CHRISTMAS

TAKE THE TIME TO GO THOUGH THIS!!!!

Here is a little background history on where christmas came from and what it actually means!....Brothers and Sisters
please if you are celebrating this day PLEASE go through this information and then decide if celebrating it is the right
thing to do

*!HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS!* (MUST READ)

In ancient pagan times, the last day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere was celebrated as the night that the Great
Mother Goddess gives birth to the baby Sun God. It is also called Yule, the day a huge log is added to a bonfire,
around which everyone would dance and sing to awaken the sun from its long winter sleep.
In Roman times, it became the celebrations honoring Saturnus (the harvest god) and Mithras (the ancient god of
light), a form of sun worship that had come to Rome from Syria a century before with the cult of Sol Invictus. It
announced that winter is not forever, that life continues, and an invitation to stay in good spirit.

The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere occurs between the 20th and 22nd of December. The Roman
celebrated Saturnalia between 17 and 24 December.

The early Christians, To avoid persecution during the Roman pagan festival, early Christians decked their homes with
Saturnalia holly. As Christian numbers increased and their customs prevailed, the celebrations took on a Christian
observance. But the early church actually did not celebrate the birth of Christ in December until Telesphorus, who
was the second Bishop of Rome from 125 to 136AD, declared that Church services should be held during this time to
celebrate “The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour.” However, since no-one was quite sure in which month Christ was
born, Nativity was often held in September, which was during the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (modern-day Rosh
Hashanah). In fact, for more than 300 years, people observed the birth of Jesus on various dates.

In the year 274 AD, solstice fell on 25th December. Roman Emperor Aurelian proclaimed the date as “Natalis Solis
Invicti,” the festival of the birth of the invincible sun. In 320 AD, Pope Julius I specified the 25th of December as the
official date of the birth of Jesus Christ.

AD is short for Anno Domini, or “Year of our Lord,” as proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church. Some non-
Christians prefer the alternative designation “CE” for “Common Era.”

Christmas official, but not generally observed

In 325AD, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, introduced Christmas as an immovable feast on
25 December. He also introduced Sunday as a holy day in a new 7-day week, and introduced movable feasts (Easter).
In 354AD, Bishop Liberius of Rome officially ordered his members to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December.

However, even though Constantine officiated 25 December as the birthday of Christ, Christians, recognizing the date
as a pagan festival, did not share in the emperor’s good intentions. Christmas failed to gain universal recognition
among Christians until quite recently.

In England, for instance, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas festivities between 1649 and 1660 through the so-called
Blue Laws, believing that Christmas should be a solemn day.

When many Protestants escaped persecution by fleeing to the colonies all over the world, interest in joyous
Christmas celebrations was rekindled there. Still, Christmas was not even a legal holiday until the 1800s. And, keep in
mind, there was no Father Christmas (Santa Claus) figure at that time.

Christmas becomes popular

The popularity of Christmas was spurred on in 1820 by Washington Irving’s book The Keeping of Christmas at
Bracebridge Hall.

In 1834, Britain’s Queen Victoria brought her German husband, Prince Albert, into Windsor Castle, introducing the
tradition of the Christmas tree and carols that were held in Europe to the British Empire.
A week before Christmas in 1834, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol (in which he wrote that Scrooge
required Cratchit to work, and that the US Congress met on Christmas Day). It was so popular that neither the
churches nor the governments could not ignore the importance of Christmas celebrations.

In 1836, Alabama became the first state in the US to declare Christmas a legal holiday.

In 1837, T.H. Hervey’s The Book of Christmas also became a best seller.

In 1860, American illustrator Thomas Nast borrowed from the European stories about Saint Nicholas, the patron
saint of children, to create Father Christmas (Santa Claus).

In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. Year by year, countries all over the
world started to recognize Christmas as the day for celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Have a merry Christmas

Today, many of the pagan uses are reflected in Christmas. Jesus was born in March, yet his birth is celebrated on
December 25, the time of solstice. The Christmas celebrations end the 12th day of Christmas (January 6), the same
amount of days that the return of the sun was celebrated by ancient and Roman pagans. It thus is no surprise that
Christian puritans – or even conservative Christians – often are upset that Christmas “is not as religious as it was
meant to be,” forgetting that Christmas was not celebrated at all until fairly recently.

