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Another Perspective
Happy Holydays
The religious underpinnings of our secular Christmas.
The conclusion of Thanksgiving, originally a day of solemn acknowledgement that all that we have that is good is a gift from God, brings us to the celebration of the greatest gift from our Creator: the incarnation of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And just as many have seen fit to ignore the giving of thanks to God on Thanksgiving Day, so too have countless others deigned to divorce the birth of Christ from Christmas.
The reasons for this disturbing disconnect vary, but the main one seems to be that the worship of the deity recognized by the great majority of those in this country might be the cause of offense for a few; God himself excepted of course. And so in a few weeks we will commence the season of attempts at discrediting Christianity and its founder while distancing Christmas from any connection with him.
One of the most common ploys will be to claim that the date itself is nothing more than a pagan observance. Most scholars have agreed that the date of December 25 derived from pagan Rome’s celebration of the Natalis Invicti; birth of the deity, Mithra, the Sun God. But this should not, as has become fashionable, justify the notion that Christianity is an offshoot of paganism, even though Scripture is filled with literary allusions to the Sun of God.
For just as the celebrations of the first Christians coincided with Jewish festivals because they, as the spiritual children of Abraham, shared in the first covenant, so too the first children of the Church, established in Rome by Saints Peter and Paul, shared in a synergetic relationship with the pagans whose worship of Mithra contained many Christian elements.
But the choice of the Natalis Invictis as the celebration of the birth of Christ was meant to draw pagans away from the worship of nature to that of nature’s God. Indeed, early Church fathers felt that the philosophies of the ancient Greeks and much of pagan worship found their completion and perfection in Christ. A perfect example of this may still be experienced today by visiting the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome; a three-tiered edifice consisting of the present day basilica erected in the Middle Ages on top of a 4th-century basilica, the basement of which served also as a Mirthrian temple.
Whatever the origin of the date of Christmas, and despite the fact that it was not officially commemorated by the Church until the 4th century, it is celebrated by believers today as a sign of God’s love and fidelity to his promise of redemption. Yet the war against Christmas continues apace. But so ingrained is it in our collective culture, that its symbols remain a large part even of its commercialization. So as you wince at the Madison Avenue aspects of Christmas, meditate on both the Christian and pagan signs that the Promised One is indeed coming.
The first and greatest is Santa Claus; that dear and prolific huckster for everything from baby dolls to tire chains. How different is he from the real St. Nicholas of Myra, the 4th-century bishop from Asia Minor, whose reputation for Christian charity emerged largely from the legend which suggests that he saved three young girls from lives of prostitution by throwing three purses of gold coins into the window of their house to provide their destitute father with suitable dowries for them. The purses were said to have landed in the shoes of the girls, hence the custom of putting out shoes or stockings to be filled on Christmas Eve.
From the veneration of this great saint come the symbols of his office as bishop: the headdress, or mitre, which is shaped like a tongue of fire, such as descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost and his crozier or shepherd’s crook, which distinguishes him as head of a great flock of the faithful. From these come Santa hats and candy canes.
Then there is Sacred Scripture. The knowledge of angels predates Christianity, as the word angel comes from the Greek word for messenger. The Old Testament contains many references to these spiritual beings, particularly to the Archangel Gabriel, who in the New Testament brought the message of salvation to a waiting world. And the custom of giving presents, which some claim has commercialized Christmas, was originally done in imitation of the gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus.
The pagan tradition of decorating holly bushes and evergreens represents the hope of the return of the sun and an end to the darkness of winter, while the Christian usage of festive lights and candles speaks to the same hope; the coming of the Light of the World.
So this year, even though no mention is made of the birth of our Savior, when you pass houses festooned with lights to brighten winter’s darkness, or trees festively decorated; when you see your co-workers arrayed in Santa hats or survey the myriads of candy canes that will deck the display cases of countless merchants, think of the source of the love engendered in the heart of the real St. Nicholas as well as the hope of pagans: the King of Kings and Prince of Peace who, regardless of the date of his nativity, has come.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (33) | Leave a comment
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http://spectator.org/archives/2010/12/02/happy-holydays
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Robert Pinkerton| 12.2.10 @ 6:33AM
This "Pagan" sympathizes with you over the festooning of your holy day with commercialized schlock. The same thing has happened to Hallows, which to us is the day whereon we pay our respects to those we love who are no longer with us in the incarnation wherein we knew them.
Around this time of year, we celebrate the Winter Solstice, or Yule.
Robert Pinkerton| 12.2.10 @ 6:37AM
To my Jewish fellow citizens, Happy Chanukkah (and I wonder how many Jewish folk on the cultural Left would be so enthused about it, if they remembered that that holy day commemorates a -- for that time and in that place -- a culturally-conservative victory, by force of arms no less, over Hellenism).
Likewise, to my Christian fellow citizens, Merry Christmas, no irony express nor implied.
Clint| 12.2.10 @ 6:54PM
Schlock must be a " Pagan" term.
