Human kind since prehistoric times have always had festivals and
celebrations. Our early ancestors were connected to the land and the
seasons in a way we are not because of our urban lifestyles.
In the cold northern hemisphere countries late December was mid-winter.
In the dark months of winter in the cold countries much preparation was
made to be able to survive the cold months. Food had to be stored. The
Dark days where usually spent indoors since it was to cold outside. There
was no farming done and people rested. In the middle of winter, they
celebrated the half way mark to spring and this is where the Christmas
traditions started.
The fact that Christmas is celebrated all over the world in many different
countries is an indication of the influences these early northern people had
on the world. The celebrations meanings and symbols have changed and
evolved as different peoples and ideas came together but the source is still
the same- Mid winter celebration in the northern hemisphere.
Much has been written about the source of various traditions like Santa
Claus, mistletoe, and Christmas trees. Many of these symbols have been
loved and hated by people though the ages. In England Christmas was
banned for a while by the puritans as a pagan holiday. The Americans
condemned Christmas as an English holiday for a time but after all of this
Christmas has survived and spread all over the world and is celebrated
everywhere.
The reason for this I believe is because people love to celebrate. We love
to plan and prepare and look forward to events. We want to make
connections with others. Human beings are also connected to the rhythms
of the earth and the seasons are important to us today, even though we are
not as connected as our early ancestors.
Christianity as we know it today is relatively new in the history of the world
yet has ancient roots. Jesus was a Jew. His religion was a form of Judaism
but the truths he preached are universal truths. The question is was Jesus
teaching a new religion or restoring a knowledge of something human kind
has always known. Human consciousness needs to worship. Deities have
been worshiped since mankind inhabited the earth. The early cave men
had statues of a female goddess who the scientist tell us these early
people worshiped. It has been surmised that cave painting was a form of
worship.
Jesus summarized His teachings into two commandments. Love the lord
your God with all your might, mind and strength and your neighbor as
yourself.
In Matthew 22:37-39, we read, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first
and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself.”
Religion has evolved with man and the civilizations we have created. There
are fundamental truths that are believed in many religions and cultures.
The first of these is that God created the world and mankind. As our creator
he is to be worshiped because he gave us life. Many religions disagree
about who, what or how this was done, but most agree that there is a
supreme being that created us. We are his children.
The second is that mankind is separated from God and wants to return to
God’s presence this leads us to Jesus Christ and the reason for his birth.
Mankind is not worthy to be with God because mankind is not clean.
Mankind needs to be cleansed to be reunited with the God that created us.
Mankind wants to be like his creator.
Human beings are creative and imaginative. We have a need to make and
build things. We have an innate desire to believe in powers beyond
ourselves. We have a need to worship and have rituals. All people have
rituals and beliefs. This sets us apart from the animal kingdom. They do not
worship as we do. Christmas like the other holidays we celebrate helps us
fill these needs.
Below is a list of interesting websites that talk about the origins of
Christmas.
https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history‐of‐christmas
https://historydaily.org/odin‐and‐santa
https://historydaily.org/odin‐and‐santa
www.washingtonpost.com/news/answersheet/
wp/2015/12/25/why-is-christmas-on-dec-25-a-brief-historylesson-
that-may-surprise-you/
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