Hundreds of millions around the world consider Christmas among the most sacred days—a time when they call to mind the birth of Jesus Christ, the promised Savior of the world. Many attend religious services in December where they hear and remember popular narratives of the birth of Jesus, which they celebrate on Christmas Day.
Indeed, many of us have pleasant memories associated with the Christmas season. Our cities and even individual homes are often decorated with reminders of the holiday—such as nativity scenes, Christmas trees decorated with tinsel of silver and gold, and branches or wreaths of holly—all while homes burn their Yule logs, keeping everyone warm against the cold weather outside, at least in the Northern Hemisphere.
Many will have bought or made presents for their friends and family members, who will sometimes travel long distances just to reunite for a few evenings, enjoy Christmas dinner together, and exchange gifts and pleasantries. Many will sneak a kiss from someone standing under a sprig of mistletoe. Some children will be told the night before that their presents are being brought to them from the North Pole by Santa Claus or “St. Nick,” as the adults wink at each other. In the morning, children will enjoy unwrapping their presents to see what “Santa” brought them, and some families will head to religious services to hear a message related to Jesus’ birth.
And it is also a stressful time of year for many. Family gatherings may become a source of stress, not joy. Buying gifts can seem a burdensome chore or obligation—especially when the credit card bill reveals the damage of our attempts at merrymaking. Many lament the commercialism that has come to dominate so much of the Christmas season, feeling it is crowding out what they believe is the “real” meaning of Christmas—that God sent His Son to be the Savior of mankind. Despite this, most who call themselves “Christian” take comfort in the many positive feelings and memories they associate with Christmas.
In the end, too many are unwilling to face the truth and explore whether Christmas is un-Christian. Is it actually a pagan holiday? We know that many religions have their happy occasions, full of family, music, song, and tradition. So, will we have the courage to look honestly at our own cherished season? Jesus taught us to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). That’s true even when our search brings us to difficult conclusions—after all, Christianity is not for cowards.
TRUTH MATTERS
If we seek truth with an open mind, we must acknowledge that even our warmest memories don’t turn untruth into truth. And truth is important.
John 4 relates a famous account of Jesus’ discussion with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. She spoke to Him of the Samaritans’ traditions concerning worshiping the God of the Bible—traditions that differed from the commands God gave in the Bible concerning how He wanted to be worshiped. Their acts of sincere devotion were based on falsehoods and half-truths. What did Jesus say to this? Did He say, “Well, that’s okay—as long as you are sincere, your worship is equally acceptable before God”?
No, He didn’t. Rather, Jesus emphasized the need for worship to be grounded in the truth, not just our intent, telling her that “the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23–24).
We must desire not only to worship God sincerely—not only with good intentions—but also to worship Him in truth. Because truth matters.
PAGANISM PAST
So, with fresh and honest eyes, let’s ask: Is Christmas a pagan holiday?
If we answer this question based on the origins of the day, the answer is very clearly “Yes,” because the origins of Christmas as a holiday—its timing, its traditions, and its ancient practices—are unmistakably pagan.
Let’s take a moment to consider: What does it mean to be pagan? After all, people today use that word rather carelessly. In fact, there is a growing movement of “neo-paganism,” which Dr. Douglas S. Winnail discussed in detail in his Tomorrow’s World magazine article “The Rise of Modern Paganism” (November–December 2019); you can read it online at TomorrowsWorld.org.
As Merriam-Webster.com defines it, “pagan” in our context means “of, relating to, or having the characteristics of pagans”—which, we are told, are “follower[s] of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome).” Essentially, paganism represents those religions and cultic practices whose origins are outside of the three religions traditionally associated with the patriarch Abraham, which are Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
By that definition of “pagan,” there can be no doubt that Christmas and most of its traditions bear thoroughly pagan origins. Decorating a Christmas tree, hanging holly, singing carols, strategically placing a sprig of mistletoe—even gathering together for the purpose of exchanging gifts—all of these practices originated in pagan customs and worship traditions, many of which predate Christianity by centuries or millennia.
