I'm not attempting to discredit anyone's beliefs here! I celebrate Christmas, as many do as the birth of Christ, to show a special day of honor, and respect! What other people say or do at this time of year is either what they believe, or even for political correctness, if you will, it doesn't affect what I believe! Christmas, and Easter were both given to us in lieu of the Pagan holidays that were observed at the time.
The Winter Solstice was observed in many cultures centuries before the birth of Christ. The solstice occurs around the 22nd of December, and has always been the celebration of, death and new life, or rebirth. It has always been custom to celebrate the seasonal changes, and what they represented to the people of the day. This longest night of the year was a time for togetherness. The Norse called it Yule, and would cut evergreens and bring them in their homes as a celebration of life! (still done today as Christmas trees)
In the fourth century as Christianity was on the rise, and the church was coming into power, Rome still had a great number of people who followed Pagan Gods. One sect, at the time, worshipped a god called Mithra, and celebrated the day of his birth as the most holy of days! It was December 25th! The Church, since there was no way to tell the real birthdate of Christ, deemed December 25th the day, and called it Christmas. So the Pagans and the Christians celebrated each to their own at this time. Yes it was a political move to keep from having an uprising by the many who were still practising Paganism!
I'm going to stop there, and encourage you to watch this short video from the History Channel, and learn more for yourself, as to how Christmas evolved to what we have now! History Of Christmas
With knowledge, comes understanding!
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