Growing up holidays were usually a happy time. It was when we got together with family and shared stories, cooked meals and shared presents. The why, was not really important to me. Seeing people show compassion was an inspiration to me. As I got older though, I couldn't help but have questions about why we celebrate certain events and ignore others.
Growing up Sunday was an important day of the week, and Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas was the three main holidays that really brought everyone together. Now, I know Thanksgiving technically isn't a religious holiday, but it was a big deal in my heavily Christian family growing up and truthfully it's the 1st one that made me stop and question things. Especially when you learn its origins. Once I learned how the Native Americans were treated and to seen my family basically celebrate their betrayal, it made me stop and think about things.
The pilgrims were far from the 1st Europeans to set up a community in the new land. Samuel de Chaplain and untold number of other Europeans had been journeying to the continent for well over 100 years. There were well-established European enclaves along the eastern seaboard and the Spanish had settled in Florida in the mid-1500s. During this time of exploration the Europeans brought diseases to the native populations. They also had an Indian slave trade that was well known to everyone before the Mayflower Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on December 16, 1620.
This land was also home to the Native American famously known for teaching the Pilgrims how to farm and fish, Squanto saved them from certain starvation. It turns out he has an interesting back story. He was kidnapped when he was just a child and sold into slavery. He was sent to England where he learned how to speak English. He escaped extraordinary circumstances, he found passage back to his village in 1619. Unfortunately all he was met with was a community virtually wiped out only 2 years before by a plague. Despite all this, the following spring Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to harvest berries and other wild foods and plant crops the Indians had been living on for millennia. They also managed to make a treaty of mutual protection. Unfortunately not much is known about the 1st thanksgiving. There was only 2 written records and neither one has a lot of details. What we do know is, harvest festivals had been common for eons in Europe and in America. Only 1 account even mentions the Indians' participation. It states that the pilgrims were celebrating and firing their guns. The Wampanoags came to see if there was trouble. They were invited to stay, but their was not enough food so the Indians went and caught some deer and wild game. They feasted for multiple days.
Contrary to popular belief, Plymouth Rock was not a "wilderness." It was the village of Patuxet. This was ancestral land that belonged to the Wampanoag. For untold generations this landscape was well maintained for corn fields and other crops. The day after the Pilgrim's arrived, they were foraging for food and came across some households whose occupants were gone for the day. Naturally, they robbed the houses with, "full intentions of paying them back in the future." They also raided corn field, food buried in the ground, and they even robbed graves of their valuable, but they always respectfully covered the bodies back up. What truly surprises me is that they thanked God for his help and went so far as to say, "for how else could we have done it without meeting some Indians who might trouble us." They literally survived by breaking the 8th commandment 'do not steal'. Then had the audacity to claim God was responsible. I mean imagine if everyone did that. Oh, look if I successfully steal this then it's a gift from God, that whole 'do not steal' commandment doesn't apply to me.
The following year according to records their was a drought. However, there was a day of religious thanksgiving that the Indians were not invited. There are several thanksgiving proclamations in other colonies into the 1700s. However, their is one that really sticks out. In 1673 at the end of King Phillip's war, an official Thanksgiving celebration was proclaimed by the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony after they massacred several hundred Pequot Indians. Some scholars have even went so far as to claim that Thanksgiving proclamations were typically celebrations of the mass murder of Native Americans than they were for harvest celebrations. It would appear that modern Thanksgiving in America is derived from bits of traditional European harvest celebrations, Native American spiritual traditions and spotty documentation. Thanksgiving was made an official national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, thanks to Sarah J. Hale, who was an editor of a popular ladies magazine. Nowhere in the text of President Lincoln's proclamation is any mention of Pilgrims and Native Americans.
Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
It is pretty difficult not to know about Easter. Christians teach that it's all about Jesus, but have Easter egg hunts at church. So the big question is, why are the two entwined and how did it all begin? When you look at the bible you will not find any mention of Easter. If you read acts 12:4 in the original King James version of the bible you will see the word Easter. However, the word translated Easter is the Greek word pascha. This word comes from the Hebrew word pesach. In every instance in the new testament this word is translated as Passover except this 1 instance, Why? The word Passover was first used in English by William Tyndale for his version of 1526-31. He was also the first to use the word Easter.
An article which appeared in The Trinitarian Bible Society Quarterly Record states:
"When Tyndale applied his talents to the translation of the New Testament from Greek into English, he was not satisfied with the use of a completely foreign word, and decided to take into account the fact that the season of the Passover was known generally to English people as `Easter'. Tyndale has ester or Easter fourteen times, ester-lambe eleven times, esterfest once, and paschall lambe three times." "When he began his translation of the Pentateuch, he was again faced with the problem in Exodus 12:11 and twenty- one other places, and no doubt recognizing that Easter in this context would be an anachronism he coined a new word, Passover and used it consistently in all twenty-two places. It is, therefore, to Tyndale that our language is indebted for this meaningful and appropriate word" (date of article not known). This one passage is possibly the only instance that Easter must be used rather than Passover. The Passover occurred before the feast of unleavened bread and the passage refers to him being brought after the feast of unleavened bread. Herod had put Peter in prison during the days of unleavened bread which occurs after Passover, so what is he referring to? Well, as it turns out history tells us that their was a pagan and Christian interchange with the word Easter. A.W. Watts writes: "The Latin and Greek word for Easter is pascha, which is simply a form of Hebrew word for Passover–pesach" (Easter–Its Story and Meaning, p. 36). According to Raymond Blanton, "Easter is Ishtar, the queen of heaven and goddess of spring. The 'pascha' that Herod was waiting for was the celebration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz, the Sun god. (this is where sunrise service comes from). This annual festival was celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing. In many countries it was celebrated in June. To help bridge the gab between Christians and Pagans, Rome made some complicated yet skillful adjustments to the calender in order to get the two to shake hands.(Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, p. 105). So, the term Easter is of Pagan origin. Easter is nothing more than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven(p. 103). How does Easter and Tammuz connect? Well, the wife of Tammuz was Isthar (Astarte), who is refered to as Mother nature, who being refreshed by spring rains brings life. When Tammuz died, she followed him into the realm of Eresh-Kigal, queen of the dead. In her deep grief Astarte persuaded Eresh-Kigal to allow her messenger to sprinkle Astarte and Tammuz with the water of life. This allowed them to return in the light of the sun for six months and the cycle had to be repeated. Therefore, the goddess of spring (dawn goddess) is responsible for the resurrection of Tammuz. Easter combines the worship of Both deities. (From The Flaming Torch, Jan-Mar. 1987) Drake's Bible adds, " Easter is derived from Ishtar, one of the Babylonian titles of an idol goddess, the Queen of Heaven. The Saxon goddess Eastre is the same as the Astarte, the Syrian Venus, called Ashtoreth in the Old Testament. Ironically, it was the worship of this woman by Israel that was such an abomination to God"(1 Sam. 7:3; 1 Ki. 11:5, 33; 2 Ki. 23:13; Jer. 7:18; 44:18) (p. 137 N.T.) This was the "pascha that Herod was waiting for before releasing Peter. He was an Edomite and they had a long association with Babylon and her mystery religion (cf. Gen. 14:1-4).
Eggs symbolize fertility!