For instance, mistletoe is associated with Roman fertility rituals and Frigga, the Norse goddess of love and lust. The timing of Christmas corresponds not to the actual timing of Jesus’ birth—which was likely in the fall, not in the winter, as our free study guide Is Christmas Christian? explains in detail—but to the observance of the pagan Roman Saturnalia and sun worship. Britannica notes the following:
In the 3rd century, the Roman Empire, which at the time had not adopted Christianity, celebrated the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) on December 25th. This holiday not only marked the return of longer days after the winter solstice but also followed the popular Roman festival called the Saturnalia (during which people feasted and exchanged gifts). It was also the birthday of the Indo-European deity Mithra, a god of light and loyalty whose cult was at the time growing popular among Roman soldiers (“Why Is Christmas in December?,” Britannica.com).
As for the popular Christmas tree, this, too, is a tradition of extra-biblical origin—and one with an ancient pagan precedent. In fact, we can see that precedent condemned in Scripture—look at this passage from Jeremiah with this favorite Christmas tradition in mind:
Thus says the Lord: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good (Jeremiah 10:2–5).
Our commentary on page 21 explains many more details about this popular tradition. But whether fashioning an image of Baal for pagan worship or decorating a “Christmas tree” on the pretext of honoring God, the principle is the same. The list of connections between these ancient, pagan practices and various Christmas traditions is long and clear. In fact, the pagan origins of nearly all of the most common and honored Christmas traditions are acknowledged as facts of history. Even most mainstream Christians don’t dispute the pagan origins of Christmas’ practices and timing. You don’t need to take our word for that—any encyclopedia or reputable historical resource will confirm it as fact.
For instance, in his famous 1788 work A Classical Dictionary, scholar John Lemprière summarized some of the ancient, pre-Christian practices of the pagan holiday called Saturnalia: “The celebration was remarkable for the liberty which universally prevailed. The slaves were permitted to ridicule their masters…. It was usual for friends to make presents one to another, all animosity ceased, no criminals were executed, schools were shut, war was never declared, but all was mirth, riot, and debauchery” (“Saturnalia”).
Does any of that sound familiar? If we are honest with ourselves, surely we will agree that it does—perhaps uncomfortably so.
PAGANISM PRESENT
Clearly, Christmas and its traditions and customs are not simply related to pagan practices—they are deeply rooted in pagan origins. In that sense, Christmas is indeed a pagan holiday.
Still, some may wonder, is it really? Many assume that while various activities, celebrations, traditions, and symbols originated in paganism, they have, in a sense, been “baptized” by Christianity. While the holly branch and its red berries once held pagan meaning—a meaning too vulgar to describe in a family magazine—can we now use them to symbolize Christ’s crown of thorns and the red blood He shed for our sins? Can we conclude that Christmas was a pagan holiday, but is no longer?
People can certainly be baptized and have their lives transformed. Can pagan worship practices undergo the same conversion? After all, those who keep Christmas don’t believe they are worshiping the sun god, or Saturn, or Mithras, or Baal, or Frigga. Most are trying sincerely to worship the God of the Bible—specifically, the Jesus Christ of the Bible. They might ask, Aren’t Christians free to worship God and Jesus however we want to? Do the pagan origins of Christmas really matter?
Sentiment aside, the answer is simple: If we desire to worship in a manner that is pleasing to God the Father and Jesus Christ—not just pleasing to us—then, yes, the pagan origins of Christmas matter very much.
Again, it is not a matter of opinion, happy memories, or personal feelings, but a matter of truth. And if we want to know the truth about how God the Father and Jesus Christ consider these things, we must go to the Bible, where they have revealed for us exactly what they think. In fact, They gave us that Bible to help us learn to think like Them.
When we do go to the Scriptures, they reveal the truth of this matter in a way that is absolutely clear.
For instance, speaking of pagan peoples and pagan traditions and customs, God commanded the Israelites very clearly that they must “not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way” (Deuteronomy 12:30–31).
Crucially, we see that the Bible does not just forbid worship of idols or foreign gods. God makes it plain that He does not want His followers to worship Him in pagan ways. It doesn’t make a difference if we say we’re not worshiping Mithras, or Saturn, or the sun. God says plainly that we are not to worship Him “in that way”—using pagan traditions.
