THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS II: Saturnalia

Now a day, the Christmas celebration evokes images of gifts, lights, delicacies and family gatherings.  Who doesn’t like these? The “spirit of Christmas” is spoken of as a feeling of “good will for all”. This is the image of Christmas we have today. However, its past is a little more somber.

Would it surprise you to know that the traditions related to Christmas were kept long before the birth of Christ? Christmas is considered today to be a Christian celebration, but its origins are more related with ancient Babylon, Greece and Rome than with the people of God and the Bible. What is celebrated today is a combination of the biblical story of the birth of Jesus and the year end pagan traditions.

Mithra

The holiest day of Mithraism, the Persian religion that worshiped the sun, was December the 25th. It was after the winter solstice and it celebrated that day as the “birth of the sun”. Besides the sacrifices to Mithra, it was celebrated with food, drink and gifts.

The Romans adopted this tradition, but worshiped a different deity: Saturn. In honor to this god, they celebrated a week long festival denominated “the Saturnalia”.

THE SATURNALIA

The ancient Romans celebrated the Saturnalia festival from the 17th to the 24th of December. December 25^th was the culmination of the celebration in honor of “the birth of the invincible sun” (Latin: dies natalis solis invicti). Being past the winter solstice, the moment in which the sun reaches its lowest point, the days started to be longer every day.

The Saturnalia was celebrated in honor of Saturn, the god of the fire and of the harvest. To be able to harvest you need the sun’s light and heat. That is why the Romans worshiped Saturn in the middle of winter, so that it may return to heat the earth and make it fruitful, so that they may prosper during the course of the coming year. In its honor they would light candles and torches.

We find other cultures with the same god, only with different names, such as: Tammuz, Molech, Baal, Kronos, Vulcan.  Some of these demanded offspring sacrifices. In Greek mythology Kronos would eat their children as soon as they were born. In the Bible we read of children being sacrificed to Molech.

(Jeremiah 32:33-35)  They have turned to me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them persistently, they have not listened to receive instruction. They set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

(Leviticus 18:21)  You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.

(Leviticus 20:1-5, 7)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech... Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.

The Romans, however, did not practice children sacrifice. Instead, during the Saturnalia, they dedicated a special day for the children, know as “Juvenalia”.  During this day, the children would put on costumes and parade through the city. They received gifts and were allowed to do whatever they pleased.

What did the Romans do during the Saturnalia celebrations?

Roman Saturnalia

There were seven days of boisterous amusements, banquets and exchanging of gifts. The festivities began with a sacrifice in the temple of Saturn, at the foot of Capitol Hill, Rome’s religious area. After that they had a public banquet to which everyone was invited. Lights and torches were lit everywhere in honor of Saturn, the god of fire.  Traditionally, houses were decorated with green branches and lights to celebrate the new year. Friends and families would exchange gifts, which were given especially to the children and the poor.

This was a very popular event among the slaves, since they received extra rations, free time and other perks during those days. Slaves were frequently freed from their chores and their master would take their place.

Also during this week groups of artists, singers and dancers would come out to the streets and go from house to house entertaining their neighbors.

Assimilated Traditions

It is interesting to see how these Roman pagan traditions have transcended time and have been assimilated by our modern culture. But even more astonishing is the fact that they were adopted by the Christian church.

In ancient Rome, the Saturnalia festival was a type of winter carnival that encouraged drunkenness and orgies. That may be the reason why it became popular across Europe and was adopted by the northern barbarians. However, for many years its celebration was prohibited by the puritans and the purists in Europe and North America. However, since in Rome it was such a popular festival, the Catholic Church could not stop its celebration. Therefore, it decided to “Christianize it” in order to gather the masses to their religion. They followed the adage: “If you can’t beat them… join them!” This is known as “syncretism”.

The dictionary defines syncretism as:

The attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion.

An Encyclopedia definition of religious syncretism:

The process by which it is attempted to overcome a situation of cultural crisis produced by a collision of two or more different religious traditions. It is an attempt to create an environment in which two or more different cultural traditions are able to coexist in harmony. It is the combination of two or more beliefs, creating a new one.

What does the Bible say about this?

(II Corinthians 6:14-18)  Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty."

(Ephesians 5:8-11)  For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

What amazes me the most is that many Christian believers do not care about this syncretism with pagan cultures, but on the other hand are so harshly opposed to the celebration of the biblical feasts (which they call “Jewish” but in fact are “the Lord’s, as we read on Leviticus 23). It is highly disconcerting!

If we are to speak clearly, we must recognize that Christmas is not a celebration ordained by God, but a particular tradition of men.

(Mark 7:8) You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.