What?
That's an oxymoron, right?
Christmas, by its very
definition, originates from the person of Christ, the name says it plainly. And
doesn't that rule out paganism?
The answer is more complicated
that it might first appear.
A couple of my Facebook friends
and I have had brief discussions on the topic after my post on Halloween and I
said I would need to do a little research to formulate my final answer. Here
goes.
Getting right to the point, many
of the traditions and decorations we enjoy at Christmas did not spring from a
holiday about the birth of Christ from but from other origins. I discovered
more about the history of other ancient civilizations from my reading and found
it so interesting that heathen religions also had their annual feasts built
around the worship of their gods. Maybe this was Satan's attempt to copy the
Lord Jehovah who commanded His people to keep His feasts days and covenants in
honor of Him. At any rate, the early Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Babylonians and
Greeks all had celebrations related to the harvest and the New Year and the
winter solstice. The Latins or Romans conquered many of their neighbors and
simply incorporated their festivals into their own, forming a conglomerate of
worship and holidays. Some of these customs have some bearing on Christmas
practices today - charity, goodwill to others, giving gifts - especially toys
to children, feasting, baking, eating nuts and fruit and cakes. In 274 A.D.,
the emperor Aurelian set December 25 as a celebration of the "birthday of
the unconquered sun."
The earliest followers of Jesus did not keep any commemoration of His birth, so
far as we can tell. Author Patricia Bunning Stevens remarks that a very strong
reason might have been that they lived under the constant threat of
persecution. They did honor the days on which martyrs died for their faith.
Some felt it was not proper to celebrate Christ in a festive way as Origen
wrote in the third century A.D., "as though he were a king Pharaoh."
But as Christianity spread through the Roman Empire and the Western World,
persecution lessened and the climate became more amiable to Christ-centered
celebrations. It is recorded that in the year 336 A.D., Christians in Rome
celebrated His Birth on December 25. This was after the Emporer Constantine had
grated tolerance to Christianity in 313 A.D. It seems then that Christians
began to try to redeem the pagan holidays and, as Stevens put it, "build
bridges" to their unbelieving neighbors. For a while, it seemed the
Christian focus would be swallowed by the other cultures but gradually,
Christmas took on a more holy atmosphere and believers began to accept December
25 as the Feast of the Nativity.
Looking to the various cultures
helps us understand what they have contributed to our modern image of
Christmas: The European peoples originated the tradition of the Yule Log
(burning this massive chunk was believed to bring good luck the next year and
protect the house from fire). The Germans contributed the boar's head stuffed
with an apple after the pig itself was sacrificed to ensure good crops the
coming year. The Anglo-Saxons gave us the wassail (or punch) bowl tradition -
in medieval England, wealthy households brought out a silver bowl and filled it
with a steaming brew which was then given to the poor who came door-to-door
((wassailing morphed into caroling). The Romans brought us the custom of
candles at Christmas - a natural sign of joy and hope during winter days, a
sign of welcome in the window and redeemed by Christians to refer to Christ,
the Light of the World. The idea of gifts, started by the ancients in their
festivals, was carried on by the peoples in Europe and eventually passed on to
us. The first Nativity Scene was probably instituted by St. Francis of Assisi
who was concerned that the fact of Christ's birth was being lost in the all the
pagan remnants of the festivity. He and some friends created a "new
Bethlehem" in December 1223 and that tradition continues to this day after
being brought to america by the Moravians who founded the town of Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania in 1741. France and Germany and England all contributed songs for
the season - carols, noels. The Celts started the tradition of using mistletoe
- their name for it means "all-heal" and some think that the act of
kissing associated with it might mean an early ritual of forgiveness. (not too
romantic, huh?) And of course, many cultures have given us pieces to the
character today we know as Santa Claus - St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, even
the saint Lucia. But that is a topic for another day.
