History of Christmas

The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of our 
Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child was 
born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the Yule log, the 
giving of gifts, carnivals (parades) with floats, carolers who sing while 
going from house to house, the holiday feasts, and the church processions 
can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians.
Many of these traditions began with the Mesopotamian celebration of New 
Years. The Mesopotamians believed in many gods, and as their chief god 
- Marduk. Each year as winter arrived it was believed that Marduk would 
do battle with the monsters of chaos. To assist Marduk in his struggle 
the Mesopotamians held a festival for the New Year. This was Zagmuk, 
the New Year's festival that lasted for 12 days. 

The Mesopotamian king would return to the temple of Marduk and swear 
his faithfulness to the god. The traditions called for the king to die at 
the end of the year and to return with Marduk to battle at his side.

To spare their king, the Mesopotamians used the idea of a "mock" king. 
A criminal was chosen and dressed in royal clothes. He was given all 
the respect and privileges of a real king. At the end of the celebration 
the "mock" king was stripped of the royal clothes and slain, sparing 
the life of the real king.

The Persians and the Babylonians celebrated a similar festival called 
the Sacaea. Part of that celebration included the exchanging of places, 
the slaves would become the masters and the masters were to obey. 

Early Europeans believed in evil spirits, witches, ghosts and trolls. 
As the Winter Solstice approached, with its long cold nights and short 
days, many people feared the sun would not return. Special rituals and 
celebrations were held to welcome back the sun.

In Scandinavia during the winter months the sun would disappear for 
many days. After thirty-five days scouts would be sent to the mountain 
tops to look for the return of the sun. When the first light was seen the 
scouts would return with the good news. A great festival would be held, 
called the Yuletide, and a special feast would be served around a fire 
burning with the Yule log. Great bonfires would also be lit to 
celebrate the return of the sun. In some areas people would tie apples to 
branches of trees to remind themselves that spring and summer would return.

The ancient Greeks held a festival similar to that of the Zagmuk/Sacaea 
festivals to assist their god Kronos who would battle the god Zeus and 
his Titans.

The Roman's celebrated their god Saturn. Their festival was called 
Saturnalia which began the middle of December and ended January 1st. With 
cries of "Jo Saturnalia!" the celebration would include masquerades in 
the streets, big festive meals, visiting friends, and the exchange of 
good-luck gifts called Strenae (lucky fruits). 

The Romans decked their halls with garlands of laurel and green trees 
lit with candles. Again the masters and slaves would exchange places. 

"Jo Saturnalia!" was a fun and festive time for the Romans, but the 
Christians though it an abomination to honor the pagan god. The early 
Christians wanted to keep the birthday of their Christ child a solemn and 
religious holiday, not one of cheer and merriment as was the pagan 
Saturnalia. 

But as Christianity spread they were alarmed by the continuing 
celebration of pagan customs and Saturnalia among their converts. At first the 
Church forbid this kind of celebration. But it was to no avail. 
Eventually it was decided that the celebration would be tamed and made into a 
celebration fit for the Christian Son of God. 

Some legends claim that the Christian "Christmas" celebration was 
invented to compete against the pagan celebrations of December. The 25th was 
not only sacred to the Romans but also the Persians whose religion 
Mithraism was one of Christianity's main rivals at that time. The Church 
eventually was successful in taking the merriment, lights, and gifts from 
the Saturanilia festival and bringing them to the celebration of 
Christmas.

The exact day of the Christ child's birth has never been pinpointed. 
Traditions say that it has been celebrated since the year 98 AD. In 137 
AD the Bishop of Rome ordered the birthday of the Christ Child 
celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 AD another Bishop of Rome, Julius I, choose 
December 25th as the observance of Christmas. 

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