Quick Christmas facts

The 25th of December is celebrated as the birth date of Jesus Christ. The Bible does not mention Christmas, and early
Christians did not observe the birthday of Christ. Christmas as we know it became widely popular only in the 19th
Century.

Christmas starts on December 25 and ends 12 days later on January 6 with the Feast of Epiphany also called “The
Adoration of the Magi” or “The Manifestation of God.”

The concept of “Peace and Joy” over the Christmas season originates from the pagan believe in the magical powers
of mistletoe. Enemies meeting under a mistletoe had to call truce until the following day.

In Finland and Sweden an old tradition prevails, where the twelve days of Christmas are declared to be time of civil
peace by law. It used to be that a person committing crimes during this time would be liable to more stiff sentence
than normal.

During the Middle Ages, many churches were built in honor of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. Wearing
his red and white bishop’s robes, he would ride on a donkey to deliver gifts to children.

The first Christmas card, which went on sale in 1843, did not feature an image of Santa.

In 1860, illustrator Thomas Nast introduced Santa Claus in the fashion we now know him today, a happy, burly,
white-bearded fella in a bright red suit.
The meaning of the word “Christmas”

The word “Christmas” means “Mass of Christ,” later shortened to “Christ-Mass.” The even shorter form “Xmas” –
first used in Europe in the 1500s – is derived from the Greek alphabet, in which X is the first letter of Christ’s name:
Xristos, therefore “X-Mass.”

Today we know that Christ was not born on the 25th of December. The date was chosen to coincide with the pagan
Roman celebrations honoring Saturnus (the harvest god) and Mithras (the ancient god of light), a form of sun
worship. These celebrations came on or just after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern
hemisphere, to announce that winter is not forever, that life continues, and an invitation to stay in good spirit.

https://didyouknow.org/christmas/history/

PAGAN WAYS MERGED WITH YAHUAHS WAYS

Humans as a species love to take inspiration from different cultures, customs, and traditions, and believe it or not,
Christmas is no different. If you thought those cosy traditions you knew and loved were just about celebrating
Christmas, think again! Things like kissing under a mistletoe, carolling, wreaths, and even gift-giving were all aspects
of pagan holidays that were adapted into Christmas celebrations in the early years.

Decorating trees, feasting with loved ones, hanging up socks by the fireplace, and drinking yourself silly are no
different – they’re all a part of pagan history and sacred holidays. In fact, most of the cultural aspects we associate
with Christmas are steeped in pagan roots.

Some pagan traditions that have become associated with Christmas:

• Gift-giving,

• The image of Santa Claus,

• Christmas stockings,

• Christmas carolling,
• Decking the halls with holly, and

• Decorating trees.

WHO WERE THE PAGANS?

First thing’s first, what do we mean when we say pagan? This is a sweeping term that encompasses anyone from the
Romans to the Norse in Scandinavia. As Christianity spread through Europe in the early ADs, missionaries got to
know a lot of different groups of people with varying religious systems and beliefs. All of these people and religions
were lumped into the catch-all term of ‘pagan’.

Although Christians had the goal of spreading their religion across Europe, they were still quite fascinated by many of
the customs and ways of the pagans. Clearly they were fascinated enough to pick up a few of those beliefs and
traditions and adapt them as part of Christian celebrations!
THE WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
Keep reading and you’ll find that Christmas is inspired by traditions from the Romans, Celtics, Norse, Druids, and
more (all pagan). At the time, all of these different groups shared one big celebration that just happened to fall
around Christmas time – the winter solstice. People living in the northern hemisphere celebrate winter solstice (or
the shortest day of the year) smack bang in the middle of December, and this is why Christmas just so happened to
fall around the same time as many existing pagan holidays.

The winter solstice was a huge part of pagan life. As they were primarily agricultural people, winter marked the end
of the year’s harvest and the chance to enjoy the company of loved ones and rest from toiling the fields. Pagans
could stop farming through the winter, and instead devoted themselves to worshipping their various gods and
celebrating with those around them. As winter in the northern hemisphere tends to be a dark, cold, and hungry
period of time, the winter solstice was celebrated to help keep people entertained and enjoy themselves until the
sun rolled around again.
 SO, NOW THAT YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF THE BACKGROUND, LET’S LOOK AT SOME PAGAN
TRADITIONS THAT HAVE BECOME ASSOCIATED WITH CHRISTMAS.

