The following Bible verse references are indicative of the Nativity Story that is known as Christmas: Mary was found to be pregnant as a virgin and Joseph her husband decided to divorce her in honor to protect her reputation, however, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him not to divorce her for the child she is pregnant with was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Matthew 1: 18-25. The Angel, Gabriel approached Mary in Nazareth and told her that she found favor in the eyes of God and has been chosen to bear a son that she will name Jesus, the son of the Most high, Luke 1: 26-38, other references are Matthew 2: 1-12 and Luke 2: 1-12 and a reference from the Old Testament Isaiah 7: 14 . As unpleasing as it is, within the Nicene Creed and Ecumenical Council which are professional entities of Christian Denominations and religions that accede the existence of the Holy Trinity deity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there are Christian denominations that don't acknowledge Christmas in today's modern era. To name a few, the Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, the Church Of Christ and the Church of God Seventh day. This aside from other corresponding religions or sects that do not observe Christmas are the Orthodox Jews and Islam.
Understanding how Christmas transcended through centuries of political and cultural evolutions is important. Understanding the origins of these celebrations are important as well. Although the Bible does not in any way claim that the birth of Jesus was in a winter December 25th, it does describe and acknowledge the story as a biblical truth. The bible was not big on dates and times although it largely referenced days in increments of 3, 7, 40. For example; Jesus resurrected on the third day, Jonas was in the whales belly for 3 days and 3 nights, Lazarus laid dead for 3 days when Jesus gave him life again, God created the heavens and the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th day, Joshua and the Israelites marched around Jericho 7 times when they took it over. In the Noah story it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus went to the wilderness and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, these are just a few instances.
The earliest recorded time when the Feast of the Nativity was mentioned in celebration was around 354 CE (Common Era) in the Great Roman Empire in a manuscript produced for a wealthy Roman Christian by the name of Valentius.
Roman Festivals and Celebrations
It's has been recorded that many tribes and ancient cultures had celebrations during the Winter Solstice due to the shortness of daylight and bitter cold weather. It was the yearning of the Sun and the hope of the return of Spring for the Northern Hemisphere, and many of these civilizations began to worship the Sun. One of the most popular celebrations that may have been mixed with what is now Christmas is the Roman Festival named Saturnalia (Named after Saturn, the Greek mythological god of agriculture) in which was celebrated between December 17 then grew into a week long celebration by popular demand. On this day Romans closed all schools and businesses to celebrate an odd event in which the slaves became masters and masters slaves, a role reversal, a time where law and order were not in effect. Another celebration was the Juvenalia which was a celebration of the children of Rome in or around the same time. Mithra was also a celebration that consisted of a fictitious god of the "Unconquerable Sun" the upper class Romans celebrated this day as Mithra's birthday December 25th. Sol Invictus was also a celebration which was convoluted with a Sun god from Syria introduced by Aurelian in 274 CE. Many anti-Christmas Christians of today emphasize that these celebrations were full of sexual orgies and public drunkenness with scandalous disorder. I am sure that like everywhere else even today there are Mardi Gras type celebrations with over indulgence and senseless bizarre activities.
European/Germanic Cultural Celebrations of Christmas
In and around the Medieval times there were many celebrations of Christmas especially the Vikings, Nordic culture and Scandinavians who celebrated the winter festival of Yule. A Yule log was taken to the towns by families and burned in honor of the hope of the return of Spring, this log would burn for 12 days with the belief that it would ward off evil spirits and used as a symbol of sacrifice. Geographically these areas were met with bitter cold winters and the shortness of daylight. Therefore, the people of the area often would admire the Evergreens, fir trees (Pine) which seemed unaffected by the winter and were a symbol of the promise of the return of spring and eternal life.
