Christmas: a religious holiday?
Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:54 am
I watched "Christmas Unwrapped: the History of Christmas" last night on the History Channel, and (I have also seen other documentaries on the history of Christmas) found much of it quite interesting. I hear a lot people complaining that the have taken the "Christ" out of "Christmas," but has He ever really been a large part of Christmas? Apparently, the seasonal celebration was born out of practices in Pagan Rome when people would acknowledge the birth of the sun god Mitra at the winter's solstice (the point when the sun is the furthest south) and northern European celebrations also of the winter solstice. Scandinavians would entertain traditions of bringing in yule logs to burn as symbols of animals to be born in the coming year; as well they would bring in to the home evergreen trees to symbolize ongoing life in this dark time of year.
Christian Rome, in an attempt to Christianize the masses, dubbed the holiday (as they saw that people wanted to carry on their Pagan traditions) the Feast of the Nativity to celebrate the birth of Christ (a hardly mentioned event in the Gospels, which historians agree probably happened in the Spring anyway)--otherwise known as Christ's Mass, which became Christmas.
The traditions continued throughout the centuries, when in Victorian England, it became a time of partying and reckless behavior. It became sort of a Mardi-Gras type event which Puritans and early Protestants in this country completely prohibited because the holiday was so unChristian. Around the time of 1820 or 30, some things started to happen which re-defined the season and traditions. The Protestant churches were competing with Catholic churches (the former not having Christmas celebrations, the latter still having mass on that day) decided to bring in some of the Catholic practices. At around this same time, the family unit began to fill the role of a loving, emotional support group; before then children were reared with discipline to fulfill the role of hard work. Around the turn of the century, Christmas morphed into a time when it was okay to spoil children. Some of what the older generation now regards as "the way Christmas used to be" is really the way Christmas was to them as children--but it wasn't always that way. The only parts of the season that actually have Christ as part of it is what Catholics have attached: the religious Christmas carols, nativity scenes, and mass on Christmas eve.
I have been listening to the radio a lot recently, and I've heard a great deal of the constitutionality of Nativity scenes on public property to whether it is politically correct to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." Then, on a progressive radio program on XM, this very subject was brought up, and the Pagan host kept saying that Christians stole the idea of their "solstice tree," but as good Pagans, they didn't mind. Christmas is really a largely secular holiday, which some people choose to attach special religious meaning to--and that's okay. 98% of Americans celebrate Christmas in some way or another, but not all of them acknowledge Christ as their savior. So why all the big deal from everyone celebrating Christmas in a country where church and state are practiced? Do nativity scenes have a place in everyone's Christmas celebrations? Does Santa Claus have a place in religious homes? Is Jesus really the "reason for the season"?
Any thoughts? What is the role of Christmas in our society? Is it a religous thing? Or a tradition of our shared Americian culture?
Christian Rome, in an attempt to Christianize the masses, dubbed the holiday (as they saw that people wanted to carry on their Pagan traditions) the Feast of the Nativity to celebrate the birth of Christ (a hardly mentioned event in the Gospels, which historians agree probably happened in the Spring anyway)--otherwise known as Christ's Mass, which became Christmas.
The traditions continued throughout the centuries, when in Victorian England, it became a time of partying and reckless behavior. It became sort of a Mardi-Gras type event which Puritans and early Protestants in this country completely prohibited because the holiday was so unChristian. Around the time of 1820 or 30, some things started to happen which re-defined the season and traditions. The Protestant churches were competing with Catholic churches (the former not having Christmas celebrations, the latter still having mass on that day) decided to bring in some of the Catholic practices. At around this same time, the family unit began to fill the role of a loving, emotional support group; before then children were reared with discipline to fulfill the role of hard work. Around the turn of the century, Christmas morphed into a time when it was okay to spoil children. Some of what the older generation now regards as "the way Christmas used to be" is really the way Christmas was to them as children--but it wasn't always that way. The only parts of the season that actually have Christ as part of it is what Catholics have attached: the religious Christmas carols, nativity scenes, and mass on Christmas eve.
I have been listening to the radio a lot recently, and I've heard a great deal of the constitutionality of Nativity scenes on public property to whether it is politically correct to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." Then, on a progressive radio program on XM, this very subject was brought up, and the Pagan host kept saying that Christians stole the idea of their "solstice tree," but as good Pagans, they didn't mind. Christmas is really a largely secular holiday, which some people choose to attach special religious meaning to--and that's okay. 98% of Americans celebrate Christmas in some way or another, but not all of them acknowledge Christ as their savior. So why all the big deal from everyone celebrating Christmas in a country where church and state are practiced? Do nativity scenes have a place in everyone's Christmas celebrations? Does Santa Claus have a place in religious homes? Is Jesus really the "reason for the season"?
Any thoughts? What is the role of Christmas in our society? Is it a religous thing? Or a tradition of our shared Americian culture?