What was Christmas called before Christianity?

Christmas owes its roots to the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia, which was a pagan festival which was celebrated from December 17-25 each year. This custom was altered and absorbed into Christmas, and this allowed early Christians to gradually erase these old pagan holidays.

What was the first Christmas called?

First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century.

What was Christmas originally before Christianity?

The pre-Christian Germanic peoples—including the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse—celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period, yielding modern English yule, today used as a synonym for Christmas.

Was Christmas a pagan holiday first?

Though December 25 is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the date itself and several of the customs we've come to associate with Christmas actually evolved from pagan traditions celebrating the winter solstice.

Is Christmas Really pagan?

Now, as Christmas applies to the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas is decidedly not pagan. However, there are some differences of opinion when it comes to the selection of day of celebration. On the Roman calendar, December 25 was the date of the winter solstice (December 21 on the modern calendar).

The Pagan Origins of Christianity

Why is Christmas not in the Bible?

Dec. 25 is not the date mentioned in the Bible as the day of Jesus's birth; the Bible is actually silent on the day or the time of year when Mary was said to have given birth to him in Bethlehem. The earliest Christians did not celebrate his birth.

What was Christmas before Jesus birth?

Saturnalia was held in mid December, during the winter solstice or the turning point of the year, when it is the shortest day and the longest night. This day was marked by a sacred festival called the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun and was celebrated with general rejoicing.

Did we celebrate Christmas before Jesus was born?

Archeologists say they have traced the origins of the first Christmas to be celebrated on 25 December, 300 years before the birth of Christ. The original event marked the consecration of the ancient world's largest sun god statue, the 34m tall, 200 ton Colossus of Rhodes.

How did Christmas start pagan?

The origins of Christmas stem from both the pagan and Roman cultures. The Romans actually celebrated two holidays in the month of December. The first was Saturnalia, which was a two-week festival honoring their god of agriculture Saturn. On December 25th, they celebrated the birth of Mithra, their sun god.

How did Christmas really begin?

How Did Christmas Celebrations Start? Some theorists have surmised that the celebration of Christmas is related to the Jewish Festival of Lights, during which Jesus was born. Others associate it with the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, which was a celebration of the births of several Roman gods.

Who founded Christmas?

The first recorded incidence of Christmas being celebrated actually dates all the way back to the Roman Empire in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine – so technically the Romans invented it, although there's no specific person who is credited with having done so.

Which pagan holiday did Christmas replace?

Saturnalia, held in mid-December, is an ancient Roman pagan festival honoring the agricultural god Saturn. Saturnalia celebrations are the source of many of the traditions we now associate with Christmas.

How did Saturnalia become Christmas?

During the reign of the Emperor Augustus (63 BC-AD 14), it was a two-day affair starting on December 17th. By the time Lucian described the festivities, it was a seven-day event. Changes to the Roman calendar moved the climax of Saturnalia to December 25th, around the time of the date of the winter solstice.

When was Jesus's actual birthday?

The date of birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical reference, but most biblical scholars assume a year of birth between 6 and 4 BC.

Is Christmas celebrated in Bible?

Although Christmas is not mentioned in the Bible, it is biblical to celebrate the first coming of Christ and His birth. When the shepherds found out about the birth of Jesus, they worshipped God and then told everyone around them that the Savior of the world had come.

Is December 25th a pagan?

December 25th was always a Pagan Holiday Called, “Saturnalia” For literally thousands of years before Christians claimed ownership of December 25th, it was a Pagan holiday celebrating the birth of the Sun God, Sol Invictus which concluded their annual winter festival of Saturnalia.

What pagan God is celebrated on December 25th?

Every winter, Romans honored the pagan god Saturn, the god of agriculture, with Saturnalia, a festival that began on December 17 and usually ended on or around December 25 with a winter-solstice celebration in honor of the beginning of the new solar cycle.

What holidays are actually pagan?

Did Christmas come from Christians?

What is Christmas? Christmas was traditionally a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, but in the early 20th century, it also became a secular family holiday, observed by Christians and non-Christians alike.

What is Jesus real name?

Jesus' name in Hebrew was “Yeshua” which translates to English as Joshua.

Why Easter is pagan?

While Christmas was a celebration of the winter solstice, Easter was a celebration of the spring equinox for the pagans. Pagans lived their lives in strong accordance with nature's rhythms and patterns, and solstices and equinoxes were considered to be sacred times.

Did Christians Steal Christmas?

So Christians may have stolen the date from the pagans, or the pagans might have tried to ride the coattails of Jesus' popularity as the Son of God to worship the Sun God. Either way, we don't really know who claimed the date first. We don't know who stole Christmas.

When was Christmas illegal in America?

Though Christmas was not as widely celebrated in the early 1800s, it was not illegal throughout the country. However, one colony did make it illegal to celebrate Christmas in 1659.