The people would chop down the Fir trees and bring them indoors and decorate them. This may be the precedent or the origin of the Christmas Tree. This region was one of the last to be reached by Christianity, therefore celebrations were mixed with local traditions. Some anti-Christmas Christians will emphasize that these Nordics celebrated by calling evil spirits and celebrated with drunkenness and disorder. As this Christmas tradition grew in Europe the trees were decorated with apples and holly, apples that symbolized the Adam and Eve story in the Garden of Eden and holly would signify the thorns placed on Jesus' head during his Crucifixion sacrifice. The Fir tree also would be considered to symbolize eternal life promised by the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.
Calendars
It's important to have somewhat a grasp on how calendars have played a part in history. This part is important since I use it to make a point in my conclusion. The Julian Calendar was a Roman Calendar introduced by Julius Cesar in 45 BC (Before the Common Era) it is similar to the calendar we currently use with some slight variations and reform changes. The (Hebrew) Jewish Calendar was composed of lunar months meaning that the beginning of their month coincided with the first new moon. It consisted of 12 lunar months and they also had 7 seven days to the week that measured from sunset to sunset. This calendar was used by the early Hebrew of the Old Testament until the Roman times. The Orthodox Jews of today continue to use the calendar to observe Jewish Festivals and Celebrations.
Currently, the Calendar used today is derived from the Gregorian Calendar. This calendar was named after Pope Gregory the XII and signed in decree in 1582 CE. The calendar went through various reforms and politically driven changes. One of those that heavily influenced the Gregorian Calendar were the early Christians in 325 CE. The influence was to center dates around Easter as well as the Feast of the Nativity known to us now as Christmas. Many changes came about through the centuries and was finalized in the middle of the 16th century and many countries afterward fell into place recognizing the calendar as it is today.
Consequently, the calendar of today is a mixture of ancient Greek and Nordic Germanic names. The last 5 months are the Romulus months, the original names of the last four months of the original Roman calendar under Romulus the first King of Rome. Universally, the months are the same in most countries:
January - Janus Greek god of gates, doorway, beginnings and endings.
February - Februalia, a god associated with Death and Purification, celebrated as a festival.
March - Mars Greek god of War, also known as the original first month for Rome.
April - Latin for "Open"buds signifying the Spring season. Others claim it's simply March II
May - Greek goddess of growth of plants, others say honor and reverence
June - Roman goddess Juno wife of Jupiter god of all gods equivalent to Zeus in Greek myth.
July - Named after Julius Caesar in 44 BC, formerly known as Quintillis
August - Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar in 8 BC.
September - Latin for Seven, the seventh month for Romulus (Founders of Rome)
October - Latin for Eight, 8th month of Romulus
November - Latin for Nine, 9th month of Romulus
December - Latin for Ten, the 10th month of Romulus
Days of the Week:
The Germanic cultures adopted the Latin Roman calendar names, however, some of the names where changed to reflect their Nordic Germanic mythological gods. Our calendar of today, in America, reflect those Nordic gods. The Latin based cultures such as Spain, France, Italy etc. remained with the names of the Roman mythological gods for the exception of Sunday which was changed to the phrase meaning "The Lords Day".
Sunday - English - Day of the Sun, Spanish/French, Domingo/Dimanche, "Lords Day"
Monday - English - Day of the Moon, Spanish/French, Luna/Lundi, "Day of the Moon"
Tuesday - English - Tyr/Tiw Nordic god of Battle, Spanish/French, Martes/Mardi - Mars god of War
Wednesday - English - Woden/Wodan a similar god to Mercury for the Nords, Spanish/French - Miercoles/Mercredi Roman god of profit and commerce, known also for being the messenger of the gods.
Thursday - English - Thor, god of Thunder, Spanish/French - Jueves/Jeudi, meaning Jupiter Roman god of all gods
Friday - English - Frigg Nordic goddess of music and love, Spanish/French - Viernes/Vendredi meaning Venus Roman goddess of beauty, love and sex.
Saturday - English - Saturn Roman god of Agriculture and Harvest, Spanish/French, Sabado/Samedi, Sabbath known as the 7th day of rest in the Hebrew Mosaic law.