You may have noticed a very similar command in Jeremiah 10, in which God says clearly, “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles” (v. 2). By “Gentiles,” God simply refers to peoples outside the nation of Israel. The biblical commands of God simply leave no room at all to conclude that He accepts worship using other peoples’ customs—even if it is directed at Him.
WHAT DID JESUS SAY ABOUT WORSHIPING GOD?
Still, that’s the Old Testament, and some might argue that Jesus came to change all of that. Yet, once again, if we go to His actual teachings—recorded for all time in my Bible and in yours—we find that this is not how He thinks about these things at all.
In fact, Jesus addressed this very point in front of His disciples and the Jewish leaders of His day. The first-century Pharisees believed their traditions were rooted in Scripture, and that these traditions served God. Yet Jesus told them that their supposedly pious traditions actually violated God’s commands and were to be condemned:
He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:6–9).
To hold on to the tradition of observing Christmas—the tree, the gifts, even the date itself—one must reject the commandment of God, who says plainly that He does not want to be worshiped using heathen customs. Keeping Christmas requires us to lay aside God’s desires and explicit commands—and Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the very founder of Christianity, condemns this in no uncertain terms.
The Bible says that God does not want to be worshiped using pagan traditions, and Jesus calls us hypocrites if we set aside God’s commands in order to worship Him in our own ways. The idea of being labeled a hypocrite by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, should send chills down the spines of any who call themselves Christians. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus condemned those who would dare to call Him “Lord” while ignoring His commands, challenging them by asking, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).
The evidence is clear: Christmas is a pagan holiday, God does not want to be worshiped using pagan traditions, and Jesus Christ condemns as hypocrites those who ignore God’s commands in order to keep traditions of any kind.
A BETTER, MORE MEANINGFUL WAY
So, where does that leave us? Are you one of the few whose hearts are willing to follow God wherever He and His word lead them? If so, you know that following His lead and obeying His commands never leads to a worse place—only to a better one.
In fact, many thousands of individuals all around the world have left Christmas behind and have instead embraced the true Holy Days in the Bible, which are clearly revealed as designed and inspired by God for all of His people to observe. These are recorded in His word as days set apart by Him for worship, praise, and instruction. Those who attend Sabbath and Holy Day services with the Living Church of God, which sponsors the Tomorrow’s World magazine, would never—not for all the money or comfort in the world—give up the observance of those days in exchange for the false traditions of pagan, man-made Christmas.
Giving up Christmas does not mean letting go of joy, meaning, warmth, and fellowship. Quite the opposite—when we turn away from deceptively attractive traditions and customs that fundamentally contradict the Bible to follow the real Jesus Christ, we can experience the great joy, deep meaning, and Christian fellowship of those who worship as He said to the woman at the well almost 2,000 years ago—not only in spirit, but in spirit and in truth.
What Is a Holiday?
A “holiday” is a “holy day.” Thus, it is predicated on the concept of absolute holiness, which is by definition, the God of the Bible. He is perfectly holy.
A holiday is literally a “holy day,” but the name is derived from the Old English hāligdæg (hālig meaning “holy” and dæg meaning “day”). “Holy” means “sacred, spiritually perfect, hallowed, and godly.” This is why we call the Bible the Holy Bible. “Bible” literally means “the book” or more properly, the collection of books from a Holy God. Furthermore, it is why Christians strive to live a godly and holy life as God patterned for man in the life of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:16).
The God of the Bible began instituting holy days in the Old Testament as types and shadows of Christ (Colossians 2:16–17):
- Weekly Sabbath (Exodus 16:23–29, 20:8–11)1
- Passover (Exodus 12:1–4; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 9:1–14, 28:16; Deuteronomy 16:1–7; Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12–26; John 2:13, 11:55; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:28)
- Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15–20, 12:39, 13:3–10, 23:15, 34:18; Leviticus 23:6–8; Numbers 28:17–25; Deuteronomy 16:3–4, 16:8; Mark 14:1, 14:12; Act 12:3)
- Firstfruits (Exodus 23:19, 34:26; Leviticus 23:9–14; Deuteronomy 26:5, 26:9–10)
- Feast of Weeks (Exodus 23:16, 34:22; Leviticus 23:15–21; Numbers 28:26–31; Deuteronomy 16:9–12)
- Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23–25; Numbers 29:1–6; 2 Samuel 6:15)
- Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur—Leviticus 16:1–34, 23:26–32; Numbers 29:7–11)
- Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (Exodus 23:16, 34:22; Leviticus 23:33–43; Numbers 29:12–34; Deuteronomy 16:13–15; 1 Kings 8:3; 2 Chronicles 7:1; Zechariah 14:16–19; John 7:2)
There was also a Jubilee year. After seven cycles of seven years (49 years), the fiftieth year was the Jubilee! The point is that God gave holidays to man. In a nutshell, holidays exist by being predicated on the existence of the Holy God of the Bible.
