It’s officially December, and we all know what that means: IT’S CHRISTMAS. Get ready to be bombarded with Christmas carols, eggnog, and over-the-top Christmas decorations. For most of us, Christmas is usually considered a “Christian” holiday, one associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. Notice the scare quotes around “Christian”. Although many would be inclined to defend the religious nature of Christmas, it would seem that history proves Jesus is NOT the reason for the season.
Think of the lyrics “Have yourself a merry little Christmas/Make the Yuletide gay.” Ever wonder what the Yuletide is? The term comes from the winter solstice celebration in ancient Scandinavia—before the idea of Christianity was even introduced to the world. The Yule celebration started on December 21, the winter solstice, and continued into January. With the solstice comes the lengthening of days, so in order to honor the sun’s return, the Norse people would light fires, dance, drink, and feast until those fires died down.
The next “pagan” society which celebrated the Christmas season with drinking and dancing was the Romans. Starting on the solstice, the Romans celebrated a festival called Saturnalia—a term to honor their god Saturn. According to the History Channel, “the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command of the city. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun.” The upper-class of Roman society also celebrated the birthday of the sun god Mithra on December 25 (why does this sound familiar?).
Then came the advent of Christianity. Because the Christian faith saw these celebrations as pagan, the leaders of the church attempted to put a stop to the celebrations. And what better way to do so that to create a new holiday that celebrates Jesus during the same time as the solstice? Interestingly, most people believe that Jesus was not born in December, but rather in the spring—otherwise, why would shepherds be tending to their sheep in the dead of winter? The Church chose December 25 as the Feast of the Nativity in order to replace the Yule, Saturnalia, and other pagan holidays. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had spread around the world in replacement of these pagan celebrations. It was also during this time period in which Christmas became a drunken affair of mischief, especially if the rich did not give gifts to the poor.
With the Protestant Revolution, Christmas and it rowdiness were outlawed for a period of time as a wave of conservative reformists took control of England. The pilgrims also outlawed Christmas in the New World for the same reasons. It wasn’t until the Reformation in 18th century England that Christmas was reintroduced to society. In America, Charles Dickens the Christmas Carol and other movements in the 19th century pushed Americans to embrace the holiday with vigor—a holiday falsely centered around Christianity.
This month, when you are singing your Christmas carols this year, or criticizing people for saying “Happy Holidays” instead “Merry Christmas,” remember that the Christmas season was built on pagan tradition. Maybe we should start saying Happy Winter Solstice instead.
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