The Attempts to Abolish Christmas
After the biblical death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, the disciples went throughout the land to spread the gospels including a Jewish convert name Saul later known as Paul a very stringent Jew who was introduced to Christ in a blinding light while on a journey to Damascus Acts 9: 3-4. Here Saul was reproached by Christ, in a voice, asking "why is it that you persecute me". Some say this is the beginning of the Christian era which holds a powerful influence of miraculous proportions. This message spread throughout the world and even reaching the highly regarded Roman Empire. It was such an influence that the Christian movement managed to transfigure Emperor Constantine the Great (Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus) of the Great Roman Empire in 313 CE. Constantine succeeded Emperor Diocletanius who initiated " The Greatest Persecution of Christians in the history of the Roman Empire. Eventually Diocletanius fell ill, and through political changes, coups and political battles Constantine became the new chosen Emperor, that in itself is suspect of divine intervention. Thus, this was the beginning that opened a pathway of political decisions for Christians made in Rome, one of those? The celebration of Christmas.
The Christmas celebration has suffered stints of opposition in the form of religious prejudice, hatred and political disapproval throughout its existence. The major opposition came from it's own creators, Christians. The reason is due to the celebrations getting out of hand with bizarre practices imposed by people that were brought up in different cultures and traditions, however, the birth of the man who was God never could be washed away or overshadowed by the interjection of other cults and traditions.
During the 16th and 17th centuries the English broke away from the rule of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church called the Reformation of England. The Puritans were formed when they felt the English Protestant Reformation did not do enough and were tolerant of old Catholic practices. The Puritans of the time became separatists to the Catholic Church. Their interpretation of their self induced righteousness caused them to include Christmas as an idolatrous celebration inclusive of the Catholic Church's worship of the images of Saints, martyrs, the Mother Mary and Jesus, along with other atonement rituals. Christian Puritans of England were able to cancel Christmas for a period in 1645 and by 1652 they managed to make it illegal forcing businesses to stay open and churches to remain closed on December 25th. The working class began to celebrate Christmas underground. However, Charles the II came back into the Monarchy and Christmas was restored by the demand of the public. It would seem that the people could due without a King but not without Christmas.
Even the early settlers of Puritans that landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts which were even more orthodox than their English brethren, came with high hopes of separating from the old English customs, and ridding themselves from the Christmas scourge. They, like their English brethren laid down laws that would prohibit anyone from celebrating Christmas by fining people that showed the Christmas spirit. However, like all the anti-Christmas efforts, it could not be contained, it continued to be celebrated underground and sometimes in the open. But not all of the new pilgrims and colonists had the idea to abolish Christmas. Settlers in Jamestown, Va (John Smith) celebrated Christmas with plentiful food consisting of oysters, fruit, wild fowl and good bread. The Jamestown settlers where known to be the first to create the "Egg nog" spiked with rum.
In the 17 hundreds when America went through battles and revolutions to become independent of England, it brought with it the notion to eliminate anything that would be part of the English, including Christmas. After the Declaration of Independence the United States Congress remained in session on December 25th for over 65 years. In the early 1800's many short story writers and poem writers expressed in literature the nostalgic feeling of Christmas and what it represented. Many feel the Puritan based religions have suppressed Christmas throughout the new country and many did not acknowledge Christmas. However, with the spread of literature concerning Christmas it brought about a wave of nostalgic desire to celebrate the occasion as a holiday. The Presbyterians were one of the first to open the doors and celebrate the "Saviors Birth" in 1861. The Congregational Church of Rockford in Illinois which was genuine puritan based, prepared for a Grand Christmas Jubilee as reported by local newspapers in 1864. By 1860 fourteen states, including New England states declared Christmas as a legal holiday. And by 1870 Christmas was declared an official holiday within the Federal Government signed by President Ulysses S. Grant.