The New Testament continues in this tradition with the Lord’s Day, which is the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10) and honors when Christ resurrected. The Breaking of Bread—also called the Last Supper, Lord’s Supper, Communion, or the Elements—is a New Testament regular observance of the Passover fulfilled in Jesus for the New Covenant. Jesus, the Christ, is the final and perfect Passover Lamb. He was sacrificed and resurrected as the ultimate Victor once for all. The Lord’s Supper celebrates Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Celebrating new holidays to the Lord is a Christian freedom. As the Bible says,
In the Old Testament, we also find the Feast of Queen Esther (Esther 2:18). This festival was instituted by the king of Persia. Solomon once instituted a 14-day feast and celebration (1 Kings 8:65). We also see something like this in the intertestamental period: a new festival—Hanukkah.
Hanukkah
Just as man is made in the image of a “holiday-making” God (Genesis 1:26–27) who instituted feasts and festivals, so man has often honored God with new feasts and festivals. The godly Jews, for example, honored God with a holiday when they developed an eight-day winter festival called Hanukkah or Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah is derived from the word “dedication” in Hebrew). It was to rededicate the second temple, and one tradition is to progressively light a special nine-branch candleholder called a menorah. This is why this holy day is sometimes called the Festival of Lights.
Jesus had no problem joining this celebration at the second temple of God in Jerusalem approximately 2,000 years ago (John 10:22–23). Jews often celebrate this, but so do many Christians as a way of honoring God.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a Christian celebrating Hanukkah, as Christ did as well. This is not a holiday prescribed in the Bible, and yet Jesus shows us the freedom we can have by making new holidays dedicated to the Lord.
This freedom does come with some exceptions though. The Bible commands we abstain from certain things, and if feasts and festivals dishonor God by utilizing things from which God commanded us to abstain—then they become a problem. As a quick check, be sure to watch out for holidays openly trying to honor false gods or forcing practices such as these that were listed in Scripture:
- Forced abstention from food other than what had been strangled or offered to idols (Acts 15:20–29; 1 Timothy 4:3)
- Sexual immorality and fleshly lusts (Acts 15:20–29; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Peter 2:11)
- Any form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22)
How Long Ago Were Christians Celebrating Christmas?
Christmas Day (also called the Nativity of Our Lord), is celebrated on December 25. Christmas has been widely celebrated by underground Christians and documented by Christians since about AD 200. Christmas became even more popular when Christianity was allowed to be out in the open after the Edicts of Toleration and Milan in AD 311 and 313 respectively.
Popular early church father Sextus Julius Africanus wrote the Chronographiai around AD 221, which put the conception of Christ on March 25—nine months prior to December 25, the date being used for Christmas. For context, this was about 125 years after the last of Jesus’ apostles died. Hippolytus of Rome also mentions December 25 in the first decade of AD 200 in his Commentary on Daniel. Some Christians still celebrate an ancient feast on March 25 called the Feast of Annunciation (also called Conceptio Christi, Solemnity of the Annunciation, Lady Day, or Feast of the Incarnation), celebrating the immaculate conception of Christ.2
Is December 25 the actual day of Christ’s birth? That is a great question with mixed reviews, but what we know is that widespread celebrating of December 25 in churches across the Roman Empire as the birth and first nativity of Christ was very early.