Notice the following: “The origin of the Easter egg is based on the fertility lore of the Indo-European races…The egg to them was a symbol of spring…In Christian times the egg had bestowed upon it a religious interpretation, becoming a symbol of the rock tomb out of which Christ emerged to the new life of His resurrection” (Francis X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, p. 233). This is a direct example of exactly how pagan symbols and customs are “Christianized,” i.e., Christian-sounding names are superimposed over pagan customs. This is done to deceive—as well as make people feel better about why they are following a custom that is not in the Bible. The following comes from Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, James Bonwick, pp. 211-212: “Eggs were hung up in the Egyptian temples. Bunsen calls attention to the mundane egg, the emblem of generative life, proceeding from the mouth of the great god of Egypt. The mystic egg of Babylon, hatching the Venus Ishtar, fell from heaven to the Euphrates. Dyed eggs were sacred Easter offerings in Egypt, as they are still in China and Europe. Easter, or spring, was the season of birth, terrestrial and celestial.” It naturally progressed that the egg, representing spring and fertility, would be merged into an already pagan springtime festival. Connecting this symbol to Christ’s Resurrection in the spring required much creativity and human reasoning. God never authorized Passover eggs or Days of Unleavened Bread eggs, but there have been Easter eggs for thousands of years!
America's founders new that Easter was a pagan festival. A children's book about the holiday, Easter Parade: Welcome Sweet Spring Time!, by Steve Englehart, p.4, states, "When the Puritans came to North America, they regarded the celebration of Easter- and the celebration of Christmas- with suspicion. They knew pagans had celebrated the return of spring long before Christians celebrated Easter. In fact, for the 1st 200 years of European life in North America, mostly in the south, paid attention to Easter. It wasn't until after the Civil War that Americans began celebrating this holiday. "Easter 1st became an American tradition in the 1870s" (p.5). So, all the people that claim America was originally a "Christian Nation" must deal with the fact that these Christians did not worship Easter and seen it as Pagan.
I know some of you are saying, I don't care if Easter comes from Paganism, I am not pagan, I celebrate it in honor of Christ! Well, it seems God figured Israel would feel this way when they encountered the religious customs of pagan nations. He new they would try to use false customs to honor him. God commanded his people to worship forever as he instructed and Jesus obeyed and commanded people honor him by doing what our father said! The following is from the conclusion of Herbert W. Armstrong’s booklet The Plain Truth About EASTER. It follows a brief overview of the importance of keeping God’s Passover instead of pagan Easter:
“We need to return to the faith once delivered. Let us humbly and obediently observe this sacred ordinance [Passover] as we are commanded, at the scriptural time, after sunset, the 14th of Abib [Nisan] according to the Sacred Calendar.”
Growing up I was taught that Sunday was the day we set aside for God. Sunday was the Lords day or Sabbath. They admit the Sabbath that was commanded in the Old Testament was Saturday not Sunday. So, naturally I wanted to know, why? Some people tried to tell me it was due to our calendar being different, but the Jews have never adjusted their day of worship. It has always been form sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Many others have claimed it was due to our celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection/Easter. At first glance I found it plausible. However, as we dive into this, you will find it doesn't hold much water.
It's clear the day of worship changed. Most won't deny this, but insist it was a God given right to do so. Is this true though? Easter is a popular excuse. Everyone "knows" Jesus was crucified on Friday and Resurrected on Sunday, but is that true? Now, anyone with basic math skills can tell that it's impossible to get 3 days and 3 nights from Friday evening to Sunday morning. However, some Bible commentaries will have you believe its possible. How? Well, they assert that 3 days and 3 nights, in the Greek language, can actually mean 3 periods of time or either day or night. Therefore, Friday night, Saturday daylight, and Saturday night are 3 periods of time. Some even suggest him being resurrected is the only sign you need. If that is true, why did he bother to reference Jonah 1:17. It plainly states he was in the whale '3 days and 3 nights. ' It was not partial days or 3 periods of time for Jonah. It was 3 full days and 3 full nights. This was written in Hebrew and they are clear it means a 72-hour period of time. John 2:19-21, Mathew 27:63-64, Mark 8:31, and Mark 9:31 all mention 3 days.
