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Show ! Christmas Season Celebrated Before Christ Was Born Strange as it seems, th Christmas Christ-mas season was celebrated long before be-fore Christ was born. Of course, It wasn't called Christmas then, but many religious and pagan ceremonies ceremo-nies were held during the Christmas period. This period is celebrated by the Jews as the Festival of Lights or Dedication. According to Jewish history, a large force of Maccabees defeated an army of Syrians in 165 B. C. The victors began the work of purifying the desolate Jerusalem, completing their task on December 25. The Jews have celebrated the eight days previous to December 25 ever since that time. The proximity of Christmas to the winter solstice caused many pagan ceremonies to be held during that period. In Scandinavian countries, great fires were kindled in the middle mid-dle of December to defy th Frost King. Centuries before this, the ancient Druids of England observed this season in their roofless temples. Torches blazed as strange ceremonies ceremo-nies were performed, dealing with the cutting of the mistletoe. Several accepted Christmas customs cus-toms of today originated with the old Roman celebration of Saturnalia. Saturna-lia. The higher class of free Romans Ro-mans exchanged presents with their friends. Inside houses, candles were lit and the rooms and halls adorned with laurel and green trees. These festivals in honor of the god Saturnus were started before the earliest recorded history of that great empire. The pagans celebrated celebrat-ed from December 17 to 24 In honor of their sun god. Among the slaves and lower classes, the celebration was transformed into unrestrained orgies. Even the ancient Egyptians celebrated cele-brated the Midwinter festival. Near the end of December they rejoiced over the birth of Horui, ion of the god Isis. The last religious celebration to be held on Christmas day appeared in the middle of the Fourth century, A. D. At this time various dates assigned as-signed to the birth of Christ wr examined; and the Catholic church in Rome proclaimed December 25 to be Christmas. |