What is the history behind Christmas? Many of our Christmas traditions have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus and are pagan celebrations that were adopted by the Christian church and integrated into Christmas. Below I will share some of these facts.

•The Date

We don’t know when Jesus was exactly born, except that ironically it was some 5 years before Christ. There is no mention in the bible of his exact birthday. In the first centuries of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday. In the 4th and 5th century, in an effort to convert more people to Christianity, Church leaders decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus on the 25th of December.

They made this decision as it coincided with the popular Roman Saturnalia festival and the Pagan Winter solstice celebration, the darkest day of the year. Pagans celebrated that the darkest days were over and that the light would come back. Christian Missionaries could easily combine this with a message of Jesus arriving on earth and bringing light and hope.

•The Tree

Trees were also not part of early celebrations, but later added as another pagan tradition that was incorporated. The evergreen pine and fir trees never lose their green needles and symbolise that there is still life and hope.

•Gift giving, drinking and eating

Gift giving and feasting were an essential part of the Roman Saturnalia festival. It was a hedonistic time, comparable to carnival and Mardi gras, during which the social order was turned upside down and people had many (wild) celebrations. In general, the time at the end of December was the ideal time to party as all the cattle was slaughtered, the alcoholic drinks were fermented and ready and there was not much to do anymore for the famers (which was around 80-90%) of the population.

In conclusion, the Christmas as we know is a mix of pagan celebrations and traditions combined with Christian beliefs and values. It took shape in the Early Middle Ages as everyone in Europe became Christian. Later, in the 19th century, the modern form of Christmas originated and became an important part of popular culture. 

Originally posted on Instagram on December 24, 2021