Another important thing to establish is the time of day Jesus was placed in the tomb so we know precisely when he should of left the tomb. This is pretty straight forward and can be found in: Matt. 27:46-50, Mark 15:34-37, & Luke 23:44-46. So, as these verses point out, he died at or shortly before 3pm and was placed into the tomb shortly after, just prior to sunset on the day before "the Sabbath" Jewish burial law forbade bodies to be unburied at the onset of any Sabbath day or feast day.
Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42, & Luke 23:54 establish that he died on a preparation day and was buried before a sabbath. The problem we have is that Christians teach there is only 1 Sabbath and therefore he had to of died on Friday. John 19:14 explains that it was preparation for Passover. John 19:31 goes further by saying it was a very important Sabbath or high day. What exactly is a high day? No, it doesn't involve drugs. It is a feast day or annual holy day. Leviticus 23 describes 7 of these days. These days were all considered Sabbaths. They do not fall on the same day, year after year. In fact, Matthew 26:2 mentions one of these feast days, the annual Passover. Exodus 12 describes this special holy day. This Passover always came before the annual Sabbath called the First Day of Unleavened Bread. This was a high day or feast day to be celebrated each year on the day immediately following the Passover. Numbers 28:16-17 establishes the exact time for the feast on the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread. Jesus was the Passover lamb, I Corinthians 5:7 makes this quite clear. Since Jesus was crucified on the Passover, this day would be preparation day for the feast day, or annual high day Sabbath. Although the annual Sabbaths can occur on any day of the week. Tuesday and Thursday are the most common. According to the Hebrew calendar, the Passover occurred on a Wednesday, so the annual Sabbath was on a Thursday. Therefore, the Sabbath day that was quickly approaching was an annual Sabbath and a Thursday not the weekly Sabbath of Saturday. If Jesus went in the ground Thursday and not Friday, this makes Sunday even more questionable.
Mathew 28: 1-6, John 20:1, Mark 16:1-6, & Luke 24:1-6 all establish that it was early Sunday morning while it was still dark. The tomb no longer contained Jesus. The angels told Mary that he had already risen. Mathew 28:1 brings up an interesting issue. Most translate this phrase as after the Sabbath. However, When looking at the original Greek it appears to be plural or Sabbaths. For a more in-depth look at this(Mathew 28:1).When you look at Mark 16:1 and Luke 23:56 together it sounds contradictory. However, if their was indeed 2 Sabbaths this would make complete sense. So, Jesus died late afternoon on a Wednesday Passover and was resurrected 3 days later on the late afternoon of Saturday.
Unfortunately their is no written records from anyone outside the bible to confirm the exact timeframe for the death and resurection of Jesus. This is interesting especially when you consider the fact that the bible mentions many people besides Jesus being resurrected. The simple truth is, the Roman Catholic Church with the help of a worshipper of Mithra named Constantine, changed the day to help the Christians set themselves apart from the Jews and help consolidate the many pagan gods into one ultimate God, celebrated on the 'Day of the Sun'.
BTW, Even if Jesus was Resurrected on Sunday it doesn't change the fact that Jesus was doing the will of his father. Everything was to honor him. He honored the Sabbath and tried to correct the errors and burdens that had been placed on it. All of his diciples worshiped on Saturday and all evidence points to the early church doing the same. It simply doesn't make sense that he would go through all that just to have the day we worship 'our father' changed.
Christmas has become a major holiday and many people have started getting highly offended if you say, 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas'. Personally, I have always found that forcing people to say Merry Christmas and hating people for saying the more inclusive Happy Holidays is weird and a bit offensive to people that don't celebrate Christmas. Growing up Christian I learned that this winter celebration was based on scripture and that it was because of the devils deception that other cultures had celebrations during that time that mirrored Jesus' birth. The truth is that this time of the year is what we refer to as the winter solstice. On this particular night it is the longest one of the year and after that, the days start getting longer and officially kicks off winter. The truth is, contrary to what Christians try to teach, history shows us that this time of the year and especially this date were special to many cultures. Our current Christmas is a blending of many ancient pagan festivals. Even some of the most popular 'Christian' aspects have pagan roots. Christmas was not always called Christmas. In the words of Hans J. Hillerbrand of the Encyclopedia Britannica, “The English term Christmas (“mass on Christ’s day”) is of fairly recent origin.