However, Christmas in America evolved into more of a family oriented holiday, with gift-giving to children which caused the need to shop. Therefore, merchants around the nation took advantage of this and it grew into a powerful economic stimulus that may have made America a powerful economic country in the 1950's. Consequently, this became contagious in other countries throughout the world and it became an economic stimulus around the globe. Again, suspect of divine intervention.
Today's Side Garnish of Christmas
Today's hand me down fairy tales, traditions, legends and myths still linger from past generations as well as in the new.
Santa Claus - Santa Claus derives from a Catholic Bishop named Nicholas of Myra (Turkey) whom lived between 270 CE and 347 CE. He was made a "Saint" years after his death and was known as a "wonder worker" for putting money in shoes when left out and also for gift giving randomly. He often gave to the poor and after his death many followed his traditional ways, so much, as to exhume his remains and transfer them to Bari, Italy where people continued his good works as a tradition celebrated in the month of May. This legend spread through many countries in Europe which evolved into other extended traditions. The fable arrived to the United States as Santa Claus which name comes from St. Nicolas and Sinterklaas which was Dutch. His persona had many variations, from a jolly drunkard pulled by a turkey to a small elf. His image of his red suit, black boots and white fury cuffs were drawn by cartoonist Thomas Nash (American) which appeared in "Harpers Weekly Journal of Civilization" in January 1863 and that image stayed with us till today. The flying Reindeer fame came from a poem written in 1863 called "A Visit from old St. Nick", Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer was made up by a Montgomery Ward employee, Robert L. May in 1939 and the additional Reindeer was added to the original line up of 'Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen. Comet and Cupid, Donder/Donner and Blixem/Biltzen. The North Pole residence and giant factories all fabrications of American Folklore and literature.
Frosty The Snowman - Was created in 1950 in America from a song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, performed by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys. It later became a book and a movie for children that was spun off of the invention of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer 11 years later.
The Christmas Tree - Was a Germanic tradition for a symbol of life. Fir trees, evergreens and all the greens that are impervious to winter were cherished by many Germanic Cultures and came along with the celebration of Christmas. All the decorations are derived from edibles, like apples (Symbol of the Garden of Eden), garlands were made of other dried fruits and popcorn. The star on the top of the tree is the symbol of the morning star in the Nativity story and the holly symbolizes the thorns on the head of Jesus when he was crucified. In the Roman times holly was used also to ward off evil spirits, which were placed outside houses and doors.
My Conclusion
There are many today that decide not to celebrate Christmas, it is a free country and it is the prerogative of those that choose not to do so. However, in my experience I have seen a blatant disgust of Christmas and a majority of it comes from those that profess Christianity. I have had personal insight on how some denominations and the people of those denominations show abhorrence towards the symbolic celebration. I have witnessed subconscious hatred when they see Christmas lights, Nativity Scenes, Christmas Trees, Christmas Music and the giving of gifts. I've seen these denominations that abstain from the Nativity Story, that they teach very little or even not give it any importance in their services, schools and sermons. I can actually feel the energy of defiance and repulsion. Probably the same feeling that is felt by them from Atheists, radical Muslims and even Orthodox Jews.
Christians vs. Christmas
Yes, Christmas is a time I cherish even more as I get older. Not from a religious, commercial or selfish stand point, but I cherish the fact that it is a time for human compassion, the hope of a better life, the gathering of families, a time of forgiveness, and yes, a time for celebration, to eat drink and be merry. Hats off to the early Christians/Roman Catholics for penetrating what seemingly was an unruly nation in Rome and symbolically introducing the birth of God to the World. Felicitations to the Anglican, Protestant churches for embracing Christmas as an opportunity to teach the faith of new born life. To the Messianic Jews for the tolerance of the celebration, to the peaceful Muslim nation for their respect of the celebration, ("Invite all to the way of your Lord in Wisdom and Beautiful advice, and reason with them in way of best graciousness: for your Lord knows best for those that are strayed from His path and those that receive guidance" Quran 16: 125).
