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For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(Luke 2:11)
For Christians, it means the birth of our Lord. For stores, it means up to 40% of their annual income. For people all over the world, it means a time to exchange gifts with loved ones, and to spend time with family.
Christmas is pervasive in American culture: from the iconic Santa Claus to the very real and packed malls. We tend to make this season the most frantic, stressful, and burdensome ritual we go through each year. We all should leave this stress behind, though, and give a moment of reflection to why we do this. What are the origins of the modern Christmas? Let us dive into a historical perspective of Christmas.
Christmas in the religious sense is the Christian celebration of the birth of the Savior, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is thought to have been born sometime during the early Roman Empire—the year 1, give or take a few dozen years. Christmas is the lesser of the two major Christian annual holidays, the foremost being Easter. Christmas in the secular sense has come to mean much more than this, but they both still share much in common.
Why December 25th? Do we truly know that Christ was born on the 25th of December, year 1? Not in the least. Our celebration at this time comes from the pagan rituals of Europe each year around the Winter Solstice, during which fires were burned to prevent the sun from disappearing completely. Foremost of these celebrations was the Roman celebration of Saturnalia. The Roman finished the sowing of his fields by the beginning of December, before the harsher climate of winter set in. Saturnus, Roman god of sowing fields, was praised so that a fruitful crop might be received come the following year's harvest. The official celebration of Saturnalia during the time of Cicero began on the 17th of December and lasted for seven days (to be limited by Cæsar Augustus to but three days during his rein). It was a time when no work was done, when no business was conducted, when slaves were treated as were treated their masters. With the spread of Christianity, the Roman pagan rite disappeared, but many still yearned for this celebration of freedom. Christmas was thus placed on December 25th, which was the Winter Solstice in the Julian calendar.
What about Santa Claus? What are his origins? Our modern view of the North-Pole dwelling man have been handed down to us from an earlier legend in Holland during the Middle Ages: Sinterklaas. This ultimately comes to us from tales of Saint Nikolaos of Myra, a 4th century bishop in Greece, patron saint of children and the city of Amsterdam. According to one legend, during a famine in the region, a butcher lured three children into his shop, only to slaughter them in order to sell them. Saint Nikolaos resurrected them with his prayers. Legends like these evolved as they spread through Europe; when they reached Holland, Saint Nikolaos morphed into Sinterklaas, who rides atop the roofs of Holland on a grey horse, delivering presents to local children. Father Christmas was born from this tradition.
Finally, with this time of year comes stress, yes? If you want a laugh before Christmas, here's a fun Christmas-computer joke to lighten your spirits.
To all a merry Christmas! Al ĉiuj estu feliĉa Kristnasko!
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