In Genesis 11:1-9 we find an interesting story involving a man called Nimrod. He is credited with building great cities cuch as Nineveh and Babylon. Yes, he was a rebel and some say he built the Tower of Babel in an attept to turn people away from the Almighty, YHWH. There is an interseting corelation between this biblical individual and a non-biblical individual called Gilgamesh. After Cush died, Nimrod took his own mother (Semiramis) as a wife. He died shortly after this. His body got cut into pieces and scattered throughout his kingdoms. Semiramis is known by many names around the world. Some of these names include mother of god, Ishtar (Easter), Ashtoreth, Athtart, Ashtaroth, Ashtart, Asherah, Inanna, and Isis. She is the goddess of fertility, love, war, sex, and power. Her symbols include eggs, owls, fish, doves, pole (tree stump), and the star, usually the eight-pointed star. In the Bible, she is described as the queen of heaven. The worship of her was something that the God of the Hebrews, YHWH, hated. This was preached at the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 44:15-19; Jeremiah 7:16-18; Jeremiah 44:25). Even King Solomon, it is written, followed this fertility goddess, 1 Kings 11:5. Nimrod too was represented by the same symbols as his mother-wife, Semiramis. These symbols include the fish, which is the fish god (Dagon). When the Hebrews went after other gods, this was considered whoredom (Jeremiah 3:8). Semiramis taught the people that the only body part that remained missing was his male member, and he had gone to the sun. He was given a new name Baal, the sun God. She taught the people that Nimrod was the father of her unborn child, the baby was conceived by him using rays of the sun. They utilized phallic symbols and fires to honor him. The name of this child was Horus or Tammuz, the reincarnate of Nimrod (Standish, 1992). Semiramis said a full-grown evergreen tree emerged from the roots of a dead tree stump. This symbolized the springing forth of new life for Nimrod. Nimrod was born on December 25th. On the anniversary of his birth she claims he would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts under it. (Perdue,2013). Tadzik Zdan wrote in his book Only a Few, he wrote, "for centuries Tammuz's birthday was celebrated with feasts, revelry, and drunken orgies" (Zdan, 2009). This myth has been retold in many cultures around the world. The Babylonians had a chief god named Marduk (Merodach). Marduk was known by the titles Bel, Baal, or Lord (Britannica, 2016). Baal, the sun god, is now everywhere.
The erections of phallic symbols have been around for thousands of years. Ancient nations of Ethiopia and Egypt had many phallic symbols and some are still standing today. The sun was revered by many ancient cultures, and obelisks were constructed to symbolize a frozen ray of sun. Did you know that some of the most powerful and influential men in history have phallic symbols dedicated to them? These symbols dedicated to the sun god can be found in your nearest graveyard, or you can simply travel to the tallest obelisk in the world, The 555ft Washington Monument. Some scholars even believe that the Christmas tree is an obelisk. The cutting down of the tree signifies the premature death of Tammuz. People would cry and mourn for Tammuz during the ritual tree cutting. The star placed at the top of the tree most likely signifies the sun god or fire god (Saturn, Moloch, Marduk, Rempham, etc). It could also be a representation of Semiramis. One of her symbols was an eight-pointed star. The pagan worship of stars, the sun, the moon, and other planetary objects have been popular since ancient times. Trees were commonly worshiped bypagans across ancient Europe. They played an important role in the spiritual lives of the people. Many people had an animistic beliefs. This is the belief that all plants, animals, and objects have spirits. (Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary, 2016). In Rome, Ojibwa writes: “the sacred fig-tree of Romulus was found in the Forum. This tree was worshiped throughout the age of the Roman empire, and if a citizen thought that the tree was drooping, a hue-and-cry went out which was answered by citizens running with buckets of water as if they were putting out a fire” (Ojibwa, 2016). The Germans tied fruit and attached candles to evergreen tree branches. This was done in honor of their god, Woden. The 3rd day of the week, Wednesday, was named after this pagan god, and these trees symbolized eternal life to them. The Hebrews committed abominations with Asherah (groves) throughout scripture. There is usually a grove near an altar of Baal, or Bel. They would decorate these abominations by making hangings or decorations for them (2 Kings 23:7). This is to honor Nimrod and his mother Semiramis. In Judges 6:25-26 we can see where God commands Gideon to destroy a grove and altar to Baal.
