The Origins of Christmas

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world" (Christmas - Wikipedia)

However, beginning in the 17th century (noauthor_2004-tb, Horvat2010-se) there is a growing tread to refute the holiday as unholy, a day that should not be celebrated by Christians. The most stated reason is that Christmas found it's origins in Paganism and that December 25th is not the correct date of Christs birth. Those that hold this claim often take several aspects of Christmas such as decorating, carols, gift giving and the holiday itself is taken from various other pagan worship practices. The idea is that the Christian church "Christianize" other holidays in an attempt to get pagans to worship their God. However, most of these claims simply do not hold up in light of the evidence we have from history and it is little more then myth.

Christmas, observed primarily on December 25, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and is celebrated globally The date was likely determined by early Christians either through an ancient Jewish belief that a holy man's life would span a whole number of years, thus aligning his death and conception dates, or based on the account of Zachariah and the Annunciation of Mary in Luke's Gospel. While Saturnalia, a Roman holiday celebrating the god Saturn, and Dies Natalis Sol Invictus, a festival marking the first day of the spring equinox, are sometimes cited as possible pagan origins, there's little evidence to support these claims. For instance, Saturnalia involved gift-giving, but it is unlikely that Christmas borrowed from this tradition. As for Dies Natalis Sol Invictus, there is no proof that it predated the Christian celebration of Christmas; rather, it seems more plausible that the festival was established to provide a pagan context to a date already significant to Roman Catholics.

However, early authors, such as Macrobius, indicate that Saturnalia began around December 17th and lasted only a few days, meaning it was never celebrated on December 25th [9-12]. If the Church had intended to replace Saturnalia, the Christmas celebration would logically fall on December 17th [2, 11]. Regarding Sol Invictus, scholars note that the earliest inscription linking the festival of the Unconquered Sun to December 25th dates to 354 AD (in the Philocalian Calendar), which is after Christians had already established the date for Christmas [8, 13-17]. In fact, scholars like Thomas Tayley suggest it is more likely that the Roman Emperor Aurelian placed the Sol Invictus celebration on December 25th to actively compete with the growing rate of Christianity [10, 12, 13, 17]. The selection of December 25th by Christians originated from their own theological calculations, based on the early church belief that Jesus was conceived on the same day he was crucified (March 25th), placing his birth nine months later [3, 11, 18-21].

Furthermore, attempts to trace Christmas traditions to Norse or Germanic festivals like Yule also lack supporting evidence [22-24]. There is no indication that any modern Christmas customs are derived from Yule [25]. Instead, the Icelandic chronicler Snorri Sturlson records that the Christian King Hakan the Good established the Yule celebration on December 25th specifically to coincide with Christmas [20, 22, 24, 26, 27]. This historical account suggests that Yule was altered to resemble Christmas, not the reverse [22, 27]. Even traditions like the Christmas tree do not have pagan origins, with records indicating the practice arose in the Middle Ages (with the first historical mention in 1561 in Alsace, France) [28-31]. Most historians trace the Christmas tree to the Christian tradition of using "Paradise trees" (evergreens decorated with apples) in Adam and Eve plays typically performed on December 24th [29, 30, 32-34]. Ultimately, the assertion that Christmas is pagan is unsupported by historical source material, and leading historians concur that Christmas is "entirely Christian in origin" [2, 4, 5].

Cited Scholars and Authors (Referenced in the Sources):

• Ronald Hutton [4, 5, 17, 35, 36]
• Thomas Schmidt [4, 5, 21]
• Thomas Tayley (or T.) [4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 14, 37]
• Stephen Hedgemons/Hitchman's [4, 5, 14]
• Tanya Gulovich [5, 24, 29-31, 38-40]
• Macrobius (Fifth Century Author) [9-12]
• Snorri Sturlson (Scandinavian Historian/Chronicler) [20, 22, 24, 26, 27]
• John Chrysostom [37, 41]
• Jacqueline Simpson and Stephen Rhode [25, 26, 42]
• Sebastian Bran [29]
• Robert Herrick [25, 43-45]
• John Aubry [25, 44, 45]
• William Coles [43]
  Based on the sources provided, here is a list of the cited scholars, authors, or historical figures and the specific works or references attributed to them:

Other Cited Scholars/Historians/Figures Whose Specific Works Are Not Titled:

The sources also reference arguments or findings from several other scholars and figures without listing a specific book or title:

• Thomas Tayley (or Thomas T, Thomas Schmidt, Thomas Taylor) [1-3, 11-15]. He is noted as a historian who argues that Roman Emperor Aurelian likely placed Sol Invictus on December 25th to compete with Christianity [1, 2].
• John Chrysostom (or John Christim) [3, 16]. He is cited for saying in 386 A.D. that celebrating Christmas on December 25th was a longtime tradition [3, 16].
• Sextus Julius Africanus [6]. He is credited with having concluded in the late second/early third century that Jesus was born on December 25th [6].
• Pliny the Younger [6]. He noted that Roman temples were being forsaken due to Christian converts [6].
• Pliny the Elder [7, 17, 18]. He is cited regarding the calculation of months by Gaelic tribes [7], the sacred nature of mistletoe to the Gauls [17], and the winter solstice being on the 26th [18].
• St Bede (or St Bead) [7]. He is cited for saying that the calculation of months was according to the course of the moon [7].
• The Chronicler Thightmar [19]. He observed the Danes sacrificing to pagan gods in January [19].
• Snorri Sturluson (or Snorri Sterlson) [19, 20]. He is an Icelandic chronicler/historian who recorded that King Hakan the Good established Yule on December 25th to coincide with Christmas [19-22].
• Jacqueline Simpson and Stephen Rhode/Rhodes [7, 23]. They are cited regarding the definition of the word 'Yule' and the distinction between a custom being older than Christianity versus arguing it is a pagan survival [7, 23].
• Tanya Gulovich (or Tanya Golovic/Goolovich) [10, 13, 14, 24-27]. She is cited regarding the origin of stockings, the Christmas tree evolving from Paradise trees, and early ornaments [10, 24-27].
• Sebastian Bran [24]. He is mentioned for noting the practice of bringing pine branches into one's home for New Year's in 1494 [24].
• Ronald Hutton [13, 14, 18, 28-30]. He is a historian noted for stating that the traditional Pagan Roman Calendar had no holiday on December 25th (the winter solstice) [18, 28-30].
• Columella [18]. He suggested the winter solstice occurred on the 23rd [18].
• Stephen Hedgemons (or Stephen Hitchman's) [12-14]. He is referenced alongside Thomas Tayley concerning the lack of evidence for Aurelian establishing Sol Invictus on December 25th [12-14].
• Epimenides and Aratus (or Erratus) [31, 32]. Paul quotes these pagan poets in Acts 17 [31, 32].
• Marcus Radio [33-35]. A Finnish radio broadcaster who rebranded Santa Claus as Joulupukki [33-35].

The Origins of Christmas: A Historically Grounded Case That Christmas Is Not Pagan

Christmas, celebrated on December 25, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and is one of the most widespread religious celebrations in the world. These objections rely heavily on assumptions and modern myths rather than historical evidence. A

Early Christians did not select December 25 to imitate pagan festivals. Rather, two early Christian traditions point to December 25:

1. The “integral age” tradition—the ancient Jewish belief that great prophets died on the same date they were conceived. Jesus was believed to have been crucified on March 25. This placed His conception on March 25 and His birth nine months later, on December 25 (Sextus Julius Africanus; Augustine).

2. The chronology of Luke’s Gospel—connecting the priestly service of Zechariah with the Annunciation also places Jesus’ birth in late December.

By the early 200s, Hippolytus of Rome already lists December 25 as the date of Christ’s birth. By 386 AD, John Chrysostom says the date was a long-established Christian tradition.

• "Christmas replaced .”

• "Christmas replaced .”

A true pagan origin claim must show:

1. A pre-existing pagan ritual
2. The same date
3. The same meaning/symbolism
4. Christians adopting it as pagan

No Christmas tradition satisfies all four criteria.