In the AD 300s, Ephraim the Syrian, writing about the first nativity or Christmas, points out that, “All men honour the day of Thy birth. Thou righteous One, keep Thou the glory of Thy birth; for even Herod honoured the day of His Birth!”3 John Cassian points out the connection between Christ’s birth and its connection to Epiphany (the Twelfth Day of Christmas) in the late AD 300s and early AD 400s:
December 25 was defended by Sulpitius Severus in consultation with Sabinus and Rufinus in Sacred History (Historia Sacra) chapter 27 in AD 403. The point is that Christmas, the birth of Christ, was recognized and celebrated from the early days of the church.
Xmas
Christmas is also denoted as X-mas/X’mas/Xmas. The letter Chi (X) in Greek was used as the shorthand notation of Christ, being the first letter of the name Christ, or more specifically, Christos (Χριστός).
Today, a few people unwittingly think if they use “Xmas,” they are deleting the name of Christ from this holiday because of anti-Christian sentiment. However, Xmas is an ancient Christian usage for Christmas whether they realize it or not.
Did Christmas Come From a Pagan “Holiday”?
To start, there is nothing “holy” about anything pagan. Now that that is cleared up, there are some modern claims about Christmas—particularly that it is born out of pagan celebrations, such as Saturnalia, Sol Invictus, or Winter Solstice.
Saturnalia
Saturnalia is the popular Roman mythology festival to the god Saturn (god of the harvest and time) in the Roman pantheon. It was celebrated on December 17.
December was the tenth month in the Roman calendar. In the old Roman calendar, the year began with March (in honor of the god Mars, who is the Greek equivalent of Ares and the Germanic equivalent of Tiwas—these are just ancestor-worshipped corruptions of Noah’s grandson Tiras5). The second month was April—which is the Roman word for “second.” Many obviously recognize certain prefixes for several later months like Sept-ember (7), Oct-ober (8), Nov-ember (9), and again, Dec-ember is 10.
Let me explain a little more about the old Roman calendar prior to ~700 BC. They had a 10-month calendar with the fifth and sixth months meaning five and six respectively:
- Martius
- Aprilis
- Maius
- Juniius
- Quintilis (5)
- Sextilis (6)
- September
- October
- November
- December
The remaining ~61 days, were just left to winter—not divvied up as months. About 700 BC, Numa Pompilius (a leader in Rome) added January as the first month before March (Martius) and added February after December. About 450 BC, February was moved to be between January and March—for reasons unknown to this author.
This calendar up to this point was a lunar calendar where each month was about 29–30 days. But the month-based year was off from the solar year (by about 10–11 days), so they had to add an intercalary month (like most do with lunar month-based years) called Mercedonius in Latin.
Essentially, every few years they add a thirteenth month to get the calendar back to being in line with the seasons. Julius Caesar, about 46 BC, decided to adjust the calendar to be a permanently solar calendar of 365 1/4 days, which keeps the seasons in line but requires adjusting of days within each month. This is called the Julian calendar.
In the original calculation of the Julian calendar, the solstice was on December 25, but by AD 300 the Julian calendar had drifted to have the solstice on December 23. It continued to move earlier until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar (which slightly adjusts the Julian calendar to fix this drift).
Why is all this important to Saturnalia? Some have suggested that Saturnalia was a holiday associated with the winter solstice. However, Saturnalia ends at the latest on December 23. Any celebration of Saturnalia prior to Julius Caesar still had many more days until the winter solstice. It came close to overlapping the winter solstice after Julius Caesar, but it took a few hundred years to properly overlap.
Saturnalia was originally on December 17. Later Saturnalia was expanded into a three-day (then a seven-day) festival marking the end of the autumn sowing season. According to historical records, Saturnalia lasted seven days in Caesar’s and Cicero’s days.
During Emperor Augustus Caesar’s day, it was shortened to three days (particularly for government officials like the courts).6 Thus, it would have ended on December 19 in his reign. During Emperor Caligula’s reign, it was extended to five days.7 So it was finished on December 21.
This festival was celebrated after the fall planting season so that the people (most of whom had agricultural jobs) were more available to “party,” if you will, in Rome and other provinces. But if you know much about the provinces of Rome, they weren’t Roman and they didn’t even follow Roman gods. So to them—whether in Judea or Egypt or elsewhere—it was merely a time off from customary work and a good time to travel and move if you were required to (think of Christmas break or summer break today). I can’t help but imagine if this was the perfect time for a carpenter to move from Nazareth to Bethlehem to get set up to be registered.