It's no secret that the pagan world loved to celebrate things. The problem is most Christians don't know or don't care that one of their greatest celebrations is nothing more than a combination of many stolen celebrations. The Roman Empire had a winter solstice celebration called Saturnalia. This was their way of giving thanks to their god, Saturn. This pagan god was so influential, even a day of the week and a planet was named after him, Saturday and Saturn. This celebration happened after all planting was done and was originally celebrated from December 17th-24th. It was a time of great merrymaking and social orders were inverted so the people could indulge in their greatest desires. December 25th was very special. It was known as Brumalia, and was a pagan festival held at the winter solstice from which some features of Christmas originated. Public gambling was allowed. Slaves were included in the celebrations and they did not have to work. They wore colorful dinner clothes in public and the Phrygian cap, or pileus (a felt cap normally worn by freed slaves) symbolized the freedom of the season in Rome. They symbolized this freedom by allowing an innocent Roman citizen to indulge in anything they desired. This person was given the name Lord of Misrule-a king for a day. The catch was, the Lord of Misrule was sacrificed on the final day on the altar of Saturn. This dramatic end to his short rule was a way to end the period of social disorder and return to normality (Womack, 2003). This wasn't the only festival that the Roman Empire enjoyed. They had a custom of coopting the gods of the nations they conquered (Bricken, 2016). Mithras was an Iranian god of the sun, justice, contract, and war in pre-Zoroastrian Iran. In the Roman Empire during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Mithras was honored as the patron of loyalty to the emperor. (Britannica, 2016). The holiday dedicated to this god was known as, Dies Natalis Solis Invicti or birthday of the Unconquered Sun, and was celebrated on Mithras birthday, December 25th. To the Romans, Mithras was the same as their sun-god, Saturn. The widespread observance of Sunday as the 'Lord's day' is seemingly derived from Mithraism. Mithraism was coincidentally the final state religion before Christianity (Roman Catholicism. (Fingrut, 2016). Mithraism was in some aspects a secret society due to its secret oaths and rituals that its all male, upper-class members, who dominated the membership, engaged in. Constantine was raised in the religion of Sol Invicta, Mithraism. Today, Iranians celebrate Yalda. This is a winter solstice celebrated also known as Shab-e Cheleh. Yalda like Chrismas is celebrated by feasting with family and friends and staying up late (Mirrazavi, 2015).
