Christmas: The Past and the Present

By: Fred Jones

Christmas in today’s society is a vastly different holiday than when it was first conceived. Today it is celebrated as much as a cultural holiday as it is a religious holiday. But what are the origins of Christmas?

Christmas originated before the major acceptance of Christianity, which is contrary to what most may think. Originally, many cultures celebrated the winter solstice which marked the start of longer days and shorter nights. The rise of Christianity meant that there had to be a large population of pagans that needed to be enticed to being converted. Pagan beliefs had the celebration of the birthday of the goddess Ishtar and the festival of Dies Natalis Solic Invicti. These were widely celebrated holidays that fell on December 25. As a result Christmas was celebrated on the 25 as a replacement for this celebration. So in a way Christmas helped to provide a celebration that had Christian value to an already existing pagan holiday which made the acceptance of Christianity a bit easier among Pagan communities.

The association of Christ’s birth to the 25 of December is still a bit awkward as a result. There is no solid written evidence of any sorts to insinuate that the conception was any time in December, but it did eventually start to become the widely accepted date.
The customs or traditions we widely associate with Christmas today are mostly assimilated from western customs cultures. The widely accepted image of Santa Claus was created by the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast in the mid to late 1800’s. To practice of giving or exchanging gifts can also be found to originate from western cultures where the exchange of gifts was a characteristic of most holidays.

A staple image of Christmas, the Christmas tree, gets its roots from pagan traditions. In pagan culture winter solstice celebrated in part by the use of evergreen boughs and also included tree worship. The Christmas tree as we see it today can be associated to have originated from either Germany in the 18th century or by the famous monk Martin Luther in the 16th century. From there it extended throughout Europe and eventually made its way to America through immigrants. Other greenery related to Christmas such as poinsettia, mistletoe, or holly are a much more recent addition and do not draw from old customs or traditions.

Today Christmas is largely regarded as a consumerist's holiday. Many stress and panic through the weeks or even months prior to Christmas over making sure all presents are bought and wrapped, all Christmas cards are sealed and sent, and all decorations are up and presentable. As a result, it seems like there is a bit of resentment for the holiday with all the mental anguish it brings, but I for one believe the holiday is what you make of it. It’s supposed to be a time of joy and merriment which many seem to forget and gifts are almost like a sign of appreciation to the folks that made life worth and enjoyable the past year. So this year try not to over think the holidays too much and just enjoy the holiday.

Article Source: http://www.articlepro.co.uk/international

Fred Jones
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