Do you know about the origin of Christmas?
Christ was not born on December 25th - so why do we celebrate it then? Christ was born in the desert, yet fir trees, holly, mistletoe and poinsettia are symbols of Christmas. Where did Santa Claus come from and why is he so big with a white beard and a red and white suit? The answer may surprise you. Fir trees, holly and mistletoe are important plants for pagans - worshippers of nature - and their celebration of the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year - pre-dates the birth of Christ by thousands of years.
The following quote comes from an excellent collection of interesting articles on the history of Christmas published by the BBC.
Pre-Christian, northern societies used to enliven the dark days of the winter solstice with a celebration of fire, light and jollity, to create relief in the season of nature's dormancy and to hurry along the renewal of springtime. Christmas, as the celebration of the birth of Christ, was also a winter festival which gradually incorporated many pagan traditions, one of which was the burning of fires to ward away dark and evil spirits.
Read the whole article here: The 10 Ages of Christmas
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