Regardless, this festival was always finished before Christmas. So, if Christians were taking this pagan day and making a Christian alternative, they failed miserably! Any way you look at it, they missed it by about a week!
Saturnalia is the equivalent festival of the Greek Kronia with the corresponding Greek god called Chronos/Chronus/Kronos/Cronus, the god of harvest and time (the name reflects time, think of chronology, chronometer, etc.). So although this might have been a huge festival for Rome and Greece, the rest of the provinces weren’t really celebrating a Roman god.
Interestingly, the Roman Saturn (where we get the name Saturday and the planet Saturn) and the Greek equivalent, Chronos, is a corruption of Noah. An ancient historian Eupolemus (as preserved by Eusebius of Caesarea in the early to mid-AD 300s) writes,
You should be able to recognize Chanaan/Canaan in this list, whom God judged and gave their land to the Israelites led by Joshua. Also, Belus is a title passed from Noah to his son Ham/Cham and so forth. Although not mentioned here, this title ultimately passes as far down as Nimrod, the son of Cush (Chus), and was corrupted in Bel and Baal, which is where the pagan Baal worship in the Old Testament came from—merely a form of ancestor worship.
But of significant note, Chronos or Saturn is Noah. It is a corruption of Noah to a godlike status. It was ancestor worship of a great, godly man. Sadly, this makes sense. Noah and his early progeny lived longer lifespans. Noah lived 350 years after the flood; Shem lived 500 years after the flood, and so forth.
As the ages subsequently drop, these patriarchs outlived great, great, great grandchildren. Noah, for instance, outlived his great, great, great-grandson Peleg!9 Shem lived until Isaac was about 50 years old. So, many of these patriarchs were looked at as though they were “immortals” or “gods.” These “gods” still died—they just outlived everyone else.
Another thing that happens is that some of these patriarchs and their descendants get mixed up in their orally passed-down accounts. And the accounts themselves get warped, paganized, and embellished.10
Fascinatingly, Noah, the oldest patriarch after the flood, who became the first farmer and trainer of farmers (Genesis 9), is corrupted into the “god” of harvest and time. The point is that Saturn/Chronos, which is where Saturnalia and Kronia come from, is actually based on a biblical person: Noah. So that day really shouldn’t belong to pagans in the first place.
Sol Invictus
Sol Invictus means “unconquered sun.” Sol means “sun” and is where we get the name “solar,” for instance. Sol Invictus (or more properly Dies Natalis Solis Invicti [Birth of the Unconquered Sun]) was the celebration of the Roman sun god in the latter stages of the Roman Empire and also the patron of Roman soldiers. It was a form of sun-worship.
Sol Invictus, however, came into existence well after we have recorded history that Christmas was widely celebrated. Sol Invictus was first started by Roman emperor Lucius Aurelian in AD 274. If anything, the pagans took Christmas—which was already a widespread festival for Christians—and wanted a pagan alternative.
Winter Solstice
It is doubtful that Sol Invictus is related to the winter solstice. One could see how it relates to the sun since the winter solstice is the day with the least amount of sunlight on earth (in the northern hemisphere).
If Sol Invictus was meant to be associated with the winter solstice, then they missed it by a couple of days—even by the Julian calendar that they were using when they came up with that celebratory day. The shortest daylight portion of the year is the winter solstice. It falls between December 20–23, whereas Sol Invictus falls on December 25.
Solstices, as well as the equinoxes, mark the changing of the seasons. The summer solstice marks the day with the most sunlight hours and least amount of darkness. The winter solstice marks the day with the most darkness and least amount of sunlight—again, in the northern hemisphere. The opposite is true in the southern hemisphere—which is why Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, etc., have their summer in our winter.
The spring and fall equinoxes have equal amounts of daylight and darkness. You could probably see the reflection of the same Latin root word aequus for “equal” in the name “equinox.” More to the point, the godly, since Adam’s creation in Genesis 1, have utilized the sun, moon, and stars to mark these seasonal events (Genesis 1:14), including each new moon (where the name month comes from). There is nothing inherently wrong with acknowledging these “turning-point” days for the seasons and months and even celebrating them in light of Genesis 1 (1 Samuel 20:24).
