Due my sucky computer and my recent inability to read Jackie Malfoy's intitial post, im just going to have to go by the thread title and what came up in the preveiw box (which wasnt anything worth replying to)
ok, since when was Christmas a pagan holiday? Christmas (as far as i have heard...do quote me on this) came about as a holiday clebrating the birth of Christ Jesus. Advent (the four weeks before Christmas Day) and supposed to be a time of penance and preparation, preparing for Jesus's birthday.
see, there are four candles on an advent wreath:
purple -penance
purple -more penance
pink -oh ya! this is supposed to be a happy time! :^D
purple- ok, one more week...penance
the only reason i can think of as to why you might think christmas is a pagen holiday is because practicly everyone christian or not celebrates it. the giving present part of Christmas came about because of the three wise men when they game the baby Jesus insence and stuff. Athiest people may celebrate Christmas, you'll never here them admit it, but they're celebrating a Christian holiday.
finti, I can go and look up my prof middle-ages to give a complete rundown on what they stole
nazzie > it is because it's NOT originally the birth of jezus, they just changed it to fit the pagan holiday
Originally posted by Ytaker
The Greeks were the first, cutting down the trees for the Goddess Adonia (who was resurrected by Aessulapius, a doctor so good at his trade he could bring the dead back to life).
Originally posted by Nazgulinthedark
im confused now. 😕
what was Christmas originally used for then?
From the previous page...
In a very vague nutshell:
Yule is the most common name given to the old pre Christian tradition of celebrating the winter solstice on/near the 22nd of December. Its the shortest day of the year and so meant that Spring was "on its way" back. The return of the sun, the rebirth of the gods who died at the onset of winter. People would celebrate by getting together, making a huge fire and feasting.
When the Christian Church was trying to spread its word, it knew it would have real trouble getting all the pagan (non Christian) people to gie up the traditions they already had - so they placed Christian holidays "over" the pagans ones so they could say "keep on celebrating as you always have, but in the name of christ rather than your old gods"
it was at first a pagan celebration, celebrating the shortest day of the year (I don't know the correct english term)
when the preachers came to europe, they couldn't totally destroy that religion because no one would accept it like that.
So they went and incorporated certain elements of that pagan religion into christianity and they picked that celebration to get changed into christmas
Think about it, what does burning a log, eating, kissing under mistletoe, decorating a tree and Santa have to do with Jesus?
They are all non-christian traditions that the big C has overlaid with a veneer of Jesus worship. Fr instance - You put decorations on the tree to symbolise the fruit and bloom that will return in spring and summer, its sympathetic magic, calling to the old gods to bring back the sun for another year.
Originally posted by Mr Zero
Think about it, what does burning a log, eating, kissing under mistletoe, decorating a tree and Santa have to do with Jesus?They are all non-christian traditions that the big C has overlaid with a veneer of Jesus worship. Fr instance - You put decorations on the tree to symbolise the fruit and bloom that will return in spring and summer, its sympathetic magic, calling to the old gods to bring back the sun for another year.
the yule log...i have no idea what that is for, im not even sure thats a Christian thing, its not a Catholic thing, I know that 😬
Santa is an adaption of St. Nicholas who supposedly left presents in childrens shoes that were by the front door on christmas. the coming down the chimney thing i beleive came about because he would throw sacks of gold through an open window and they would land next to the fire place. 😬 somthing like that...
mistle toe i think is a recent commercial thing made up by super markets...i dont think it has anythign to do with Jesus...could be wrong though...probably am wrong 😬
Strange but some parents will not tell the kids about santa because they are afraid that then the kids will not believe the reason is that Jesus was born.
I think that is someting to do with Santa and jesus.But I too could be wrong about that too.JM I never was told about santa as a kid.My parents did not want to lie to me so I never believe in him.JM
Originally posted by finti
another tale of how christians stole a symbol of others to take it as their own
Now Finti... Just about every modern religion has done this at some point or another. As un-Christian as I am, it's not really fair to be angry at them for doing that when it's a very common thing. 😛