When almost everyone celebrates Christmas, writing on why I’m not celebrating it is not an easy task, it’s just like going against the tide. It seems like dousing some cold water to a joyful event that the whole world over is looking forward to.
For most people, Christmas is a season of joy, peace, and giving.
The Christmas spirit is so strong that throughout this holiday season people are becoming extra generous and kind.
And they will move heaven and earth not only to give presents to their families and friends but also to make sure that they are with them in celebrating this event.
At this time of the year, some people have started adorn their homes with all these X’mas festive ornaments; shopping malls have begun showing the holiday season’s spirit with colorful lighting and decors: frosty snowman, X’mas trees, holiday wreaths and other floral decors.
From time to time, we can hear some carol songs being played by radio stations these days.
Despite this joyful backdrop and other merry going-on in our midst, it’s important to know the origin of Christmas and how it came about.
Many people may not be aware that this joyful Christmas celebration is of pagan origin. And for our peace of mind, why don’t we find out the real history of this popular religious event and with today’s technology, it’s a cinch to research on it.
First off, let’s take on December 25 that is supposed to be the birthdate of Jesus in Bethlehem.
It’s hard to believe that Jesus was born in December because it’s winter around Bethlehem at this time of the year, and in Luke 2:8, it says that… those shepherds living out of doors and keeping watch in the night over their flocks. With that kind of cold weather, these shepherds wouldn’t have kept their flocks outside.
And now, let’s see what other sources of secular information tell us:
The New World Encyclopedia says that “This is how Christmas came to be celebrated on the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, and it was from the pagan holiday that many of the customs of Christmas had their roots. The celebrations of Saturnalia included the making and giving of small presents (saturnalia et sigillaricia). This holiday was observed over a series of days beginning on December 17 (the birthday of Saturn), and ending on December 25 (the birthday of Sol Invictus, the “Unconquered Sun”). “
The Encyclopedia Britannica says “The precise origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament provides no clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati (“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer.
The Encyclopedia Americana says: “Saturnalia, a Roman feast celebrated in mid-December, provided the model for many of the merry-making customs of Christmas. From this celebration, for example, were derived the elaborate feasting, the giving of gifts, and the burning of candles.”
The Externals of the Catholic Church says, “ When we give or receive Christmas gifts, and hang green wreaths in our homes and churches, how many of us know that we are probably observing pagan customs?”
Nowhere in the Holy Scriptures where we can find that the early disciples of Jesus and his followers ever celebrated his birthday and neither was there an instance when Jesus ever commanded his followers to commemorate it.
With all the facts cited on this piece, we can only conclude that Christmas is not for true Christians to celebrate—and not only me but also millions of people around the world have already stopped celebrating this popular holiday upon knowing its pagan origin.