“Christmas is actually based upon a pagan festival celebrated on this same date of Dec. 25.” No doubt you’ve heard some version of this statement – whether in pop culture or the media or on social media. Perhaps you’ve got friends and family that take this stance. Sounds plausible, doesn’t it? But it’s not true! It is a modern myth.
Sometimes the claim is made that Christmas was originally the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, a feast to the god Saturn. Except Saturnalia was originally celebrated on Dec. 17. Over the years, that festival expanded until it lasted until Dec. 23. Either way, not Dec. 25; so, no, ancient Christians did not repurpose pagan Saturnalia.
Perhaps the most popular claim is that, under the old Roman calendar, Dec. 25 was the winter solstice. On that day, pagan Rome held its feast of Sol Invictus: the feast of the Invincible Sun. Thus, the western Church repurposed a feast to the Sun, turning it into a celebration for the birth of the Son of God. Checkmate, Christians!
Leaving aside the fact that the sun/son play on words doesn’t work outside of English, we need to ask, is this really the case?
Well, it is true that Dec. 25 used to be the date of the winter solstice. It is also true that pagan feast of Sol Invictus was celebrated on that date. Except that the earliest direct reference we have of the actual date of Sol Invictus is from the Filocalian calendar of 354 AD. According to Wikipedia, this document also refers to Christmas being celebrated on Dec. 25. Wikipedia further notes that Emperor Aurelian instituted Sol Invictus in AD 274.
However, before Aurelian established the Dec. 25 date, the earliest references we have to Roman sun festivals place them on a variety of dates—Aug. 8, 9, 28; Oct. 19, 22; and Dec. 11—but not Dec. 25. Beyond that, Christians were already celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ on Dec. 25 decades before the Emperor Aurelian came along. In fact, it is just as likely, if not more so, that Aurelian established Sol Invictus on Dec. 25 to compete with the growing popularity of Christianity rather than the other way around (for more information, see inspiringphilosophy.org/holidays).
So, if Christmas was not a repurposed version of Sol Invictus, then why did Christians choose Dec. 25 to celebrate the nativity of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God? Scholars debate whether Dec. 25 was the literal birthday of Jesus or just an official birthday (like how in Great Britian, there is a national holiday recognizing the King or Queen’s birthday, which is different from his or her actual birthday). Although the reasons are lost to history, the most likely answer to, “why Dec. 25?” is that a popular folk belief amongst both Jews and Christians of those centuries was that a prophet’s life would display a God-blessed symmetry. A prophet’s life would end on the same day it began. Even before Christmas started to be celebrated, the Church started to recognize March 25 as the day the angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary and announced to her that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and bear a Son (March 25 also being understood, whether accurate or not, as the date of Jesus’ actual crucifixion). If Jesus’ miraculous conception occurred the same day as Gabriel’s annunciation, then counting forward nine months from March 25 puts you at, bingo, Dec. 25!
So, enjoy your Christmas celebrations! Don’t let modern mythmakers detract or distract you from the astounding, life-changing, world-altering significance of the birth of the man Christ Jesus. “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:11). “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11). “And the angel said to [the shepherds], “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
Merry Christmas!
