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If you love Christmas, thank a pagan
By SUSAN GABLE
Judging from recent columns and letters, it seems many readers believe
Christians were the first to have the idea of a midwinter holiday.
It's time to set the record straight.
Many, if not most, early pagan cultures celebrated the winter
solstice. The ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia, in honor of the
god of agriculture, in December. It was a time of masquerades in the
streets, festive banquets, visiting friends, decorating with garlands
of green accented with candles, and exchanging good-luck gifts.
The upper-class followers of the Persian god Mithra celebrated his
birthday on Dec. 25, the ''Birth of the Unconquerable Sun.'' Ancient
Mesopotamians celebrated Zagmuk, when they believed their chief god
Marduk would do battle with the forces of chaos for 12 days near the
winter solstice.
The Norse celebrated yule from the solstice into January, with the
burning of the yule log and feasts. Germanic countries honored Oden in
December. It was believed that he made nocturnal flights, checking up
on his people and deciding who would prosper and who would perish
during the coming year. Throughout Europe, people had ways of
celebrating the return of longer days as the winter solstice passed.
Around 350 AD, Pope Julius I was the first to declare Dec. 25 as the
day to celebrate the birth of Christ. Earlier observances of the birth
of Jesus had been solemn remembrances on different dates.
Church leaders apparently hoped that the pagan holidays celebrated
then would eventually be celebrated simply as Christmas. For the most
part, they succeeded in transferring the customs from the old gods to
the new one, though the custom of coming home from church to start a
raucous, drunken celebration was probably not entirely what they had
in mind.
After the Reformation, some Protestant groups banned the celebration
of Christmas altogether on the grounds that it was primarily a pagan
celebration. The Puritans noted that the Bible gives no date for the
birth of Jesus as part of their argument against observing Christmas.
Celebrating Christmas was illegal in Boston from 1659 to 1681.
Congress was in session on Dec. 25, 1789, the first Christmas under
the new Constitution, a remnant of the Puritan rejection of the
holiday. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until 1870, after
waves of new immigrants had arrived bringing their Christmas customs
with them.
In short, anyone who enjoys the traditions of the season - decorating,
visiting with friends and family, feasting, exchanging gifts - should
thank a pagan and wish him ''Happy Holidays.''
Susan Gable lives in Mashpee.
http://www.capecodonline.com/archives/7days/thurs/myview.htm
By SUSAN GABLE
Judging from recent columns and letters, it seems many readers believe
Christians were the first to have the idea of a midwinter holiday.
It's time to set the record straight.
Many, if not most, early pagan cultures celebrated the winter
solstice. The ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia, in honor of the
god of agriculture, in December. It was a time of masquerades in the
streets, festive banquets, visiting friends, decorating with garlands
of green accented with candles, and exchanging good-luck gifts.
The upper-class followers of the Persian god Mithra celebrated his
birthday on Dec. 25, the ''Birth of the Unconquerable Sun.'' Ancient
Mesopotamians celebrated Zagmuk, when they believed their chief god
Marduk would do battle with the forces of chaos for 12 days near the
winter solstice.
The Norse celebrated yule from the solstice into January, with the
burning of the yule log and feasts. Germanic countries honored Oden in
December. It was believed that he made nocturnal flights, checking up
on his people and deciding who would prosper and who would perish
during the coming year. Throughout Europe, people had ways of
celebrating the return of longer days as the winter solstice passed.
Around 350 AD, Pope Julius I was the first to declare Dec. 25 as the
day to celebrate the birth of Christ. Earlier observances of the birth
of Jesus had been solemn remembrances on different dates.
Church leaders apparently hoped that the pagan holidays celebrated
then would eventually be celebrated simply as Christmas. For the most
part, they succeeded in transferring the customs from the old gods to
the new one, though the custom of coming home from church to start a
raucous, drunken celebration was probably not entirely what they had
in mind.
After the Reformation, some Protestant groups banned the celebration
of Christmas altogether on the grounds that it was primarily a pagan
celebration. The Puritans noted that the Bible gives no date for the
birth of Jesus as part of their argument against observing Christmas.
Celebrating Christmas was illegal in Boston from 1659 to 1681.
Congress was in session on Dec. 25, 1789, the first Christmas under
the new Constitution, a remnant of the Puritan rejection of the
holiday. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until 1870, after
waves of new immigrants had arrived bringing their Christmas customs
with them.
In short, anyone who enjoys the traditions of the season - decorating,
visiting with friends and family, feasting, exchanging gifts - should
thank a pagan and wish him ''Happy Holidays.''
Susan Gable lives in Mashpee.
http://www.capecodonline.com/archives/7days/thurs/myview.htm