Put Christ back in Christmas?

Picture of God #61, Sat 12/23/00

This information is so ubiquitous (present, or seeming to be present, everywhere at the same time; omnipresent) that I'm surprised that it still needs to be addressed.  Like it or not, we live in a society where a comfortable lie is preferable to an awkward truth, but that's yet another subject.

Every year you hear well-intended Christians say something to the effect of, "Remember to put Christ back in Christmas.  Jesus is the reason for the season," and other similarly touching but misguided statements.

Here's the truth.  The actual, factual truth.

1) Origins of the Winter Festival.  From ancient times (and yes, we are talking thousands of years) the people knew something that many people today have even forgotten, or never knew...That is, from the time of the summer solstice (June 20 or 21), which is the longest day of the year, the sun moves from its northern-most point a little bit more south every day, until it rises at its furthest point south on the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year.  

Now the ancients didn't know everything about astronomy that we presently do.  To the peoples of old, the winter solstice was a source of great concern...What if the sun does not return?  What if it keeps moving south until it disappears?  What if the days get ever shorter, until there is only darkness, which means no crops, which means we all die?

So, the tradition started thousands of years ago to decorate the towns with bright, pretty things....light candles...throw parties, all in an attempt to inspire the sun to return!  And we tend to repeat those things that work, because the Winter Festival always worked, and the sun always returned.

2) The Winter Festival in the Days of Jesus was called Saturnalia.  Feasts, decorated trees, days off for the slaves and working people, the whole thing.  Plenty of information is available at http://www.candlegrove.com/home.html

3) Saturnalia got renamed Christmas in the early 300s by Constantine, the Emperor of Rome who converted to Christianity.

From the 2000 Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 11 ; page 390.

"During the later periods of Roman history, sun worship gained in importance and ultimately led to what has been called a 'solar monotheism.' Nearly all the gods of the period were possessed of Solar qualities, and both Christ and Mithra acquired the traits of solar deities. The feast of Sol and Victus (open unconquered Sun) on December 25th was celebrated with great joy, and eventually this date was taken over by the Christians as Christmas, the birthday of Christ." 

4) Constantine, early ecumenist. (Also from http://www.candlegrove.com/home.html)

A fascinating book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" discusses the pragmatic political motives of the fourth-century Roman emperor Constantine, who first moved the celebration of Christmas to December 25. The authors claim that Constantine followed the cult of Sol Invictus, a monotheistic form of sun worship that originated in Syria and was imposed by Roman emperors on their subjects a century earlier. 

"His primary, indeed obsessive, objective was unity -- unity in politics, in religion, and in territory. A cult or state religion that included all other cults within it obviously helped to achieve this objective...In the interests of unity, Constantine deliberately chose to blur the distinctions among Christianity, Mithraism [another Sun cult of the time] and Sol Invictus..." 

That's why Constantine decreed that Sunday -- "the venerable day of the sun" would be the official day of rest. (Early Christians before then celebrated their holy day on the Jewish Sabbath -- Saturday.) 

That's also why -- by his edict, the book claims -- the celebration of Jesus' birthday was moved from January 6th (Epiphany today) to December 25, celebrated by the cult of Sol Invictus as Natilis Invictus, the rebirth of the sun.

And are you wondering about the concept of the 12 Days of Christmas? The midwinter festival of the ancient Egyptians celebrated the birth of Horus (the prototype of the earthly king) son of Isis (the divine mother-goddess). It was 12 days long, reflecting their 12-month calendar. This concept took firm root in many other cultures. In 567 AD, Christians adopted it. Church leaders proclaimed the 12 days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season.

5) Conclusion.  There's little need to try to put Christ "back" into Christmas.  He was never in it.  So go ahead, pour an extra shot of brandy into that eggnog, laugh, celebrate, enjoy time with friends and family.

Just, please, leave Christ out of it.  It's unfair to blame him for any of this.

Happy Saturnalia!

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