Was Jesus Born in March/April Because the “Shepherds Were Keeping Watch over Their Flocks by Night”?
Another common claim is that Jesus couldn’t have been born in December because it was not the lambing season. Let me explain this argument. Luke 2:8 says,
So the argument goes that this takes place in the lambing season (when the ewes give birth to lambs) and therefore they were out in the fields at night during this time to watch for lambs being born to help and protect both ewe and lamb from predators. The argument then goes that this would have been in the early spring around March or April. Thus, those holding this view say that a December birth is untenable.
First, we don’t know this was lambing season. Even if it were not lambing season, in those days, shepherds were still tasked with keeping watch over the flock in shifts by night due to predators. It may have been a smaller number of them than a typical peak lambing season.
But let’s say it was lambing season. Let’s be a little more accurate. The range of lambs being born is from December to May, peaking around March and April. Farther north, it becomes later; farther south, it goes as early as December. When sheep give birth depends on when the ewes become pregnant (called “tupping”), which happens as early as late summer but usually later fall and has a five-month gestation.
Diligent shepherds should be ready and keeping watch in December. If anything, when looking at this subject in more detail, December is indeed within the range of lambing season. So this shouldn’t be used to rule out a December date for Christ’s birth.
Christmas Trees Are Forbidden in Jeremiah?
Jeremiah 10:2–8 says:
This passage of Scripture is a warning about following the gentiles in their ways of making false wooden idols and the futility of worshipping such false gods. Pagan craftsmen cut down trees, obtain wood from it, cut it up, craft it, and use silver and gold; and the idols still have to be fastened to stand upright and not fall over! This type of alleged god is worthless and can do neither good nor evil! It shows how dull-hearted and foolish one must be to think these little wooden statues are gods and have power!
Some might argue that the trees are cut and they are brought into the house and decorated with gold- and silver-looking tinsel. They seem to think this is a good response, but by this standard, then the temple of God built by Solomon would be called into question! Consider the wood cut and brought into the temple and the craftsmen’s intricate work and overlaying it with gold and so on. 1 Kings 6:23–35 says,
The difference is that this wood in the temple was not to be an idol and not to be worshipped but to give glory to God.
The history of Christmas trees begins in Europe (most say Germany; others have it in Baltic States) in the 1500–1600s. It has nothing to do with worshipping trees or false gods, but like the temple, its use is meant to give glory to God in Jesus Christ. The evergreen trees in winter were a reminder of a more perfect time. These trees in the home originated as “paradise trees” representing the garden of Eden and made their way into Christmas decor.
How Did Saint Nicholas Become Santa Claus?
Falling on December 6 is St. Nicholas’ Day—which is during the Christmas Advent season and runs for the four Sundays preceding Christmas. Advent is like a month of Sundays counting down to Christmas. St. Nicholas of Myra was a bishop (minister/pastor) in the AD 300s. He died on December 6, hence the day that is used to celebrate his life. He was an orphan who became a wealthy man living in what we now call Turkey but which was traditionally known as Asia Minor (the town of Myra was later called Kale and is now called Demre).
St. Nicholas used his wealth to help the less fortunate (for example, he kept some poor young girls out of forced prostitution by paying their debt). He was said to have hung stockings of coins for the poor on windowsills and so on. For his faith in Christ, he was persecuted by Roman Emperor Diocletian and put in jail for a time. He was released by Emperor Constantine about AD 325.
Because St. Nicholas’ Day always falls in the Christmas season, it makes sense why Christmas today has a corrupted version of him. Saint Nickolas is corrupted into Santa Claus (think: Sainta niclaus).
Sadly, attributes of God are applied to St. Nicholas. This paganized version of St. Nicholas sees all, judges between naughty and nice, gives blessings (gifts), can be everywhere at the same time, etc. It’s better to leave St. Nicholas as St. Nicholas. As a result, many Christians today avoid using Santa Claus as a deceptive tool on children.
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