The Twelfth Day of Truth - The Reason For the Season
A little baby in a manger, surrounded by loved ones in the deep of December? That could not be farther from the truth. I will not even begin to dissect the inconsistencies with the common nativity mythology. Let's instead look at why it's happening on December 25th at all. First we have to look well before the earliest days of chritianity. The Persians as well as the Greeks and Romans celebrated what was known as Sol Ivicitus. It was called such so that many different sun gods could be celebrated as one. The winter solstice was chosen as the ideal day to celebrate the birth of the sun, as it was the shortest day of the year, and the sun would soon be gaining strength again. Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus. One named Cyprian wrote: "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born...Christ should be born" But in fact early christians would have been very unlikely to have celebrated Jesus' birthday at all. According to Jewish law, the celebration of anyone's birth was a pagan custom. It was not for several hundred years that his birth was celebrated in December. What was celebrated between those times most prevalently was Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25. During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the week long celebration. The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. At the festival’s conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman. The christians often hid their celebrations in the existing roman celebrations, to avoid persecution. It was far easier to just go along in most cases. Around the 4th century the christians actually adopted the festival date in order to try to win over the masses by Pope Julius I. As christianity spread to northern Europe the christians adopted more and more pagan traditions, such as the tree, the wreath, and the yule log. All of this assimilation was an attempt to win over the "ignorant pagans". Pagan in that day did not define a religion, simply meaning rural workers. Following the protestant reformation, groups such as the puritans strongly condemned the celebration of Christmas, considering it a Catholic invention and the "trappings of property." The catholics responded by promoting the festival in a more religiously oriented form. King Charles I of England directed his noblemen and gentry to return to their landed estates in midwinter to keep up their old style Christmas generosity. As the puritans became outnumbered in America, the holiday ceased to be outlawed, and became popular again, becoming what we know it to be today.
Just for reference, below is a popular day to celebrate around the world. The following is a list of holidays celebrated on or around the solstice abridged from the list found on wikipedia. So what are you really celebrating on this day? Is it one of the ancient sun gods, the willingness of the church to add to the religion to garner more followers, or are you just happily paying lip service to one of the holidays below? Because when you look at history, there is NO reason for this season.
And know you know.
Buddhist
o Bodhi Day: 8 December - Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Guatama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi).
Celtic
o Winter Solstice: 21 December-22 December - midwinter
Germanic
o Modranect: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
o Yule: the Germanic winter solstice festival
Jewish
o Hanukkah: Starting on 25 Kislev (Hebrew) or various dates in November or December (Gregorian) - eight day festival commemorating the miracle of the oil after the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his defeat in 165 BCE.
Muslim
o Eid ul-Adha: Starting on the 10th of Dhul Hijja, a four day holiday commemorating the Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismael.
Pagan
o Yule: (Winter Solstice) - Germanic and Egyptian Pagan festival of the rebirth of the Sun
Andean
o Inti Raymi: Festival of the Sun in Quechua, winter solstice festival in areas of the former Inca empire, still celebrated every June in Cuzco.
Persian
o Yalda: The turning point, Winter Solstice (December 21). End of the longest night of the year (Darkness), and beginning of growing of the days (Lights). A celebration of Good over Evil.
A little baby in a manger, surrounded by loved ones in the deep of December? That could not be farther from the truth. I will not even begin to dissect the inconsistencies with the common nativity mythology. Let's instead look at why it's happening on December 25th at all. First we have to look well before the earliest days of chritianity. The Persians as well as the Greeks and Romans celebrated what was known as Sol Ivicitus. It was called such so that many different sun gods could be celebrated as one. The winter solstice was chosen as the ideal day to celebrate the birth of the sun, as it was the shortest day of the year, and the sun would soon be gaining strength again. Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus. One named Cyprian wrote: "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born...Christ should be born" But in fact early christians would have been very unlikely to have celebrated Jesus' birthday at all. According to Jewish law, the celebration of anyone's birth was a pagan custom. It was not for several hundred years that his birth was celebrated in December. What was celebrated between those times most prevalently was Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25. During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the week long celebration. The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. At the festival’s conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman. The christians often hid their celebrations in the existing roman celebrations, to avoid persecution. It was far easier to just go along in most cases. Around the 4th century the christians actually adopted the festival date in order to try to win over the masses by Pope Julius I. As christianity spread to northern Europe the christians adopted more and more pagan traditions, such as the tree, the wreath, and the yule log. All of this assimilation was an attempt to win over the "ignorant pagans". Pagan in that day did not define a religion, simply meaning rural workers. Following the protestant reformation, groups such as the puritans strongly condemned the celebration of Christmas, considering it a Catholic invention and the "trappings of property." The catholics responded by promoting the festival in a more religiously oriented form. King Charles I of England directed his noblemen and gentry to return to their landed estates in midwinter to keep up their old style Christmas generosity. As the puritans became outnumbered in America, the holiday ceased to be outlawed, and became popular again, becoming what we know it to be today.
Just for reference, below is a popular day to celebrate around the world. The following is a list of holidays celebrated on or around the solstice abridged from the list found on wikipedia. So what are you really celebrating on this day? Is it one of the ancient sun gods, the willingness of the church to add to the religion to garner more followers, or are you just happily paying lip service to one of the holidays below? Because when you look at history, there is NO reason for this season.
And know you know.
Buddhist
o Bodhi Day: 8 December - Day of Enlightenment, celebrating the day that the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Guatama) experienced enlightenment (also known as Bodhi).
Celtic
o Winter Solstice: 21 December-22 December - midwinter
Germanic
o Modranect: or Mothers' Night, the Saxon winter solstice festival.
o Yule: the Germanic winter solstice festival
Jewish
o Hanukkah: Starting on 25 Kislev (Hebrew) or various dates in November or December (Gregorian) - eight day festival commemorating the miracle of the oil after the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his defeat in 165 BCE.
Muslim
o Eid ul-Adha: Starting on the 10th of Dhul Hijja, a four day holiday commemorating the Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismael.
Pagan
o Yule: (Winter Solstice) - Germanic and Egyptian Pagan festival of the rebirth of the Sun
Andean
o Inti Raymi: Festival of the Sun in Quechua, winter solstice festival in areas of the former Inca empire, still celebrated every June in Cuzco.
Persian
o Yalda: The turning point, Winter Solstice (December 21). End of the longest night of the year (Darkness), and beginning of growing of the days (Lights). A celebration of Good over Evil.
o Shabe Yaldā (Persian: یلدا) or Shabe Chelle (Persian: شب چله) is an Iranian festival originally celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere's longest night of the year, that is, on the eve of the Winter Solstice.
Slavic
o Karachun - the ancient Slavs polytheistic winter solstice festival
Slavic
o Karachun - the ancient Slavs polytheistic winter solstice festival
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