Today's Christmas can be traced back to European domination of the world. Throughout Europe, many forms of similar winter solstice celebrations occurred. Greece had a celebration to honor Dionysus. He was basically identical to the Roman god Bacchus, who was the child of Jupitor(Zeus in Greek). Dionysus was the god of wine (grape harvest), and included parties, festivals, wild celebrations, madness, chaos, drunkenness, ecstasy and fertility. His birthday is also December 25th and the feast lasted for 12 days and was refered to as Bacchanalia. There were great feasts along with parades of naked women and public sex. This celebration's impact can be seen in carnivals and Mardi Gras. Finland had the Beiwe (Beaivi) festival. This was to honor the sun-goddess of fertility and sanity. Beiwe was sometimes shown as a male. During the winter solsice, white animals, particurly white reindeer, were sacrificed to Beiwe. hey believed Beiwe rode a sleigh made of reindeer bones and was pulled by white reindeer (Kaldera & Krasskova, 2012). Many Slavic people also celebrated Karachun. It is similar to Samhain (Halloween). It was held in honor of the black god, Chernoborg. They also have a white god (Belobog- god of light and sun), whose aid is sought to obtain protection or mercy. This religious dualism of white and black gods is common to practically all the peoples of Eurasia. (Gasparini, 2016). In Russia, they celebrated the antlered winter goddess, Rozhnitsa, at the winter solstice. In Northern Europe, they celebrated Yule. Yule, may sound quite familiar to you. This is because many of the English speaking world gets its Christmas traditions. It was a 12 day celebration that involved feasting and revelry. The night before Yule was called Mōdraniht, and it means Mother’s Night. During this night, the spirits of dead women and female deities were honored. Some of the traditions of Yule are: Yule tree, Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, and Yule singing. The tree was decorated around the winter solstice. The men would cut down evergreen trees and bring them into their homes. They would light Yule logs and eat, drink and make merry until the logs burned out. If the log burned until midmorning, it was considered a good omen (Peszecker & Llewellyn, 2015). It is beleived that each spark of the log represents an animal that would be born in the new year. This celebration was to honor father winter & snow queen or Skadi, of whom the land of Scandinavia is thought to be named after (Pesznecker & Llewellyn, 2015). At its height, the Yule goat was one of the most popular aspects of Yule. It was believed that the Nordic god, Thor, rode through the sky on a chariot pulled by 2 goats. The function of the yule goat is not fixed. In some societies, the Yule goat was represented as an evil spirit that went around demanding gifts and punishing children who were bad that year (Hawkins, 2013). This Yule goat is also known as Krampus. Krampus was santa Claus's companion. He would spank misbehaving children, eat them, or carry them off to hell. The ham was introduced to Yule through the god Freyr. Freyr is the ruler of peace, fertility, rain, sunshine, and the son of the sea god Njörd. (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2016). Freyr's mother is his father's sister. The pig was sacrificed to this god. Freyr is said to ride around on a boar by the name of Sónargǫltr, which means "atonement-boar." The holly was a sacred plant for the Romans to their god, Saturn and it was considered good luck. The plant is at its greenest this time of the year. They would tie this plant into a wreath and hang it at the front of their houses. The mistletoe is one of the major symbols of Paganism. When Paganism dominated Europe, people would hang the misletoe in areas where they congregated. The people would hang the mistletoe in areas where they congregated, and they believed it had magical powers. they believed the plant would protect them from evil spirits and bring them good luck. It was also a symbol of fertility. An Idol can be described as, a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered, or an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship. The God of the Hebrews, YHWH, hates idols. His second commandment in Exodus 20:4 strictly forbids this. On top of that, these scenes pre-date Jesus. They were originally created in honor of Nimrod, Seramesis, and Tammuz. The same scenes are replicated throughout the world to represent the god's of various nations. Sun worship and a winter solstice celebration of light, fertility, and new begginings on or around December 25th was one of the most popular celebrations for pagans worldwide. Every aspect of mainstream Christmas traditions have pagan roots. It is interesting to point out that nowhere in the bible does any of the apostles or their followers celebrate the birth of a baby Messiah. (Who some believe was actually born during Sukkot). In fact, these people continued to uphold the Holy Days and weekly Saturday Sabbath that were established by God.
So, If all of the Holy Days of the Christians are stolen from the pagans. What is one to do? How do you honor Jesus and worship God correctly? Well, it would appear God already provided an answer to that. As we walk through the 7 feast days that God commanded, you will see how these fit into Jesus' story. Like me, you may even realize that continuing to worship on these days and including Jesus in these celebrations his story would be so much stronger and would avoid violating God's commandments.
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