Is Christmas a Christian festival. The answer is simply no. Christmas is a pagan festival, taken or adopted by the Christians at a time when they wanted to convert pagans to Christianity. When – in roman history – the empire had divided into two, the Christian church inside Rome adopted this idea, and from then on all the rituals and rites, right down to the symbolism has been stolen, taken by the Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus. First of all, let’s refute this claim. In the bible, you will not find one place where it is mentioned that Christmas is a festival to be celebrated in honour of Jesus’ birth. Neither Abraham, nor Isaac or Jacob were required to celebrate this Christmas. Rather, as the world book encyclopaedia contains, “the early Christians did not celebrate his (Jesus birth)..because they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.” No-where in the bible does it clearly suggest when Jesus was born. This festival was practised before the birth of Christ and moreover, early Christians did not celebrate Christmas as Christmas was taken from paganism after their period, but they celebrated the festivals talked about in Leviticus, chapter no. 23, which goes as follows.Leviticus chapter no. 23 verses 1-44
1. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
3. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
4. These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’s passover.
6. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
9. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest:
11. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
13. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
14. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
15. And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
16. Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
17. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the first fruits unto the LORD.
18. And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.
19. Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
20. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
21. And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
22. And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
23. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
25. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
26. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
27. Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
28. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.29. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
30. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
31. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
33. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
34. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
35. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
37. These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
38. Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
39. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
40. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
41. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
43. That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
44. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.
Pagans celebrated Christmas in honour of their sun gods birth, 25thDecember also being the birthday of the Greek hero Dionysus. The sun gods name was mithras, and is known to be a roman god. He is referred to by pagans as the unconquered sun. it is generally known that this festival was slowly converted to Christmas as the sun gods worship rivalled Christianity in popularity.The 21stof December was marked as the day when the sun was reborn, also being the shortest day of the year. This time was sacred as you can see, as it had its association with the winter solstice. The pagans believed that the sun would “build up” till the midsummer’s solstice. The celebrations were given the name of yule, originating from the Anglo Saxon word for light and sun.The Christmas tree, hollies etc are all also taken and derived from this ancient pagan festival. Candles were burnt and placed around to mark this festival, while last years log was lit at sunset on the 25thof December are its ashes and remains were thought to have guarded their homes against fire or lightening. The remains were also placed around fields, a good luck charm fir next years harvest. The largest remaining part was kept for next year’s burning. The holly and ivy were thought to symbolise the “light” in the “darkness” of the winter days. Evergreens basically symbolised rebirth in winter. Also carols were sung and the use of trees is known, although it may have been introduced by Prince Albert in 1841.
Santa Claus has over the years developed to be a man from the North Pole, sending presents to everyone in his slay pulled by reindeer. Santa Claus is actually based on st Nicholas who gave gifts to the poor and helpless, distributing the gifts wither through throwing then through windows or down chimneys.All of the above points are facts, and can be found or confirmed over the internet or in any reference library. Either way, the truth is the truth.
Either way, just like Halloween and maybe Easter, are all derived from pagan festivals, and we should all be aware that are we doing what’s right? Or just following tradition.
God sent down the holy books in order so that we could refer back to them for guidance and most importantly how to live our lives. Festivals are part of living ones life. Reference back to your holy scriptures, the backgrounds of them and general history are all needed to make a valid point and to be true to what you are saying, and how you behave.
“We wish you a merry yule, we wish you a merry yule, we wish you a merry yule, and a happy winter solstice.”
