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Do You Care?Awake!—1970 | December 8
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The Origin of Christmas
Nevertheless, the date for Christmas, as well as other Christmas customs, had a definite origin. Newspapers, magazines and encyclopedias have commented freely on this. You yourself have no doubt read some of these articles. The facts are well known in both secular and religious circles. For instance, the New Catholic Encyclopedia observes under “Christmas”:
“The birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun).”
Yes, Christmas has its roots in ancient pagan festivals. The New York Times explains: “Pope Liberius [in the fourth century] decided to absorb pagan observances by declaring Dec. 25 the official birthday of Jesus. The change of name made little change in form.”
And what was that “form”? The ancient Saturnalia was a time when gross immorality was practiced under the guise of festivities. Says the book Curiosities of Popular Customs by W. S. Walsh:
“In spite of the condemnation of the wise and the sane, Christmas in the early days frequently reproduced all the worst orgies, the debaucheries and the indecencies, of the Bacchanalia and the Saturnalia. The clergy themselves were whirled into the vortex. . . .
“If even among the clergy heathen traditions so strenuously survived, what better could be expected from the laity? The wild revels, indeed, of the Christmas period in olden times almost stagger belief. Obscenity, drunkenness, blasphemy,—nothing came amiss. License was carried to the fullest extent of licentiousness.”—Pages 228, 229.
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Do You Care?Awake!—1970 | December 8
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As for the rabbit symbol and Easter eggs, a modern authority says: “This is not mere child’s play, but the vestige of a fertility rite, the eggs and the rabbit both symbolizing fertility.”a Even The Catholic Encyclopedia says: “The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility.” Certainly, rabbits and eggs have no connection with the resurrection of Christ, do they?
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