Christmas has a much debated history. There are no scriptural clues to the date of Christ's birth; The Early Church celebrated it on 6 January and the first document setting it on 25 December is a Roman calendar of AD 354.
What Does Christmas Mean to you?
What is the first thing that comes to mind at the sound of the word "Christmas?" Some will say gifts, others food aplenty, a fir tree, snow and in England - the turkey. Cynics will probably mention 'commercialization'.
The Birth of Christ
All these things are part of Christmas, and most of them go back a very long way. But above all, Christmas means the birth of Christ who came two thousand years ago to bring new hope to mankind. When the angel appeared to the shepherds in the Bethlehem fields, he announced 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.'
Pagan Worship of the Sun Gods
But the birth of Christ is not the oldest thing associated with this time of the year. The Romans had a feast called the Saturnalia, at which they also gave glory to one of their gods - Saturn. They also honoured Mithras and other sun-gods and made sacrifices to them all. They enjoyed games and feasting; they gave presents to the poor and to their slaves; they lit torches and candles. There was no fighting at this time. In short; 'On Earth peace, goodwill toward men.' The festival of Saturnalia was also a time when the Romans celebrated the death of the old year and the birth of the new. This was associated with what is called the winter solstice - the darkest time of the year, when days are shortest, nights longest.
The Earliest Times of Christianity
The religion which has shaped English culture for the past two thousand years is Christianity, whether in its Catholic or its Protestant form. During the earliest times after the beginning of Christianity, the birth of Christ was not celebrated in any special way, but later the Fathers of the Church decided to hold celebrations to mark this event. They accordingly fixed these celebrations to come annually at about the time of the winter solstice and they took over and adapted many of the features of the Roman Saturnalia.
Saint Augustine
Christmas is thought to have first come to England with Saint Augustine towards the end of the sixth century and so has been celebrated in one form or another for fourteen centuries. The efforts of the Puritans to do away with it after the Civil War in the seventeenth century were not wholly successful.
Colonial America
In early Colonial days in America, attempts of the Puritans to spread gloom instead of rejoicing at Christmas were more successful than in the Britain of Oliver Cromwell. In Britain, Christmas never quite recovered from the attacks of the Puritans, but it was revived with vigour after the Restoration of the monarchy and has grown more strongly into the 19th and 20th centuries.
Victorian Influences
The importance of Christmas today owes much to the writer Charles Dickens and to Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, who brought many Christmas customs from his native Germany. Happily, there is still joy and peace and happiness at Christmas.
Source:
Wallace, Elizabeth, Christmas Past in Essex, The History Press, 2007
Simpson & Roud, Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore, Oxford Paperback Reference,2003
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