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25 of December

and the pagan celebrations

The day of Christmas is the 25 of December, when the Birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem is commemorated according to gospels of San Mateo and San Lucas. After Passover de Resurreccio'n it is the most important celebration of the ecclesiastical year.

As the gospels do not mention dates, he is not safe that Jesus was born that day. In fact, the day of Christmas officially was not recognized until year 345, when by influence of San Juan Crisóstomo and San Gregorio Nacianzeno it proclaimed the 25 of December like date of the Natividad.

This way it followed the policy of the primitive Church to absorb instead of repressing the existing pagan rites, that from the first times had celebrated the solstice of winter and the arrival of the spring.

The pagan celebration more closely associated with new Christmas was the Roman Saturnal, the 19 of December, in honor of Saturn, God of the agriculture, that was celebrated during seven days of boisterous diversions and banquets.

At the same time, a similar, well-known winter was celebrated in the North of Europe celebration of like Yule, in which great trunks adorned with branches and tapes in honor of the Gods were burned to obtain that the Sun shone with more force.

Average Age,

births and carols

Once incorporated these elements, the Church later added in the Average Age the birth and the carols to its customs. At this time, the banquets were the culminating point of the celebrations. All this had a steep end in Great Britain when, in 1552, the puritanos prohibited Christmas. Although Christmas returned to England in 1660 with Carlos II, the rituals disappeared until the Victorian time.

Century XIX,

tree and postal of Christmas

Christmas, as we know it today, is a creation of century XIX. The Christmas tree, original of Germanic zones, extended by other areas of Europe and America. The carols were recovered and new ones were made up many (the custom to sing carols, although from old origins, comes fundamentally from century XIX). The Christmas cards did not begin to be used until the decade of 1870, although first of them imprimió in London in 1846.

Santa Claus and

the Spirit of Christmas

The familiar image of Santa Claus, with the sleigh, the reindeer and the bags with toys, is a American invention of these years, although the legend of Noel Papa is old and complex, and partly comes from San Nicholas and a jovial medieval figure, the Christmas spirit. In Russia it traditionally takes cochinillo pink under the arm.

Christmas

nowadays

At the moment, Christmas is time of great commercial activity and interchange of gifts, familiar meetings and meals.

In the West the Mass of the rooster in churches and cathedrals is celebrated. In the countries of Latin America, of rooted catholic tradition, the Christmas Eve (24 of December) with a familiar supper is celebrated specially for which they are elaborated a diversity of plates, traditional desserts and drinks.

Also one gets used to attending the Mass of the rooster and celebrating with rockets and fireworks.

What the encyclopedias say

envoy by Conception Garay S.

The word "Christmas" is a contraction of "natividad", that means natalicio. This celebration made its appearance in the Catholic Church and it extended there to the Protestantism and the rest of the world.

However, from where it received the Catholic Church? It was not of the lessons of the New Testament. It was not of the Bible nor of the apostles who had been instructed personally by Jesus Christ. Christmas originating one of the paganism was introduced in the Church during the century fourth.

Since the celebration of Christmas was introduced in the world by the Roman Catholic Church and it does not have another authority that the one of she herself, we see what the Catholic Encyclopedia says on the matter (1911 edition): "Christmas was not including between the first festividades of the Church...

first indications of her come from Egypt... The pagan customs related to the January principle were centered in the celebration of Christmas.

In the same encyclopedia, under "Native Day", we found that Origins, one of the parents of the Church, recognized the following truth: "... we do not see in

the Scriptures that nobody has kept a celebration nor celebrated a great banquet the day of its natalicio. Single the pecadores (as Faaraon and Herodes) celebrated with the great rejoicing the day in which they were born in this world ".

The British Encyclopedia, edition of 1946, say: "Christmas was counted between the old festividades of the Church..." was not instituted by Jesus Christ neither by the apostles, nor by Biblical authority. It was taken later from the paganism.

The American Encyclopedia, edition 1944, say: "Christmas... in agreement with many authorities was not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian Church, since the custom of the Christianity in general era to celebrate not the natalicio but the death of important people. The Passover, instituted by

Biblical authority in the New Testament, is a commemoration of the death of Christ. In the century fifth, the Western Church issued order of which it was celebrated for always, in the same day of the old Roman festividad in honor of the birth of the sun, since the exact date was not known the birth of Christ ".

These historical authorities demonstrate that during first the two or three centuries of ours it was, the Christians did not celebrate Christmas. This celebration was introduced in the Roman Church in the century fourth of ours was and it was not until the century fifth that officially established it like Christian celebration.

Any encyclopedia or another authority us can confirm the fact that Christ was not born 25 of December. The Catholic encyclopedia says it clearly.

The exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ totally is not known. The sagradas writings do not reveal this event.

The new encyclopedia of religious knowledge, of Schaff-Herzog, explains it clearly in its article on Christmas: "it cannot determine accurately until point the date of of this festividad depended on the Brumalia pagan (25 of December), who followed the Saturnalia (17-24) of December and commemorated the shortest day of the year and the new sun.

For more references you could collect more data in the British Encyclopedia, edition 11, volume 19, pages 648-649 about the origin of San Nicholas. Also in Sacred Library, volume 12, pages 153-155 referring to the tradition of interchange of gifts, characteristic of the Saturnalia.