• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

Origin of Christmas

E

EarlyChristianresearcher

Guest
Origins of Christmas are a complicated blend of Christianity and Pagan festivals. CHRIST MASS = shorted to Christmas.

From the 5th–10th century, Christ Mass marked the start of the ecclesiastical year. In 529 it became a civic holiday & under the decree of Emperor Justinian, no work was to be performed. In 567 the Council of Tours said that the 12 days, from December 25 to Epiphany, were to be a sacred festive season. In 601, Pope Gregory told Augustine of Canterbury to follow the pagan custom of decking the temples with greenery, by doing it to the Christian churches. The pagan feast was to be Christianized too. "Nor let them now sacrifice animals to the Devil, but to the praise of God kill animals for their own eating, and render thanks to the Giver of all for their abundance... For from obdurate minds it is impossible to cut off everything at once."

Thus, the Christians attempted to slowly bring the pagans over to Christ by turning their feasts and rites to be for the glory of Christ, instead of the devil. One of the pagan gods was Saturn, the invincible, the unconcord one. While Christ, in Christian militant types is the great Militant warrior, in how that he defeats the devil and harrows hell of all the captive held there and begins his post-resurrection victory march throughout the world with the cross-banner-weapon flag flapping in the wind, (according to art works on the Anastasis, harrowing of hell, Christ's descent into hell, hades, limbo, purgatory, the pit, abyss, etc.) His world wide treks, after his resurrection, became legendized in Christkindl, Kriss Kringle & Santa Claus traditions of their world wide flights on Christmas eves. That's a short way to explain some origins of Christmas.
The, earlier Christians blend the Roman God of Agriculture, Saturn, into looking toward the Christian's version of the Unconquered Son in Christ. December 25 was taken over
as a major feast-day of the Church.
Historical sources:​
John P. Lundy. late 19th cent., noted that "all nations, as if by common consent, at the moment after midnight of the 24th of December, celebrated the birth of the sun-god, type among the Gentiles of Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, as the Desire of all nations and the Saviour of the world." (Monumental Christianity, p. 167).

Alice Dalgliesh, Christmas, A Book of Stories Old And New, (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1948).

Darell Thorpe, The Christ in Santa Claus Unmasked, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Religious, Historical & Polemical Studies, 2013 Kindle Edition).

Aileen Fisher, 1968, A Crowell Holiday Book, Easter, (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company).

Anne Thaxter Eaton, The Animals' Christmas, (New York: The Viking Press, CR 1944, Eaton and Valenti Angelo), "So Hallowed and So Gracious Is the Time--" by Anne Thaxter Eaton.

Bobbie Kalman, Early Christmas, The Early Settler Life Series, (Toronto, New York: Crabtree Publishers Company, 1981, 1990, 1991).

Celia McInnes, An English Christmas, (New York: Henry Holt & Company).

Clement A. Miles, Christmas Customs And Traditions, Their History and Significance, (New York: Dover Publishing, Inc., 1976).

Dorothy Gladys Spicer, 46 Days Of Christmas, A Cycle of Old World Songs, Legends and Customs, (New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., 1960).

D. J. Herda, 1983, Christmas, (New York and London: Franklin Watts, A First Book).

Earl W. Count, 4000 Years of Christmas, (New York: Henry Schumann, 1948).

Elizabeth Hough Sechrist, Christmas Everywhere, A Book of Christmas Customs of Many Lands, (Philadelphia: Macrae Smith Company, 1931 1936 & 1962).

Elizabeth Hough Sechrist and Janette Woolsey, 1959, It's Time For Christmas, (Written and Compiled by Decorations by Reisie Lonette), (Philadelphia: Published by Macrae Smith Company).

Elva Sophronia Smith & Alice Isabel Hazeltine, The Christmas Book of Legends and Stories, (New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Company, 1944, 3rd printing October 1945).

Francis X. Weiser, 1952, The Christmas Book, (New York: Illustrated by Robert Frankenberg, Harcourt, Brace & Company).

Gilda Berger, Easter And Other Spring Holidays, (New York; London; Toronto; Sydney: Franklin Watts, 1983, A First Book).

Hamilton W. Mabie, The Book of Christmas, (Toronto, Canada: The Macmillan Company of Canada, LTD).

Herbert H. Wernecke, (Editor), Celebrating Christmas Around The World, (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, CR MCMLXII).

Horace J. Gardner, 1940 & 1950, Let's Celebrate Christmas, Parties, Plays, Legends, Carols, Poetry, Stories, (New York: The Ronald Press Company).

James Cross Giblin, 1985, The Truth About Santa Claus, (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell).

Jane Duden, Christmas,(New York: Crestwood House, 1990).

Leslie Dunkling, A Dictionary of Days, (New York, New York; Oxford, England: Facts On File Publishing).

Lillian Eichler, The Customs Of Mankind, With Notes on Modern Etiquette and the Newest Trend in Entertainment, (Garden City, New York: Nelson Doubleday, Inc., 1924).

Lillie Patterson, 1968, A Holiday Book, Christmas Feasts and Festivals, (Champaign, Illinois: Garrard Publishers Company).

Lisl Weil, 1987, Santa Claus Around the World, (New York: Holiday House).

Margaret E. Martignoni, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Louis Shores, Volume Editor, Ruth Weeden Stewart, Harvest of Holidays, Series Editor, (New York: A Collier's Junior Classics Series; The Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, 1962).

Maymie R. Krythe, 1954, All About Christmas, (New York, Evanston, & London: Harper & Row).

Patricia Bunning Stevens, 1979, Merry Christmas (A History of the Holiday), (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc., and London: Collier Macmillan).

Ruth Sawyer, 1941, The Long Christmas, (New York: The Viking Press).

Satomi Ichikawa, Robina Beckles Willson, (Text), Merry Christmas, (New York: Philamel Books, 1983).

Steve Englehart, 1993, Christmas Countdown, (An Avon Camelot Book).

Tasha Tudor, Take Joy! The Tasha Tudor Christmas Book, (Cleveland & New York: The World Publishers Company, 1966).

T. Fisher Unwin, Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan, (1912).

T. G. Crippen, Christmas And Christmas Lore, (Detroit: Gale Research Company, Book Tower, 1971, from facsimile reprint of the 1923 edition first published in London: Blackie & Son Limited).

Tristram Potter Coffin, The Book of Christmas Folklore, 1973, (New York: A Continuum Book, The Seabury Press).

The Life Book of Christmas, Vol. 3, The Merriment of Christmas, by the Editors of Life, (New York: A Stonehenge Book, Time Inc., 1963).

William Kean Seymour and John Smith, 1986, Happy Christmas, (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press).

William Muir Auld, Christmas Traditions, (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1931, republished in Detroit: Gale Research Company, Book Tower, 1968).

William S. Walsh, The Story Of Santa Klaus, Told for Children of all Ages From Six to Sixty, (New York: Moffat, Yard & Company, 1909, republished by Omnigraphics, Penobscot Building, Detroit, 1991).

Yorke Henderson, Lenore Miller, Eileen Gaden, & Arnold Freed, Parent's Magazine's Christmas Holiday Book, (New York: Parent's Magazine Press, MCMLXXII).
 
Upvote 0