length of the solstice feast. Another tradition is the Christmas tree and it's decorations. Evergreen trees represented life to the pagans so they decorated them for the solstice. They were adorned with colored eggs from which we get the bulbs we use today and with candles from which we get our lights. Mistletoe was also a pagan tradition. Kissing under mistletoe was supposed to bring fertility. I celebrate Christmas as do most people but not as a religious holiday. I read signs all the time saying "Don't take Christ out of Christmas."

When I do I have to ask why not? He was never in it to begin with! The Roman church created Christmas to deal with recidivism to pagan worship. How is that any better than the Jews in the Old Testament mingling pagan worship with Judaism?