The best known symbol of
Christmas to us is also shrouded in controversy in its beginning. The Christmas
tree probably did not begin as a Christ-centered custom. The early Germans were
a forest people and some worshiped trees. The Romans also valued the
life-giving symbolism of evergreens. Sometimes they brought them inside as good
luck omens. Some Europen people brought cherry tree limbs inside and did their
best to force them to bloom as a talisman. An apple tree was used in the early
German celebration of the Paradise Play - about Adam and Eve. Some homes in the
Middle Ages began having a Christmas pyramid - hung with candles, branches and
pretty decorations - that shape suggests a tree as well. A snipped from a diary
written in Strasbourg Germany in 1605 describes a "Christmas fir
tree" which was decorated. Sometimes in Germany, the tree was hung upside
down, at other times, right side up, but always suspended from the rafters.
Later on, it was set on the floor. The early Christmas trees in Germany were
table-size and the first one using candles is recorded in 1708 by a woman
describing Christmas trees from her childhood. There was a terrible risk of
fire. The custom of the Christmas tree spread to other countries and became
wildly popular in England under the reign of Queen Victoria whose husband,
Prince Albert, was German and therefore devoted to the practice. Tradition says
that Hessian soldiers brought the idea of the Christmas tree to america when
they were here fighting in the American Revolution. The first actual record of
Christmas trees in America come from Pennsylvania where many of the early
settlers were German. The first Christmas tree in Williamsburg came in 1842 and
the first Christmas tree in the White House was set up by President Franklin
Pierce in 1856.
There is much more on the
development of our modern traditions of ornaments, greeting cards, carols,
eggnog, poinsettias, cookies and the transformation of Christmas down from the
time of the Pilgrims (who as Puritans did not celebrate Christmas) to the huge
effect Charles Dickens had on our understanding of this Day to the Revolution
and the "Christmas gift" customs held by slave-owners to what we
currently cherish at this "most wonderful time of the year." What is
important for Christians is the question of its legitimacy.
Very few today shun any type of
Christmas celebration but there are some who simply choose not to address the
questions if they have them. It's not comfortable - that's for sure. Let me
give my opinion and allow you to have yours.
For me, commemorating the day the
greatest Gift came into our world (John 3:16 says "God gave His only
begotten Son") is a good thing. The origin of "Why" I celebrate
this day is not evil, as is Halloween, but good. Customs and traditions
incorporated into it that increase love and togetherness of family and friends
and that promote charity to others and forgiveness and peace are also good.
Attempts have been made by Christians down through the centuries to redeem and
glorify this blending of feasts into a celebration that ultimately reminds
people the world over that Christ affects us even to this day - our biggest
annual events and charitable times and even sales are linked to a commemoration
of Him. That also seems good to me. If one feels that a certain custom is a spiritual hindrance to his family, don't do it. There is liberty here under
Christ as long as one is not flippantly violating his conscience.
Romans 14:5-6 says One man
esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every
man be fully persuaded in his own mind. {fully persuaded: or, fully assured} He
that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not
the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord,
for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not,
and giveth God thanks.
To me, the principle here of
generosity of spirit and love for our brothers and sisters in Christ applies
very well to our observance of Christmas and how we differ from others. For
some particularly, the practice of the Christmas tree is an issue mostly
perhaps because of Jeremiah 3:2-6.
Thus saith the LORD, Learn not
the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the
heathen are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the people are
vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the
workman, with the axe. {customs...: Heb. statutes, or, ordinances are vanity}
They deck it with silver and with
gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
They are upright as the palm
tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not
afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
Forasmuch as there is none like
unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
At first glance, this might seem
to shout "No Christmas trees! They are symbols of idolatry." And if
your feel that way, honor your conscience. But, as one modern commentator said,
God forbids practices of worship of anything but Himself. Most of us don't
worship our Christmas trees or believe they bring good luck or healing to our
homes. We see them as symbols of our joy in Jesus' coming to our world as a
tiny Baby bringing with Him the Light of salvation. That might not
satisfy all the questions and nuances around this one custom, but I'm sure you
can find much more on it through study and research.
This post is not meant to cause
you a troubled conscience or a disdain for others. It's an attempt to find the
"reason" for our customs of the season. To me, that's always a good
thing. You don't have to agree with me. You are welcome to comment and even to
disagree. Just remember that you are always treated with respect on my posts
and please do the same in your discussion with others below.
So, let me amend my opening
sentence.
I wish you a Christ-focused
Christmas.
And that will be a merry one.
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