Alan Brooks| 12.2.10 @ 8:22PM
I don't mind that Christmas is commercialized, but that Jesus has become commercialized is a negation of Him.
Appleby| 12.2.10 @ 7:18AM
At Bible College we were taught that the choice of the Roman Saturnalia for the celebration of the birth of Christ was a practical decision to hide our celebration in the general festivity -- it being the practice of the Romans at that time to murder Christians when they found them. Anyone who knows anything about sheep can tell you that shepherds would not be in the fields keeping watch over their flocks in the middle of winter; they are out there in the spring when lambing season is on. Likely Jesus was born in April. Unlike us, He doesnt actually care what day we celebrate. Its a moot point in any event. The point is, He was born to save us from our sins and He did.
Finally, in Puritan America it was illegal to celebrate Christmas at all, precisely because it gave idle people an excuse to get drunk and waste the day playing cards and football and leaving the dishes in the sink.
Since America is not yet comprised of beaten-down proles and their masters, let us celebrate Christmas in our own form and fashion, quietly resist the competing hordes in the subway station shrieking for our cash to provide new, unwrapped, expensive loot for *people who wont have Christmas presents* (when we ourselves will not have them this year), and remember the Good Samaritan in all our giving. God bless you all this Christmastide, Chanukah and Dancing Around The Bonfire Season -- just resist the urge to stop the rest of us from our joy.
JP| 12.2.10 @ 8:34AM
Christmas itself wasn't widely celebrated in the Protestant world until the 19th Century. For Catholics, it was customary to give gifts to children on 6 December (St Nicholas Day), and in general on the Feast of Epiphany, which usually fell between the 2nd and the 8th of January. Typically Christmas was celebrated on Christmas Eve by going to Mass (traditionally, Midnight Mass), or Christmas Day Mass. This was followed by a family dinner and festivities. There was no gift giving.
From what I understand, Santa Claus came about from Dutch Protestant reformists in New England who felt bad about not having a Saint Nicholas. Instead, the created a more secular one and named him Sant Claus. The gift exchanges became a tradition at Christmas and by the 20th Century spread to even Catholic families. When I was a child, however my family and out Catholic freinds still celebrated this. Today, there are few of us left we only exchange gifts on Saint Nicholas Day and Epiphany.
SF_Exile| 12.2.10 @ 5:24PM
Interesting, JP. Did the St. Nicholas Day gift tradition come from the Dutch? I didn't realize it was a Catholic tradition.
What has also gotten lost in this mad, headlong rush to Christmas is the importance of Advent. It allows for those smaller but no less important holy day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, for example, to be part of the journey towards Christmas. It's a period, not unlike Lent, to spiritually prepare oneself to invite Christ not only into our homes but into our hearts.
As a kid, I was always frustrated by my mother's refusal to buy into the manufactured Christmas that had begun creeping in. She tended to keep to the old ways - the tree not going up until as close to Christmas as possible, no Christmas music until the holiday itself, etc. In fact, all of the goodies and sweets she baked were verboten until we had returned from Midnight Mass. Now, as an adult, I see why she wouldn't budge. Indeed, I find myself adhering to a similar schedule; I'll keep the tree up until at least the 9th of January. I have become more observant of the liturgical seasons over the years, discovering a kind of quiet beauty to the rhythm of days.
Andrew B| 12.2.10 @ 7:58AM
I have always believed that Christmas falls when it does because that is when we need it most. When the nights are longest and the days coldest, Man needs something to light our way onward and--it is to be hoped--upward.
This makes the current fixation on starting Christmas as soon after Labor Day as possible doubly irksome. Not only is it unnecessary, artificially directing our attention away from the delights of Autumn and the vital message of Thanksgiving, it is counterproductive. It means that, once December 25th arrives, many Americans are sick and tired of the season and cannot wait to chase it from their homes. Thus we see the phenomenon of Christmas music being banished from the airwaves at the stroke of midnight and people (like my next-door neighbors) who actually spend Christmas Night taking down the tree that they put up in mid-November.
Bah, humbug!
PaulD| 12.2.10 @ 8:00AM
"even though Scripture is filled with literary allusions to the Sun of God." I'm ignorant on this, and too lazy to research it, but isn't the Sun/Son synonym-metaphor something that is relative only in English translations of the Bible? If that's true, the relation of Sun worship and Son of God would not have been apparent to the early Christians.
Shelley| 12.2.10 @ 3:15PM
Funny you should say that. The ancient Egyptians worshipped their sun god, Amen Ra. In fact, they worshipped their sun god on Sunday. That is where the Christians get their "Amen" and going to church on a Sunday.
Phil Ferguson, O.P.L.| 12.2.10 @ 3:44PM
Shelley,
Sorry, not so. "Amen," is Latin for "So be it".
The Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, Mary, and the disciples at Pentecost, the 7th Sunday after Easter; Pentecost the birthday of the Roman Catholic Church.
