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It’s that time of the year again! Christmas, a time for family, friends and reflections on our lives.
Christmas has been around as a formal holiday since December 25th, 336 AD, by proclamation of Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman Emperor. But was there a Christmas before Christmas? Well, yes and no. Yes-- because there is abundant proof of Christmas-like holidays prior to there being a Christmas; and No-- because there can be no official Christmas before there was an official Christmas! So really it depends on how you define Christmas. But let’s explore! First, how was the date of Christmas chosen, since there is no direct evidence that December 25th is the appropriate date of the historical birth of Jesus of Nazareth (and lots of evidence that it wasn’t)? Most historians believe that December 25th was chosen because it was already part of an established holiday throughout the Roman empire called Saturnalia. Saturnalia had many similarities to Christmas-- including decorated greens and trees that were a precursor to Christmas trees (as Tom mentions in the story!)-- and the Church believed that Christmas would be more readily adopted if it was already part of an existing holiday. Saturnalia was the celebration of the Roman god Saturn, the god of wealth, liberation and agricultural abundance. Saturnalia was celebrated from December 17th through December 23rd and included parties, celebration, role reversal (where masters would serve food to their cooks, servants and slaves, for instance) and gift giving. It was also a time of thanksgiving to the god Saturn for their continued good fortune. Most historians believe December 25th was also influenced by how close the date was to the Winter Solstice (the shortest day of the year; technically, it’s when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun, which means a lot less of the day has sunlight). The celebration of the Winter Solstice goes back as far in history as humankind. Humans quickly discovered that days go from shorter to longer on the Winter Solstice, and thus Spring was rapidly approaching; bringing along with it warmer weather and the “sowing of seeds” that would ultimately lead to the harvest, which allowed the family or tribe to survive another year. Prior to Saturnalia, the Ancient Greeks celebrated Kronia, which was not celebrated in December, but did have many of the same characteristics as Saturnalia. Kronia was the celebration of the god Kronos (the god of time) and also included role reversal or equality among all, and gift giving. It was a time of feasting and thus was a harvest holiday, a typical holiday held by many peoples throughout the history of humankind. There were other pre-Christmases as well-- for instance, Athenians had a holiday called Antherseria; the pre-Roman world (before it became a combined empire) had a holiday called Hermia which celebrated the god Hermes (god of trade and commerce and also a handy guy to have around in a relay race) and had many of the same characteristics as Christmas. There were also other known similar holidays in the ancient world whose names have been lost to history-- including a holiday in Babylon that was remarkably like Saturnalia! Throughout all time, we’ve always seemed to have an inherent need to reflect on our lives-- to defy the bad times, the tough times, like winter, and celebrate the good, the merry, the full-of-life-- just as Tom said. And THAT is the heart and soul of Christmas, as it was in any of the pre-Christmas-like holidays too. So this Christmas, when you’re “enjoying” all that time with your extended family, watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas for the thousandth time and doing your best to dodge small talk by staring at your phone, remember: you’re part of a tradition of celebration that has been around since the beginning of our species. So maybe you can stand that hug from your Aunt Sharron and that lecture from your Uncle John about how bad the music you listen to is. Because, in the larger scheme of things-- well, it’s just a part of the human tradition. (And maybe your Uncle John isn’t completely wrong. Because when he was your age, he had the Ramones. And the Ramones rocked.) |
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GLOSSARY
Ancient Greeks peoples belonging to the Ancient Greek civilization that existed between the 12th-9th centuries BC.
Ancient World term for the collective past events from the beginning of writing to approximately the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD.
Athenians peoples who lived in the Grecian city of Athens during the period of the Ancient Greeks.
Babylon a key kingdom/city in Mesopotamia from the 18th-6th centuries BC.
Harvest Holiday a type of celebration practiced in many different forms for all of human history, usually occurring around the same time as the main crop harvest of a given region.
Hermes god of trade, heralds, merchants, commerce and athletes in Ancient Greek mythology; also portrayed as having “super speed.”
Kronia an Athenian festival held in honor of Kronos, in what is roughly equivalent to late-July/early-August that had numerous similarities to the later holidays of Saturnalia and Christmas.
Kronos king of the Titans and god of time in Ancient Greek mythology.
Saturn god in Roman mythology that was similar in history to the Greek god Kronos, and was often depicted as an agricultural god.
Saturnalia ancient Roman festival celebrating the god Saturn in December; known as a direct predecessor to Christmas.
Winter Solstice the “shortest day of the year”, the Winter Solstice occurs twice yearly (once in each hemisphere) when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun.
Ancient World term for the collective past events from the beginning of writing to approximately the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD.
Athenians peoples who lived in the Grecian city of Athens during the period of the Ancient Greeks.
Babylon a key kingdom/city in Mesopotamia from the 18th-6th centuries BC.
Harvest Holiday a type of celebration practiced in many different forms for all of human history, usually occurring around the same time as the main crop harvest of a given region.
Hermes god of trade, heralds, merchants, commerce and athletes in Ancient Greek mythology; also portrayed as having “super speed.”
Kronia an Athenian festival held in honor of Kronos, in what is roughly equivalent to late-July/early-August that had numerous similarities to the later holidays of Saturnalia and Christmas.
Kronos king of the Titans and god of time in Ancient Greek mythology.
Saturn god in Roman mythology that was similar in history to the Greek god Kronos, and was often depicted as an agricultural god.
Saturnalia ancient Roman festival celebrating the god Saturn in December; known as a direct predecessor to Christmas.
Winter Solstice the “shortest day of the year”, the Winter Solstice occurs twice yearly (once in each hemisphere) when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun.
