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Pagan feast
was earliest
celebration
Many of our Christmas customs originate from pagan year-end festivities which started long before the birth of Christ.
For primitive man, the calendar revolved around harvest time, as his primary concern was obtaining enough food to eat. He knew nothing of the earth’s revolution. When the days shortened and his crops died, primitive man feared that the sun would disappear forever. He performed rituals aimed at reinvigorating the soil and animals and bringing back the sun.
The ancient Egyptian calendar had twelve 30-day months. This left five remaining intercalary days which always arrived at the time of the winter solstice (Dec. 21). These days were considered extraordinary and were devoted to honoring the gods. This they did by feasting and predicting the future. It is speculated that intercalary days were the origin of the “12 Days of Christmas” and that their peculiar customs and superstitions derived from this background.
Ancient Rome seems to be the true originator of many of our present festivities. The Romans had an eight-day festival Saturnalia, beginning Dec. 17, which honored Saturn, thier greatest god. There was a public sacrifice of a pig, fairs and games and even banquets where the slave could rule over the master. (This was in memory of the time when all men were equal.) All work ceased; schools were closed; grudges and quarrels were forgotten, and punishment of criminals was not allowed. The family was held supreme, and the feasts included family visiting.
On Dec. 24, there was a great feast honoring Mithras, who was asked to overpower the forces of darkness threatening to engulf the earth. Soon the days would grow longer - a sign of Mithras’ invincibility.
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