Christmas is Pagan (Part 1)

“Christmas is rooted in Pagan traditions and customs.”

You hear that a lot, this time of year.  I think, for Christians who are trying to do the right thing and honor Christ, there are two important issues that arise from the claim that Christmas has its roots in Paganism:

1.       Is it true?

2.       Does it matter?

Is it true?

I think most people recognize that Jesus probably wasn’t born on December 25.  The day was chosen because December 25 is around the time of the winter solstice, which many people in many cultures, since antiquity, have marked.  The winter solstice is the longest night of the year, and it follows a period of nights getting progressively longer and days getting progressively shorter.  In very old, agrarian civilizations, it also would have marked a long period of living off of stored foods in cold climates.  In short, it’s pretty much a universal human response to depressing darkness, cold, and possibly icky food to say, “Let’s cheer ourselves up with a party!”


The Romans did this with Saturnalia, a celebration of their god, Saturn, which lasted from around mid-December to around the time we now celebrate Christmas.  Saturnalia was a lot of fun.  People treated others more nicely, they held banquets and parties, they dressed in festive clothing, they took days off from normal daily activities, and they gave gifts to each other.  They decorated with evergreens at the winter solstice.  By the way, there are writings from ancient Rome in which people are complaining that the Saturnalia celebrations are too festive and not religious enough, and these sound very similar to what people say about Christmas now.

So, obviously, it’s true that some of our customs surrounding Christmas have their origins in the Roman celebration of Saturnalia.

What’s also interesting, though, is that the Babylonian Talmud also contains a story about Adam deciding to celebrate around the time of the solstice.  The story says Adam noticed the days growing shorter and thought he might have sinned and was being punished, but he then noticed the days growing longer and realized it was just the way things worked.  So, he decided to have eight days of festivity—four before the solstice and four after.

Another thing we have to remember is that the solstice is a celestial event.  It’s part of what happens as our planet moves around the sun.  The solstice, in and of itself, is not an evil thing; it is part of God’s good creation.  People all over the earth experience the winter solstice, and each culture on earth has some way of dealing with the solstice.

On to Christianity and the connection there.  Jesus was born a Jew, into Roman culture in Roman-occupied Judea, and his followers were from that culture, as well.  Paul, who was responsible for much of the spread of Christianity, was an urbanized Jew from Tarsis, and a Roman citizen who was well-immersed in Roman culture.  The early church was based largely in Rome.  So, it’s reasonable to say that Roman culture is the source of the Christian holiday, Christmas.