CHRISTMA: IS A GINEEANIHOLIDAY DEC. 25th rating the incarnation of Jesus at Christmas is a longstanding Christian tradition spanning over a millennia. Sof nvcts was not plac on 12725 unt 1354 AD whon he PrialanCalondor {ecord the but dover spocty any festival ‘wi regard to sun worship. rior otis, | the Je Caudan fat insertions ay | Sunfestvte wore on August th, 28, | and Decombor Tih and maybe October | {00 the Phiecallan Calendar says, EmpororAurlan honored te sun wth ‘chariot aces evry 4 years Oct 1-22 satumalia —EEE Saturnalia was never on 1225, Macrobius says Saturnalia Dogan 14 Says before January, which comes out {o December 17h using Roman Calendial dates. He says ated for 3 Saye but according tothe Fas Inecrptione, tamed tthe 28th ring the day of tne Repub Fane: chismas’ Fath Christa, surprising pro-dsen Santa Claus. But ho [Enot pagan dy ietond, hens a macival pereonzation of Christ Fichar Smart of Piya ‘he tet to wre aout hom, retoring ohm a Sir {Sit andi tsk ito Srnounce the ih f hi SANTA Wesley Huff ‘Senta Cis can only be traced back to Dutch Imomigants in Wow Yorkin the ent 1800s. Ho ‘hme trom the Outen Sintrans, ls known 98 St Micois, He east ay was on 12 and wae ‘moved e122 wound this ie Yo help make ‘Christmas a fay holiday Newspapers Promote it and encouraged to ave ats on Enratmos intend of hon Vere Net Tredtonaly was batre ts, Sntrioas wa rebranded rom a catholic priest look the {radtone' dutchman tom tate peed wich Include alg red sult Afr tis Sana was fxportederound the word ana eterent Countries ded new spins. Stockngs were aso promoted round ths tme peroa and rece back {o Cremer ©. Moors “A Visi om St Nichole. In 927 inFinland ral broncos, ars auto, morphed the og pagan dey, Joule Into a Sara igre Santa changea the oulupul gure, not he ether wey around ce Although there has clearly been growth, lore, and trations added to our modern practice ofthe holiday ‘the accusation of substantial pagan roots falis apart under historical Inspection. Al the traditional “pagan” associations and connections with Christmas, when truly put under the microscope, turn out to be themselves more fetion than fact. CHRISTMAS TREES that ong uid and agen practices of cnet noe to wend ‘ure spit reality inturope. Te trat erin of Cvtatnas oes Iesione szacneg win ts, Gorman tbe Doloved te ont wes sacred. Maximus of Tyre si,“ an naend woreip Zou, Dat oy onour ninth forme oy on MISTLETOE des not go back pganism. The at we hea of sing mintato a2 Christmas esperdee poetry ‘olecion (62S and then Wiliam Coles ‘moons it ea decoration in "The At of ‘Smpling’ (1600) Tne tration of ksing under ‘isnot Bgin unt the ena of he 18h entry inSO WHERE DOES DEC. 25 IF IT’S [Neha PAGAN? ‘The dato of Christmas was never an appropriation or supplanting of ‘pagan festivals. All ofthe evidence points to the fact that early Christians genuinely believed that Jesus’ birth took place on Dec. 25th ‘and celebrated it as such. AD 170~ 235 Sextus Julius Africanus The origin of Decomber 25th as the date for Christmas finds its beginnings inthe late ‘second and early third century with the historian Sextus Julius Africanus. Africanus, wrote a volume titled Chronographia, an early Christian treatise that attempted to Chronologically cover world history trom creation up until his own day. Based on Calculations from his reading of Luke and ‘Matthew's Gospels, Africanus concluded that Jesus was ‘conceived on March 25th. For the birth then, he counted nine months ‘head which landed him on the date of December 25th. Hippolytus of Rome, wrote a ‘commentary on the book of Danie! inthe early third century. Init he states that Jesus was born ‘days before theCalends of January," which would have been December 24th oF 25th, i Tertullian There was an idea within early Christianity that it you were ly holy you would die on the day you were concelved or born. This was calculated ‘mainly because the Old Testament would record the lite of individuals ight AD 155 ~ 240 like Moses and present round numbers (without adding months or days). The ‘most holy man who ever lived was Jesus, therefore the early church thought he ‘must have died on his birthday. The ancient Christian writer Tertulia ‘Adversus Judacos, stated that Christ suffered “in the month of March, at the time of the Passover, on the eighth day before the Calends of April.” That day Would have been March 2th. I that was also the day of the Incarnatior ‘explains why the early Church set thedate for Christmas nine months | December 25th Augustine ‘Augustine in the fourth century attests to the ongoing ‘tradition of Jesus' bth being on Dec. 25th. He wrote, “For he [Jesus] is believed to have been conceived on. the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; 0 the womb of the Virgin, in which he was. ‘conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, ‘corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried, ‘wherein was never man lai, neither before him nor since.”