Christmas Traditions Based On Other Religions
So many Christmas traditions feel as though they are as old as time. Classics such as the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, caroling, gift giving, family gatherings, and kissing under the mistletoe all seem to belong solidly to Christmas. The truth, however, is that a good number of those seemingly Christian Christmas traditions originate from Pagan rituals and other practices.
The Christmas tree’s origins can be traced all the way back to ancient Egypt. Egyptians traditionally filled their homes with green palm boughs to symbolize life over death — as they believed the solstice symbolized the returning health of the sun god Ra. Ancient Romans had a similar tradition when the celebrated the feast of Saturnalia, which honored the god of agriculture, Saturn. The solstice meant that the days would be growing longer, and that planting time was not far off. They traditionally used evergreens boughs, as did the Vikings and Druids as they all believed that evergreens were symbolic of everlasting life. The decoration and illumination of the trees traces back to ancient Pagan rituals of the Vikings who placed sun attracting ornaments and candles in the trees in hopes of drawing the sun back to the earth. Centuries later, Germans brought these decorated evergreen trees inside their homes in the first approximation of modern tradition of Christmas trees.
A good number of Christmas traditions are tied to the Roman celebration of Saturnalia. The hat that Santa traditionally wears looks very similar to the Freedman’s hat that ancient Romans would place on the heads of their slaves when they served them dinner on the day of the festival. The festival’s traditions also included feasting, gift giving, and revelry. As the Roman emperor Constantine is often credited with converting the Roman empire over to Christianity, it’s unsurprising that the traditional cultural celebrations were carried over from Saturnalia to Christmas.
Santa himself can be considered a good mix of the traditional Saturnalian gift exchange and the Dutch “Sinter Klaas,” or celebration of the famed Saint Nicholas who was born sometime in the 3rd century A.D. in modern day Turkey.
Even the tradition of Christmas caroling is evolved from Pagan rituals. Before the rise of Christianity, Pagans would go wassailing at the doors of their neighbors, drinking to their health and fertility.
Additionally, the date of the birth of Christ is unknown, but suspected to be at some time during the spring or even late summer. There are some documents that suggest it may have been as early as January 6, but contextual clues in the Bible that speak of the shepherds in the fields with their flocks suggest warmer weather. Many believe that the traditional Christmas celebration was held around the same time as the Pagan Yule celebration to unite the Pagans and the Christians without forcing the former to give up their traditions. While some Christians fight vehemently against associating their long held beliefs and traditions with Pagan traditions, such as Kirk Cameron, as the Inquisitr detailed, many Christians are more than happy to embrace their diverse roots as a sign that all men are ultimately connected and these traditions were divinely designed.