1. GIFT-GIVING AND SATURNALIA

Not only is December a time to celebrate winter solstice, but between the 17th and 24th of the month, the Romans
also celebrated Saturnalia. This was a pagan holiday in honour of the agricultural god, Saturn. Romans would spend
the week of Saturnalia much like how we spend Christmas holidays today – feasting, drinking, giving gifts, and being
joyful.

These days we fork out lots of money on Christmas gifts, but back then the Romans exchanged small gifts for the
sake of good luck. The idea was to give a gift in the hope of bringing in a bountiful harvest the next year. Rather than
have huge lists of gifts to give, the Romans also shared only one gift with one other person. Somewhere along the
line, giving gifts for luck and prosperity became a multimillion dollar business… isn’t that funny?
2. SANTA’S IMAGE & CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS
Our current modern day image of Santa Claus, clad in red fur with a big white beard, was largely developed by Coca-
Cola in the 1930s. But the idea of an old man giving gifts to children dates much earlier than that, back to the time of
the pagans.

Father Christmas, otherwise known as St. Nicholas, was a patron saint of children, the poor, and prostitutes. Living
around 4th century AD, St. Nicholas was a generous bishop who was known for giving gifts to the poor, sporting a big
beard and a long cloak much like the Santa we know and love.

But even before St. Nicholas, there was another bearded old man called Odin. This diety was worshipped by early
Germanic pagan tribes, traditionally portrayed as an old man with a long, white beard with an 8-legged horse called
Sleipnir who he would ride through the skies (just like Santa’s reindeer). During the winter, kids would fill their
booties with carrots and straw and leave them by the chimney for Sleipnir to feed on. Odin would fly by and reward
the children with little presents in their booties, much like we do with Christmas stockings today.

The Santa Claus we all imagine in our heads today is a mish-mash of the generous St. Nicholas, the god Odin and
Sleipnir, and Coca-Cola’s iconic red-dressed character.
3. CHRISTMAS CAROLS
While the carols we sing for Christmas are undeniably Christian, the tradition itself of going door-to-door singing to
your neighbours comes from another pagan tradition called wassailing. The rather funny word comes from the
Anglo-Saxon phrase of ‘waes hael’, translating to ‘good health’. Every year, wassailers would roam through their
villages in small groups, singing loudly with the aim of banishing evil spirits and wishing good health to those around
them.

No wassailing group was complete without their traditional drink on hand – made from mulled ale, curdled cream,
roasted apples, eggs, spices, and sugar. In the 13th century, St. Francis took inspiration from these happy choirs and
started the tradition of Christmas carolling.

4. KISSING UNDER A MISTLETOE

Ever wondered about the correlation between mistletoe and kissing? Well, funnily enough, the tradition goes all the
way back to the pagans. Everyone from the Romans and Celts to the Druids and the Norse had a thing about
mistletoe. It was considered to be a highly sacred plant, involved in several pagan rituals.
In the Roman world, mistletoe honoured the god Saturn. To keep him happy, they would perform fertility rituals
underneath sprigs of mistletoe – yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like! We’ve certainly toned it down as far as
mistletoes are considered, and left it with just a simple kiss – probably a good idea since family is always around.

In the world of the Druids, mistletoe symbolised peace and joy. In times of war, if enemies were to meet underneath
woodland mistletoe then they would drop their weapons and form a truce until the next day. In a way, kissing is a
form of truce…

5. DECKING THE HALLS WITH HOLLY

Mistletoe wasn’t the only sacred plant for pagans. Holly was another holy plant connected with the god Saturn.
During the Saturnalia holiday, Romans made holly wreaths to exchange as gifts for good luck. At the time of
Saturnalia, early Christians began to celebrate Christmas, however they were often persecuted for practicing their
new religion. It was lucky that Christmas coincided with Saturnalia as it allowed Christians to harbour a cover for
their Christmas celebrations.

To avoid detection and make it look like they were celebrating Saturnalia, Christians started hanging holly wreaths
around their homes. This allowed them to recognise other Christians and still do something nice to celebrate their
sacred holiday. Eventually, as pagans decreased, holly became a symbol of Christmas instead of Saturnalia.
6. CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATING
We sure have taken a lot of inspiration from the Romans, and tree decorating is just another borrowed tradition!
Besides feasting, drinking, and exchanging gifts during Saturnalia, Romans also hung small metal ornaments on trees
outside their homes. Each of these little ornaments represented a god, either Saturn or the family’s personal patron
saint.

