The pagan roots of Christmas
Elena Savino Jubal publisher
of the sun that seems inexplicable to the date of Christ's birth is unknown. The Gospels indicate neither the day nor the year [...] was assigned the date of the winter solstice because that day when the sun begins its return to northern skies, the pagans who worshiped Mithras celebrated the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (the birthday of the invincible sun).
- New Catholic Encyclopedia Franciscan Order (1941) -
During the research of information and documents regarding the pagan origins of Christmas, what is surprising is that the date of December 25, before he became famous as the birthday of Jesus ", was a feast day for the peoples of different cultures and religions very far apart in time and space.
The origins of these ancient cults to be found in what is the "beginning" of life on earth and that "the beginning" has been the object of veneration and worship of the sun.
the dawn of humanity, there was a full calendar of annual and seasonal festivals and rituals of reconciliation and renewal.
primitive peoples during the period of their lives were intimately tied to the "cycle of nature" because this depended on their own survival. At the time, the natural life seemed incomprehensible, threatening, powerful expression of forces to win, it was a magical world. The old man felt a part of that nature, but in a weak position. Therefore, through the ritual, trying to "make friends" with this or that force inherent in it.
the middle of this cycle was the star that the rhythm of the day, the "morning star" which determined the pace of fruiting and that affect all human life. For the latter, fearing that the sun does not arise more, reducing it to lose power in winter more and more its course in the sky, had experienced tragedy that threatened his life. So, had to be exorcised by rituals that were intended to avoid the sun does not rise more or less force to help in time.
is precisely from this that we can identify the origins of the rituals and festivals related to the winter solstice.
During these festivals were lit fires (custom that is found in the holiday tradition of burning log in the fireplace the night before) that, with their heat and their light, served to give strength to the weakened sun.
Often these rituals had to do with fertility and were thus related to reproduction. Hence the custom in ancient celebrations, dances and ceremonial propitiatory abundance and in some cases, as in ancient Celtic rituals and Germany, but also Greeks and Romans, the coupling during the holidays.
of the winter solstice
The word solstice comes from Latin solstitium, which literally means "sun stop" (from sol, "sun", and systematic, "stand still").
If we are in the northern hemisphere of the earth, in the days between December 22 to 24 can be observed as the sun seems to stand still in the sky, a phenomenon more evident as one approaches the equator. In astronomical terms, at the time the sun reverses its motion in the sense of "variation", ie reaches the point of maximum distance from the equatorial plane. The dark reaches its maximum extension of the night and the light of day minimum. You experience that is the longest night and shortest day of the year.
Immediately after the solstice, the daylight gradually returns to increase and the darkness of the night to fall to the summer solstice in June, when we have the longest day and shortest night of the year. The day of the solstice usually falls on 21, but for the reversal of the apparent solar motion is visible on the third / fourth the next day. The sun, therefore, the winter solstice arrives at its weakest phase in terms of light and heat, apparently plunged in darkness, but then returns to life and "invincible" on the same darkness. And on December 25 seems to be reborn, that is, has a new "Christmas."
This interpretation of "astronomical" may explain why December 25th is a date in this celebratory cultures and countries so far apart. It all begins with a careful observation of the behavior of the planets and the sun, and the old, it seems strange, well aware of the tools that allowed them to observe and describe movements and behavior of stars.
For example, in Maeshowe (Orkneys, Scotland) stands a mound dated (by the method of radiocarbon) 2750 BC Inside the mound is a stone structure with a long tunnel-shaped entrance. This Construction is aligned so that sunlight can shine and flow through the passage within the megalith, thus illuminating the back of the property. This happens at sunrise and the winter solstice.
of the origins of the Sun God compared
Without venturing comparisons in religious studies that require accurate, otherwise seem ridiculous, however, say that December 25 is associated with the day of birth or celebration of divine figures going back to centuries before of Christ.
Among others
The Egyptian god Horus
The mosaics and frescoes depicting images of Isis with Horus in her arms resemble the iconography Christian Madonna and child, so as to lead us to believe in the Christian era, for obvious reasons, some representations of Isis and Horus, often depicted as a child with the solar corona on the head, were probably "recycled".
The Indo-Persian god Mithras
With good peace of Gatto Trocchi, the cult of Mithra was the most competitive to Christianity and that Christianity was merged with syncretism. By the way, Mithras was also born of a virgin, had twelve disciples and was nicknamed "the Savior".
The Babylonian Tammuz and Shamas
In the days corresponding to December 25 today, in about 3000 BC, was celebrated Babylonian sun god Shamash. The sun god was called Utu in Sumerian and Akkadian Shamash. It was the sun god, justice and prediction, as the sun sees everything: past, present and future.
subsequently appeared in the cult of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar and her son Tammuz, who was considered the incarnation of the Sun the same way of Isis, Ishtar was also represented with her child in her arms. Around the head of Tammuz it featured a halo of 12 stars that symbolized the twelve zodiac signs.
is interesting to add that in this worship the god Tammuz dies to rise again after three days.
Dionysus
In the days of the winter solstice, was held in honor of Dionysus Lenaea a ritual feast called "the feast of wild women." The god who was celebrated "reborn" baby after being torn to pieces.
Bacab
was the Sun god in the Yucatan, it was believed to have been brought into the world of the virgin Chiribirias. The Inca sun god
Wiracocha
The Inca sun god was celebrated on the feast of the winter solstice Inti Raymi (celebrated on June 24 because the southern hemisphere, the seasons being reversed, the winter solstice falls precisely in June).
Obviously the first cited in this brief should have little impact on the creation of Christianity, let us remember a good time, was not created by Christ. With regard instead to the pre-Columbian solar worship is interesting to note the time and the sacred symbols are common to civilization so far apart. This should raise the suspicion often more of a common origin of religions through a comparative study of the same search for meaning in life. Instead, you blindly continue to lay on dogmatic beliefs and anthropomorphic, more or less explicitly intolerant of others.
The pagan roots of Christmas
Elena Savino - Jubal publisher
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