Firstly, there is no evidence which connects any pagan festival around 25th December and establishment of Christmas in the Roman Empire. This may be a controversial claim, as the common trope is Christmas is just a Christianised pagan celebration. But there is no direct evidence in the contemporary historical documents which explain how Christmas was established to replace a pagan festival. It is conjecture from later writers and any connections are merely coincidental. Christmas was not originally a pagan festival.
Saturnalia - just a coincidence. I’ll put a post on Notes about why Christmas was 25th December at some point. Or I’ll link a video.
I think pagans fully understood the ‘light in the darkness’ motif and I suspect they brought some of their own traditions across into Christianity. By the time the Northern European pagans became Christians, Christmas was already established as 25th December.
There does appear to be a significant differences between the pagan and Christian winter festivals. Anglo-Saxon Christians don’t have the blood sacrifices, revelry or orgies, unlike their former pagan culture.
I agree - Pagan Anglo-Saxon Christmas is a weird way of framing it, but it kind of makes sense from our cultural standpoint.
Thanks for saying Christmas is not pagan! Honestly I really get tired of this old trope, repeated every year. There is loads of evidence for the Christian origins of Christmas. I don't like the idea of an Anglo Saxon Christmas either, other than the feasting!
The pagans' activities put me in the mind of an alternative ending to the movie Carrie. The one where she goes to the after party instead of burning everyone.
Norse paganism. Aztec religion. Sorry, but it's an unalloyed good to see the back of them.
Saturnalia - just a coincidence. I’ll put a post on Notes about why Christmas was 25th December at some point. Or I’ll link a video.
I think pagans fully understood the ‘light in the darkness’ motif and I suspect they brought some of their own traditions across into Christianity. By the time the Northern European pagans became Christians, Christmas was already established as 25th December.
There does appear to be a significant differences between the pagan and Christian winter festivals. Anglo-Saxon Christians don’t have the blood sacrifices, revelry or orgies, unlike their former pagan culture.
I agree - Pagan Anglo-Saxon Christmas is a weird way of framing it, but it kind of makes sense from our cultural standpoint.
Thanks for saying Christmas is not pagan! Honestly I really get tired of this old trope, repeated every year. There is loads of evidence for the Christian origins of Christmas. I don't like the idea of an Anglo Saxon Christmas either, other than the feasting!
The pagans' activities put me in the mind of an alternative ending to the movie Carrie. The one where she goes to the after party instead of burning everyone.
Norse paganism. Aztec religion. Sorry, but it's an unalloyed good to see the back of them.
Yule?