Just the other day I was asked with no hint of irony why I, as an atheist, felt entitled to celebrate Christmas? Why would an atheist celebrate such an overtly Christian festival? You're doing it just for the presents aren't you? Sure, on the surface those without a modicum of sense or lack of historical knowledge might agree that this was a perfectly legitimate accusation to make. After all didn't it suggest a degree of hypocrisy? I mean I don't believe in the virgin birth; I reject the suggestion that Jesus (if he ever existed) was the son of any sort of celestial sky fairy; and I certainly don't believe that he was born on the 25th of December. What right have I indeed to celebrate Christmas? Well... to put it simply I don't celebrate Christmas. Not in the Christian sense anyway. Nor do the vast majority of us.
'Christmas' and Christianity is nothing more than a plagiarism and hijacking of pre-Christian religious beliefs and festivals. Take a closer look at Christianity and you'll find that very little of it is original. As it's Christmas lets take Jesus' birthday for instance. No one really knows when he was born. The early Christians didn't really take much of an interest in birthdays and managed to forget their Saviour's. Various Christian groups at the time celebrated it on what seems like arbitrarily selected dates, these being: 6th January, 21st April and 1st May. I've also read suggestions that include 19th April and 30th May. To put it simply no one has a clue. So where do we go from here?
The Christian Church, in a masterstroke of opportunism, eventually selected the approximate date of the winter solstice as the date to recognise Jesus' birthday; picking up the date from pagan sources. The winter solstice occurs about December 21st each year. It is the day of the year when the night is longest and the daytime shortest. It was also a time of high anxiety throughout the Northern Hemisphere. For the previous six months, the daylight hours had been progressively shortening and the midday Sun had been lower in the sky each day. There was a fear that the Sun would continue this trend, that the cold season might continue forever, and warmth might never return to Earth. Using the crude instruments available, the astronomers of the day were able to detect that by December 25th of each year the daytime had become noticeably longer and the midday Sun was once more higher in the sky. This date was chosen, and remains, the traditional date for followers of many different Pagan and Neo-pagan (you know all those 'White Witch' prats that turn up at Stonehenge every year) religions to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun. Following the solstice, each succeeding day has slightly more sunlight than the previous day. It was interpreted as a promise that warmth would return once more to the Earth. Numerous pre-Christian Pagan religions honoured a birth or rebirth of one of their gods or goddesses on or about that day.
Here's a few examples:
- In Roman pagan religion Attis was a son of the virgin Nana. His birth was celebrated on December 25th. He was sacrificed as an adult in order to bring salvation to mankind. He died after being crucified on a tree, and descended for three days into the underworld. On Sunday, he arose, as the solar deity for the new season. Hmm, sounds familiar.
- In Greek pagan religion Dionysus is another saviour-god whose birth was observed on December 25th. He had a centre of worship in Jerusalem in the 1st century BCE. Some ancient coins were found in Gaza with Dionysus on one side and JHWH (Jehovah) on the other. In later years, his flesh and blood were symbolically eaten in the form of bread and wine. He was viewed as the son of Zeus, the Father God. Sound like anyone you know?
- In Egyptian pagan religion Horus was born of a virgin on... you'll never guess... December 25th... with his birth being announced by a star in the east and attended by three wise men. Getting the picture?
- Mithras of Persia was a sun god who was born of a virgin on December 25th (when else?) and his birth was attended by shepherds bearing gifts. He was crucified, buried in a tomb then rose again after 3 days. This is getting ridiculous now.
Here's a few more with the same birthdays and who were also born of a virgin: Adonis, Buddha, Krishna, Perseus,Tammuz and Zoroaster. It's well documented - look them up.
What better way to encourage the expansion and growth of your religion than by supplanting other people's belief systems and incorporating them in to your own. The Romans were first class at this and so evidently were the early Christians. Therefore, it is utterly ridiculous to say that December 25th is the culmination of a 'Christian' festival. Not that much of what we do during Christmas has anything to do with Christianity anyway. Certainly the giving of gifts is a relatively recent development, despite the parallels with the giving of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. The early Dutch settlers to North America introduced St Nick or Santa Claus, and by the 19th century the idea of gift giving brought on new dimensions as the works of Charles Dickens and others all helped to shape our concepts of the winter holiday.
Let's take a moment to consider the other customs and traditions that we commonly employ during Christmas that have nothing to do with Christianity.
Christmas Cards: first used in Britain 1843 and a central part of Christmas today. A way of displaying good will and of keeping the likes of Clinton Cards in business.
Christmas Trees - The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands to symbolise eternal life was a custom of the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. Tree worship was common among the pagan Europeans and survived their conversion to Christianity in the Scandinavian customs of decorating the house and barn with evergreens at the New Year to scare away the devil.
Holly Wreaths and Mistletoe - Combining the symbolism (the circle represents the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter) of the wreath with the believed magical powers of holly, the Romans exchanged holly Wreaths as gifts. Once Christianity took hold in Rome, holly wreaths became Christmas wreaths as part of popular holiday decorations, but mistletoe was considered "pagan" because of its mystic properties. In 575 A.D., a German Catholic Bishop forbade all Christmas greens and condemned them as "dangerous and heathen". It took a while for them to make a comeback.
So what is Christmas in the 21st Century really all about? For some, it is a way to celebrate a Christian holy day - 'Christ Mass'. But who but a handful of Christians really views it as this anymore? Very few I would wager. So is there a modern meaning of Christmas? I'm not sure.
Some will point to the disgusting concept of rabid consumerism. Like many of my Christian acquaintances, I am not overly fond of the commercialisation of Christmas and I bristle at seeing decorations any time before December 1st, but I suppose Christmas is unique to every household.
For me, Christmas is simply about having something happy and joyful to look forward to in what is the coldest and darkest part of the year. I enjoy seeing and spending time with family and friends that I don't see very often throughout the rest of the year. Christmas is also a time to remember family and friends who are no longer with us. They stay with us in loving memory, and we celebrate how much richer our lives are because they were a part of us, shaping us, and making us better for knowing them. And so we hand down stories to our children and grandchildren of grandparents, aunts, uncles and others who they shall never know, but ought to know about.
Any present I receive at Christmas is a bonus. In truth, witnessing my father's efforts during the obligatory Christmas Day game of charades is worth more to me than any iPad or some other overpriced gadget that's going to fall to pieces within the year. It's the predictable hilarity and sense of well being that makes it such a special day, and my favourite of the year.
Everyone's idea of Christmas will of course be different but that's mine. And that's precisely it. It's a festival that each family makes their own and everyone has a right to take part in it. Celebration is not owned by any one culture and especially not by any one religion. It is part of our humanity. Always has been and always will be. Christianity does not hold a monopoly on the meaning of December 25th and if the Mayans are to be believed none of this will matter in the slightest anyway.
Merry Christmas to you all and a very Happy New Year!