Yours in Christ,
Phil Ferguson
Impeach Don't Wait| 12.2.10 @ 11:10PM
It's funny how so many Christian things ("Amen" and "Sunday" for example) are seen by many to be traceable to pagan antecedents, making Christianity seem, to many minds, like an assemblage of "borrowed" symbols, rather than a belief based on historical facts. Kind of makes me think there's an unseen hand somewhere weaving a web of deception aimed at discrediting the work that God hath done. Hmmm... The "god of the air" maybe? As the scripture says: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
This Christmas season, let's all ask God to banish our blindness.
And Happy, Joyous Hanukkah!
Rich D| 12.2.10 @ 11:31PM
Amen (AMN) is Hebrew for Truly.
JP| 12.2.10 @ 8:24AM
Lost even amongst most Catholics is the beginning of the Advnent Season - a time of fasting and anticipation. Last Sunday marks the beginning of Advent, which lasts until Holy Night. The 4 "O" Antiphons of Veni Emanuel is the traditional song sung at the beginning of Advent.
Also, it should be noted that for centuries the Vatican placed the Feast of the Nativity and the Feat of St John the Baptist exactly 180 days apart (using the Gregorian Calendar). The significance of this can be taken from the Gospels (He must grow,I must diminish). The placing of Christmas in December recognizes this.
WeMustResist| 12.2.10 @ 8:43AM
We can celebrate Jesus' birthday on any day without claiming that day is the anniversary of the birth. And that is just what we do. No one claims Christmas day is the anniversary day of Jesus' birth. It is simply the best time of year to celebrate the birth, because it gives us hope for the future, and just after the winter solstice we both need hope and can claim that the future is going to improve eventually.
Ken| 12.2.10 @ 9:00AM
The irony of substituting "Winter Holiday" for Christmas is lost on the ill-informed secularist. Christmas is a Holy Day indeed.
Alex Sumner | 12.2.10 @ 9:18AM
The shepherds may well have been watching their flocks by night on Dec 24th / 25th - after all, this is the Holy Land we are talking about, which has a sub-tropical climate, something Christmas card artists tend to forget.
Also: the old saw that Christmas is based on the birth of Mithras is a myth put about by ill-informed secularists. In archaeological and historical terms there is as much evidence to say that the Mithraic religion borrowed the date from Christian religion as the latter did from the former.
Redstateboy| 12.2.10 @ 10:06AM
I love Christmas for several reasons but two that come to mind - first and foremost - God gave to us his only begotten son to offer us redemption and secondly - in a more minor way - Christmas annoys the Heck out of Liber-uls.
markinalpine| 12.2.10 @ 12:23PM
In my Polish relatives tradition, Easter was more important than Christmas. Christmas was observed, of course.
SF_Exile| 12.2.10 @ 5:34PM
In my Polish family, too. From a food standpoint, you can't beat it.
Liturgically speaking, Easter is more important. The journey of Holy Week is central to being Christian. But you can't have Easter's miracle without Christmas.
RobCpo| 12.2.10 @ 6:30PM
Having followed your trail through this SF, you know Christmas from the Christian aspect is an artificial construct. The original Apostles and the Church chronicled in Acts had high holy days such as Easter and Holy Week and Pentecost. Christmas was created by the Church after Charlemagne's time as Holy Roman Emperor expressly to co-opt pagans. The rememberance of the birth of Christ is NOT rooted in any fact other than the account told in Luke. Therefore while significant as you pointed out it is not "central" to the Christian calendar. Let's be done with all the "put Christ back in Christmas bunk.
Impeach Don't Wait| 12.2.10 @ 11:22PM
So people decided to celebrate Christ's birth and still enjoy doing so. Doesn't bother me. But to be honest, Christ's death and resurrection of course are what's really most important. But most important still: YOUR death and resurrection (new birth) through faith in Him. Ah, that's the day He went to the cross for you to know.
Merry Christmas!
laptop_repairs_manchester | 12.3.10 @ 3:56AM
What ever you believe in, as long as it works for you, that is all that matters. merry xmas
Appleby| 12.3.10 @ 5:47AM
Contrary to what some seem to believe, the X in Xmas is the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of Christ in Greek. It was used as identification in days when to be identified as a Christian was a death sentence. It does not mean *x the unknown* as mockers believe.
Little sis| 12.3.10 @ 2:51PM
Great comments here. But, of course, the "date of birth" issue will never go away. That said, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's book "The Spirit of the Liturgy" does an amazing job of fleshing out the details to a conclusion that left me reeling. If you have it handy, the section entitled "sacred time" connects His birth with His crucifixion with care and insight that those of us how have not spent a lifetime meditating on God would not be able to make on our own. I guess I'm suggesting giving the man who has since become the Pope credit due for knowing more about this stuff than most. Little sample:
"...the historical does not serve the cosmic; no, the cosmic serves the historical. Only in history is the cosmos given its center and goal.
"...the fact that the dates of the Lord's conception and birth originally had a cosmic significance means that Christians can take on the challenge of the sun cult and incorporate it positively into the theology of the Christmas feast."
Honestly, it's worth the $5 amazon charges...big kid's only.
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