For those Christian denominations that generate intolerance towards Christmas must think of the opportunity that is being denied to teach the meaning of the birth of whom they worship and whom they pray through, to reach the most high. To condone the good nature of compassion, love, sharing, gifts, patience and mercy. These things found in Christmas. It's not a time for apartheid, contention and prejudice. If being Pagan is a fear, we all come from Pagan roots even the festivals of the Old Testament Bible are rooted and convoluted with Paganism, any conscience Rabbi will admit. To interpret and judge what is right or wrong and declare it law today holds the air of arrogance and conceit. Pagan is such a misused word, it decides an absolute in which we cannot be. Everything we practice comes from Paganism, the wedding bands, clothes, social acceptance. The very billboards that you possibly post your programs reflect Paganism, for example "Sabbath school on Saturday, March 21st" used was a Pagan day, a Pagan month, Saturn god of Agriculture and March god of War. All your newsletters, memos, tithing envelopes, calendars, watches on your wrist, the automobile you drive, the brand name of your appliances etc. reflect in one way or another, Paganism! It would be down right sanctimonious to claim full exoneration from such claim. Therefore, if it's left for one's wisdom be wise and knowledgabe, otherwise if one picks and chooses, you're left standing on the "sand".
God gave the knowledge and power to the Romans to name the Planets, Moons, stars, diseases, medicine, animals and foods. Maybe God gave it to them for a reason, we've only adopted Biblical names such as John, Michael, James, Stephen, Paul, and so on, the rest are probably from other "Pagan" cultures. One thing for sure is that Christianity and its trimmings have pierced through the world with reckless abandon, into humanity with the sanctity of life. And Christmas is just a trimming of it. And I know many will throw in that Satan plays a role in the evolution of the world, however, I see it in negative human qualities, hatred, fear, despair, insecurity, mental addictions, envy, jealousy, selfishness, condescent, prejudice, depression, callous, egotistic, all of which have been part of historical figures, however, non-imperious. Roman Emperors Nero, Diocletian as well as Hitler, Stalin, Genghis Khan, Mussolini, Muslim terrorist extremists all committed evil deeds that did not prosper. If the Devil exists then these would be the tools and subjects to manage dominion. However, has not succeeded in destroying the human spirit. Out of all the quotes from the Devil, Satan, and evil in the Bible none reflect any type of intellect, even to our human standards.
I say go out and teach your children, your congregation your families the values of love, family, respect, responsibility, tolerance, gratitude, graciousness and be grateful to that of which you follow in faith.
My stance is having an open mind, embrace the beauty of humanity and its nature. Delve in life's mysteries and wonders, examine theory and spirit, the ways of faith and physics. Don't entrench in dogmatism, absolutes and fear driven blind faith, it is foolish and shallow.
Favorite Biblical Passages
Some of my favorite biblical passages are Ecclesiastes 8: 15 - "So I commend pleasure, for there is nothing good for man under the sun except to eat, drink and be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life that God has given him under the sun". Ecclesiastes 3:3-5 "A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace and a time to shun embracing". My favorite of all is John 2: 1-12 when Jesus, his mother and his Disciples were invited to a wedding celebration in Cana, Galilee his mother put him on the spot by telling Jesus "they are out of wine!" and Jesus replied "so what does that to do with us? It's not time? Then Mary went to the servants and told them "see him there (He is my son)? Do what ever he says?" Then Jesus told the servants to "fill the barrels with water and take a sample to the head waiter", low and behold wine! Then the head waiter said 'wow! Usually in a party the best wine is served first then the worst wine is last, but you did the opposite'. Now that must have been a heck of a wine, the finest of all wines ever made.
Yes, this Christmas I am going to eat, drink (Manischuwits Concord Grape) and be Merry! Celebrate in good faith and in peace, the season will be filled with miracles, joy and sweet myrrh. And churches, keep Jesus as the reason for the season.
Noah Joshua Giron
Agnostic, Eclectic
Comments: send to gironjoshua@gmail.com
