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Jesus was born on Sunday, March 1, 7 BC. How then did we come to celebrate his birth on December 25? Jesus had been born against the marriage rules of the line of King David, which said that all royal births were to take place in September in order to coincide with the Jewish New Year, the holiest time of the Hebrew calendar. Jesus was therefore given the official birthday of September 15. (Even in later years, it has been customary for some monarchs to have both personal (real) birthdays, and separate official birthdays). It was not until 314 AD, that the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great changed the date of Jesus's official birthday to December 25. on which date it is still celebrated today, with many presuming it to be his real birthday. Constantine did this for two reasons: to separate the Christian celebration from any Jewish association, thereby suggesting that Jesus himself was a Christian and not a Jew, and to coincide with, and replace, the contemporary Sun Festival (Saturnalia).
In Jesus's day, Rome's religion was polytheistic (observing many gods). As Rome grew to statehood, it also incorporated the religions of those civilizations it conquered into its own. By the time Constantine became Emperor of the Western Roman Empire in 312 AD, Christianity was widespread, and Christian evangelists were having more success at subduing the "barbarians" than the Roman legions were. Constantine realized that, while his Empire was falling apart at the seams, there could be some practical merit in harnessing Christianity. He perceived it as a unifying force which could surely be used to his own advantage.
No one really knows if Constantine really saw a cross in the sky with the words "In this sign conquer." Politically, it was a very smart move to claim that, and Constantine, fighting under the Christian banner that day, was victorious against those who would have throne for themselves. Immediately afterward, Constantine ordered that the nails from the Cross of Jesus be brought to him, one of which he affixed to his crown. He then declared himself to be an Apostle of Christ, and methodically continued to take over the Christian Church. In 314, Christianity was declared to be the state religion, and in 324, Constantine became Caesar of all the Roman Empire, thereafter to be known as Constantine the Great.
Apart from various cultic beliefs, the Romans had worshipped the emperors in their capacity as gods descended from others like Neptune and Jupiter. In 314, Constantine retained his own divine status by aligning himself with the God of the Christians. He then dealt with the anomalies of doctrine by replacing certain aspects of Christian ritual with the familiar pagan traditions of sun worship, together with other teachings of Syrian and Persian origin. In this way, the Roman Church was constructed as a "hybrid" religion to appease all influential factions. By this means, Constantine looked toward a common and unified "world" religion ("Catholic" meaning universal), with himself at its head. |
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The association of candles with Christmas dates back to the ancient Winter Solstice rites. (The Winter Solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year, after which the days begin to get gradually longer and the nights shorter.) Many cultures performed the rites and still do, in fear that the failing light will never return without human intervention. In many cultures it is still considered bad luck to let a candle go out on Christmas Day.
The Romans had their own festival in December called Saturnalia, a festival to the ancient god of seed-time, Saturn. The Romans feasted, gave gifts, and decorated their homes with greenery at this time. Quarrels and grudges were forgotten, wars were interrupted or postponed. Businesses, courts, and schools were closed. Rich and poor were equal, and slaves were served by masters. Masquerades and all sorts of merriment prevailed. A mock king, the Lord of Misrule, was crowned, and candles and lamps chased away the spirits of darkness.
For the ancient Germanic and Celtic people, celebrating the Winter Solstice came to be known as Yule. These northern cultures survived a colder and darker winter than did the Romans. Evergreens were cherished at that time of the year as a natural symbol of life and rebirth amid the winter whiteness of snow and ice. Holly was used to decorate doors, windows, and fireplaces because of its prickliness, to either ward off or to snag and capture evil spirits before they could enter and harm a household. The use of mistletoe is an ancient Celtic tradition. It is also known as the Golden Bough and was considered to be a sacred plant by the Druids and Norsemen. It is a medicinal plant to be used only by skillful hands. It is also the ancient Scandanavian plant of peace If enemies met beneath it by chance in a forest, they laid down their arms and maintained a truce until the next day. This is probably where the tradition of kissing beneath the mistletoe originated. Mistletoe was used by the Druids and Celts to ward off thunder and other natural phenomena as well.
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