Early Germanic tribes practiced a similar tree decorating tradition, this time with fruits and candles to honour the
god Odin throughout winter solstice. Christians seemed to have merged the tree decorating with ornaments,
candles, and fruits to make Christmas tree decorating one extravagant tradition.

https://chefin.com.au/blog/these-6-christmas-traditions-are-actually-pagan-customs/
What Does the Bible Say About Christmas?
The Bible’s answer

The Bible does not give the date of Jesus’ birth, nor does it say that we should celebrate his birthday. As McClintock
and Strong’s Cyclopedia states: “The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of NT *New
Testament+ origin.”

Instead, an examination of the history of Christmas exposes its roots in pagan religious rites. The Bible shows that
we offend God if we try to worship him in a way that he does not approve of.—Exodus 32:5-7.

Christmas customs
1. Celebrating Yeshua’s (Jesus’) birthday: “The early Christians did not celebrate Yeshua’s *Jesus’+ birth because
they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.”—The World Book Encyclopedia.

2. December 25: There is no proof that Yeshua [Jesus] was born on that date. Church leaders chose this date to
coincide with pagan festivals held on or around the winter solstice.

3. Gift-giving, feasting, partying: 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 Encyclopædia
Britannica notes that “all work and business were suspended” during Saturnalia.

4. Christmas lights: According to The Encyclopedia of Religion, Europeans decorated their homes “with lights and
evergreens of all kinds” to celebrate the winter solstice and to combat evil spirits.

5. Mistletoe, holly: “The Druids ascribed magical properties to the mistletoe in particular. The evergreen holly was
worshiped as a promise of the sun’s return.”—The Encyclopedia Americana.

6. Christmas tree: “Tree worship, common among the pagan Europeans, survived after their conversion to
Christianity.” One of the ways in which tree worship survived is in the custom of “placing a Yule tree at an entrance
or inside the house in the midwinter holidays.”—Encyclopædia Britannica.

https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/bible-about-christmas/
CHRISTMAS IS A TRADITION ADOPTED FROM THE PAGAN FESTIVALS. PLEASE BROTHERS AND SISTERS
DON’T FOLLOW THE WAYS OF THE NATIONS, DON’T REPLACE OUR ALMIGHTY FATHERS COMMANDMENTS
WITH KEEPING THE TRADITIONS OF MEN!

TRADITIONS AND DOCTRINES OF MEN

(Definition of Doctrine: a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.)

Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of Elohim, ye hold the tradition of men

Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after Yeshuah Ha’Mashiach.

Matthew 15:6 Thus have ye made the commandment of Elohim of none effect by your tradition

Mark 7:7-9 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying
aside the commandment of Elohim, ye hold the tradition of men,…... And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the
commandment of Elohim, that ye may keep your own tradition.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power
of Elohim.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall
they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall
be turned unto fables.

Matthew 16:6-12"Then Yeshuah Ha’Mashiach said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which
when Yeshuah Ha’Mashiach perceived, He said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves,
because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five
thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets
ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of
the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the
leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

Jeremiah 10:1-16

Hear ye the word of Yahuah, which He has spoken to you, O house of Israel. Thus saith Yahuah, Learn ye not the
ways of the heathen, and be not alarmed at the signs of the sky; for they are alarmed at them, falling on their faces.
For the customs of the nations are vain; it is a tree cut out of the forest, the work of the carpenter, or a molten
image. They are beautified with silver and gold, they fix them with hammers and nails; they will set them up that
they may not move; it is wrought silver, they will not walk, it is forged silver They must certainly be borne, for they
cannot ride of themselves. Fear them not; for they cannot do any evil, and there is no good in them.Thus shall ye say
to them, Let the gods which have not made heaven and earth perish from off the earth, and from under this sky. It is
Yahuah that made the earth by His strength, who set up the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding
stretched out the sky, and set abundance of waters in the sky, and brought up clouds from the ends of the earth; He
made lightnings for the rain, and brought forth light out of His treasures. Every man is deprived of knowledge, every
goldsmith is confounded because of his graven images; for he has cast false gods, there is no breath in them. They
are vain works, wrought in mockery; in the time of their visitation they shall perish. Such is not the portion of Jacob;
for He that formed all things, he is His inheritance; Yahuah is His name.