The history of Christmas is closely related to the sensations that winter awakens in the northern hemisphere, where this holiday originates, winter impals everything. The environment is covered in snow and it is as if life falls asleep, which in the past has led many people to gather around the campfires.
This feeling of dying of desire to be reborn is what allowed this festival to take root in many parts of the Western world. The history of Christmas is also the story of various traditions that combine and therefore mark milestones for many cultures.
- In essence.
- What is celebrated is the birth of the child Jesus.
- Central figure of the Christian religion; however.
- There is no historical record that clearly proves that this date is the date of the coming of Jesus Christ.
- History shows that the origin of this party was pagan.
“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it year-round. “Charles Dickens.
It all started in the Roman Empire, where Christianity was running. The Romans held parties to celebrate the beginning of the winter solstice. They started on December 21. These celebrations honored the god Saturn, which is why they were called “Saturnals”.
During these festivities, the Romans handed out gifts and food to the most unfortunate, and, as usual, ate and drank as they pleased. It can be said that, for this, they had no limits, as well as for many other acts.
However, the Romans are not the only ones to celebrate December 25, the ancient Egyptians also celebrated that day the birth of different deities, mainly Osiris, this was not the only coincidence they had with Christianity, according to their beliefs, at the end of December, the god Horus, from the womb of Isis, the Queen of Heaven and the Virgin Mother of the Savior was born.
The Greeks were another people who gave special meaning to 25 December, according to their beliefs Dionysus, god of wine, and Adonis, god of beauty; in India, on the other hand, it was thought that on that date the queen of heaven was born, so they adorned their houses with flowers and garlands, and exchanged gifts between them.
The Chinese did not work on December 24 and 25. They celebrated the winter solstice and considered them days of rest. The Aztecs believed that the birth of their god Quetzalcoatl took place in the last week of December. For the Persians, the god Mitra was born on December 25 and was also the son of a virgin named Anahita.
It is the cult of Mitra that entered the Roman Empire after the invasion of Persia. He gained an important representation, so much so that he competed for a long time with Christianity, another of the most widespread beliefs. All this was interspersed with the festivities of Saturnalia.
When Christianity was strengthened, theologians began to discuss the birth of Jesus. The gospels did not provide much accurate information. Some have said that the savior was born in the “days of King Herod”. However, other Gospels claim that Quirino reigned at the time.
The lack of certainty led them to celebrate the occasion on 20 May and sometimes on 20 April, the case was confusing, so they decided to convene a council to reach an agreement, and with the Mitra faithful still numerous, the clergy decided to fix it on 25 December. like the date of Jesus’ birth, which in one way or another ended up absorbing the Persian beliefs that still existed among the Romans, this happened in the year 354, under the papacy of Liberius.
The exciting point of the history of Christmas is that, as you can see, it was an almost universal celebration from the beginning, this, which is a celebration of peace, friendship and harmony, has become the synthesis of many beliefs, something present in the last week of the last month of the year invites us to renew and celebrate the birth of life.