by badboy 44 Replies latest jw friends
OFTEN XMAS IS ASSOCIATED WITH SATURNALIA BY SOME PEOPLE.
IN FACT SATURNALIA WAS CELEBRATED 17 DECEMBER TO 23 DECEMBER.
DIES NATALIS NATALIS INVICTI was first celebrated on December 25 in about 270.
XMAS TREES ARE FIRST MENTIONED IN 1570.
NO CONNECTION WITH PAGANISM THERE.
Now that is interesting! Saturnalia was the source of Christmas according to my father, Presiding overseer, (still) Tsk Tsk.
Where did you find that gem?
IT CAME FROM REACHOUT QUARTERLY(REACHOUT TRUST)
On a related topic there is more to Santa Claus than some German god as WT teaches.
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38
tsof
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
This article confirms badboy's info - looks more likely that Christmas was superimposed over the feast of the unconquered sun:
Natalis Solis Invicti
- Main article: Sol Invictus
The Romans held a festival on December 25 called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "the birthday of the unconquered sun." The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god; Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian (AD 270-274); and Mithras, a soldiers' god of Persian origin. [11] Emperor Elagabalus (218-222) introduced the festival, and it reached the height of its popularity under Aurelian, who promoted it as an empire-wide holiday. [12]
December 25 was also considered to be the date of the winter solstice, which the Romans called bruma. [8] It was therefore the day the Sun proved itself to be "unconquered" despite the shortening of daylight hours. (When Julius Caesar introduced the Julian Calendar in 45 BC, December 25 was approximately the date of the solstice. In modern times, the solstice falls on December 21 or 22.) The Sol Invictus festival has a "strong claim on the responsibility" for the date of Christmas, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. [3] Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus. [13] "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born . . . Christ should be born," Cyprian wrote. [3]
Googled Saturnalia and there is a lot of info. Thanks for the link about St Nicholas. LOL, should have researched it.
Now I don't feel bad at ALL for the xmas tree in my house, the decorations etc etc. Hohohohoho, roll on Christmas.....
I was so ticked off about two years ago. A co-worker and I started talking about Christmas origins. What he said had very little in common with what WT said. And he is well read. So on vacation that year I started checking. Just about everything WT says about Xmas is either half truth or speculation.
tsof
I also remember telling a former (non-Christian) work colleague about the origins of Christmas trees and especially what the tinsel symbolised (animal/human entrails offered to the tree gods).
I think she was cringing too much to put her tree up ever again after that!!
IN FACT SATURNALIA WAS CELEBRATED 17 DECEMBER TO 23 DECEMBER. DIES NATALIS NATALIS INVICTI was first celebrated on December 25 in about 270. XMAS TREES ARE FIRST MENTIONED IN 1570. NO CONNECTION WITH PAGANISM THERE.
Ya, but it wasn't endorsed by the WTB&TS's drunken leader by 1935 so therefore it's still wrong, wrong, wrong.......
There is some speculation that Because 25 December was nine months on from March 25(When jesus was supposedly concepted),that is why it was chosen.
