It’s quite obvious that the
word Christmas is an acronym to big festivity, an annual merry making event
that the verse mass of Christendom look forward to every year ending. To quite
a good number of persons, it’s a big treat and a time of warmness and
expression of love. To equally a good number of persons it is nothing but a big
religious event to mark the celebration of “an all important event that marked
our common era- the birth of the savior, Jesus Christ.”
However, for some time now,
there had been an equally increasing number of people with differing views as
to what and how Christmas should be celebrated, as a religious event or as a
purely secular event.
No wonder during the winter
of 2004, the Christmas season in Italy was marked by a lively debate. Some educators and
teachers supported the idea of reducing to a minimum or even completely
eliminating any reference to religious Christmas tradition. They advocated this
out of respect for the increasing number of school children who are neither
Catholics nor Protestants. However, others in scholastic circles and elsewhere
demanded that the traditions be respected and fully preserved.
Aside from this controversy,
though, just what are the origins of many of the Christmas traditions? As the
debate was reaching its climax, the Vatican newspaper
L’OSSERVATORE ROMEANO made some interesting observations.
Regarding the date when
Christmas is celebrated, the Catholic newspaper said: “The real date of Jesus
birth, from the historical viewpoint, lies concealed beneath a veil of
uncertainty as regards Roman history, the imperial census of that time and
research in subsequent centuries…..The date of 25th December, as is
well known, was chosen by the church of Rome in the fourth century. This date
in pagan Rome was dedicated to the Sun god….Although Christianity
had already been affirmed in Rome by an Edit
of Constantine, the myth of ……the Sun god was still widespread ,
especially among soldiers. The above mentioned festivities, centred on 25
December, were deeply rooted in popular tradition. This gives the church of
Rome the idea of impressing a Christian religious significance on the day by
replacing the Sun god with the true Sun of Justice , Jesus Christ, choosing it
as a day on which to celebrate his birth.”
One is quick to ask: “What
about the Christmas tree, which is now part of the Catholic tradition?”
The article in the Catholic
newspaper pointed out tat back in ancient times, many evergreens, such as
“Holly, butcher’s broom, Laurel
and Branches of pine or fir were considered to have magical or medical powers
that would ward off illness.” It went to say: “ON CHRISTMAS EVE, 24 December, A
dam and Eve would be commemorated with the highly popular episode of the Tree
of the earthly Paradise…The tree ought to have been an apple tree, but since an
apple would have been inappropriate in winter, a fir tree was set on the stage
and some apples put on its branches or, to symbolize the future coming of the
Redemption, wafers prepared with crushed biscuits in special moulds that were
symbols of the Eucharistic presence of Jesus, as well as sweet and gifts for
children.”
Again, What then about after
that time?
Mentioning that the tradition
of using a Christmas tree first started in Germany in the 16th
century, L’Ossertore Romano noted with insight: “Italy was one of the last
countries to accept the Christmas tree, partly because of a rather widespread
rumors that the use of Christmas trees was a Protestant practice and should
thus be replaced by the crib
.” Pope Paul VI “began the
tradition of setting up a massive Christmas tree” near the Nativity Scene.
In view of all these, do you
find it acceptable that a religious leader would give a seemly Christian
meaning to events and symbols whose roots go back to ancient paganism? As to
the proper course, the Scriptures admonish true Christians: “What fellowship do
righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with
darkness?” -2 Corinthians 6:14-17.