12/20/2023 0 Comments Origin of christmasProceedings of the Eighth Workshop of the International Network Impact of Empire (Heidelberg, July 5–7, 2007), 249Įnter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 2009: “Found in Translation: The Religion of the Roman Diaspora,” in Ritual Dynamics and Religious Change in the Roman Empire. 2007: Dictionary of Northern Mythology Woolf, G. 2007: “Religious Koine and Religious Dissent,” in A Companion to Roman Religion, 121 Simek, R. 2010: “Roman Festivals,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome, Oxford, 172 Salzman, M.R. 2004: The Origins of Christmas Miller, J.F. 1985: “Lords of Misrule: The Puritan War on Christmas 1642–60”, History Today 35, 7-14 Kelly, J.F. 84–54 BC): a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic. ![]() He wants to inspire young minds by teaching Classics and in his spare time he coaches hockey at Christ’s Hospital School.Īncient Sources Quintus (or Gaius) Valerius Catullus (ca. These traditions never go out of favour, whatever the time, whatever the place.Īuthor: Russell Fleming has a Masters degree in Ancient History and Classical Archaeology and an MLitt degree in Ancient History from the University of St. What can we derive from this merging of pagan and Christian tradition? People through the ages, from many cultures, with many beliefs, shared common bonds in their celebrations: fellowship with family and friends, rituals, good cheer and giving of gifts. Favourite Christmas pastimes, such as caroling and gift-giving, have their origins in the pre-Christian pagan populaces of Europe. The Church absorbed customs and traditions from pre-existing pagan winter festivals, such as Saturnalia and Yule. As this article has shown, Christmas is not wholly a Christian invention. Here Jesus can be seen as “Christo Sole” (Christ the sun). Evidence of Jesus as Sol can be seen in Mausoleum M in the pre-fourth-century necropolis under St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. So it can be seen why the Church would incorporate the festival of Sol Invictus into the Christmas holiday. This coincided with the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus on the 25 th December.Īnd as it would happen, many early Christians associated Jesus with the sun according to Malachi 4:2 in the Christian Bible, Jesus was prophesied as “Sol Iustitiae” (sun of righteousness). The dark motive behind ringing bells in winter was quickly forgotten, and people began. Noisemakers were originally used to scare away evil spirits at the night, and some of these noisemakers were bells. ![]() A big feast would have been held in honour of Sol. Although difficult to know for sure, the first use of bells in wintertime may have been Pagan winter celebrations. This was a late Roman festival honouring the sun god, Sol Invictus, on the 25 th December. Peter’s in the Vaticanĭies Natalis Solis Invicti (the birthday of the unconquered sun) is one more pagan festival that can be attributed as a prequel to Christmas. Mosaic of Christ as Sol or Apollo-Helios in Mausoleum M in the pre-4th-century necropolis beneath St. It seems that gift-giving and merrymaking were the main customs absorbed into the Christian festival of Christmas. Even after it was subtracted from the official religious calendar Saturnalia continued on through the years as a secular festival. Unlike several Roman religious festivals that were particular to cult sites in the city, the prolonged seasonal celebration of Saturnalia in the privacy of one’s home could be held anywhere in the Roman Empire. Catullus, the Roman poet, described the festival as “optimo dierum” (the best of days). ![]() This was followed by frequent parties, gift-giving and a reverse of the Roman social norms such as the masters and mistresses serving their slaves at dinner instead of the other way around. The Romans honoured Saturn by holding a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn in the Forum Romanum in Rome and a public banquet. It was celebrated mid- to late-December between the 17 th and 23 rd of the month. This was an ancient Roman festival that was celebrated in honour of the god Saturn. The story was chronicled in the 2017 movie The Man Who Invented Christmas, which starred Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens as Dickens and centred around the writing of A Christmas Carol.A painting by Thomas Couture depicting Romans celebrating Saturnalia.Ī pagan festival that gave rise to customs associated with Christmas is the festival of Saturnalia. The Victorians took his view of the festive season to their hearts, and added new traditions such as the Christmas tree – which was introduced by Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert.Ĭhristmas cards and gift-giving also replaced the excesses of old. Published in 1843, it became an instant bestseller, and changed people’s view of Christmas, putting emphasis on kindness, being charitable and spending time with family. This illustration by John Leech featured in A Christmas Carol, which painted a very different picture of the festival than folks were used to (Picture: Getty Images)Ĭharles Dickens is given some credit for giving us Christmas in its more modern form, thanks to his classic novel A Christmas Carol.
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