Halloween

[Minister of Truth]

Yes I have. Its an excellent eye opener for those who beieve Jesus was born on Dec 25th with a decorated tree in the banr.

The Bible says that Christ was born a certain number of months after John T. Baptist, who was born on Pentecost. That puts him in December - only the number 25 is arbitrary. And yes, the German Christmas Tree has a story of its own...

 

[uscitizen]

The Bible says that Christ was born a certain number of months after John T. Baptist, who was born on Pentecost. That puts him in December - only the number 25 is arbitrary. And yes, the German Christmas Tree has a story of its own...

Many theologians put the birth of christ more like in the spring.
Tax time for the romans and such.


but since there is no real proof that Jesus ever existed.

 

[Cancel3]

The tax time reference gives a more reliable birth date than the birthdate of John the Baptist.

I have seen spring and I have seen late summer.

But nowhere have I seen much credence put into the December birth.



The german xmas tree comes from old pagan traditions of using the evergreen trees to celebrate Yule. And that is certainly not christianity.

When the christian missionaries began spreading thru Europe, they found it easier to allow the pagans to keep their same holidays by adopting them as christian holidays with new meanings.

Thus, Yule (which involved the death and rebirth of the sun god) became the birth of the son of god.

Ostara (a pagan ritual holiday celebrating spring) became Easter.

 

[uscitizen]

Yeah Christmas was a midwinter festival in several different forms before Christianity co-opted it.

 

[Cancel3]

Yeah Christmas was a midwinter festival in several different forms before Christianity co-opted it.

The celebration of the longest night of the year was very popular in pagan religions.

It showed them that spring was coming, because the days would start getting longer after than.

 

[uscitizen]

The celebration of the longest night of the year was very popular in pagan religions.

It showed them that spring was coming, because the days would start getting longer after than.

yep and this Easter was fertility rites of spring. Hence the rabbit and egg.

I wonder how closely the crucifixation tracks with the origional spring festivals ?

 

[Cancel3]

yep and this Easter was fertility rites of spring. Hence the rabbit and egg.

I wonder how closely the crucifixation tracks with the origional spring festivals ?

Easter is celebrated on the first sunday after the first full moon afterthe vernal equinox. (sort of a paganish way to pic a date, dontcha think?)

In old pagan faiths there were usually two or three "spring" seasons. Early spring, mid spring and late spring are much different.

 

[uscitizen]

Easter is celebrated on the first sunday after the first full moon afterthe vernal equinox. (sort of a paganish way to pic a date, dontcha think?)

In old pagan faiths there were usually two or three "spring" seasons. Early spring, mid spring and late spring are much different.

I guess that method sort of averaged out the pagan holidays for the Christians.

 

[Cancel3]

I guess that method sort of averaged out the pagan holidays for the Christians.

Well, the christians adopted pagan holidays for a variety of reasons.

One is that it made conversions easier. They couldn't do much with Beltane because that usually involved lots of running around naked and getting laid. Two things the church has never been big on.

They also did it because lots of regions were not particularly fond of the christian missionaries. So a "covert" conversion was easier when they allowed the same celebrations.


Personally I think christianity could do with more naked pagan dancing around a bonfire. Its good for the soul.

 

[Damocles]

I can't imagine why it would be important to celebrate it on the exact day. The Catholics were very smart to integrate it with Pagan Saturnalia and other Pagan holidays (different religions). It's also a great time of the year to have a celebration. The sucky weather in winter and the limited daylight hours tends to make people grumpy, just the time for a good cheer type of holiday.

 

[Cancel3]

I can't imagine why it would be important to celebrate it on the exact day. The Catholics were very smart to integrate it with Pagan Saturnalia and other Pagan holidays (different religions). It's also a great time of the year to have a celebration. The sucky weather in winter and the limited daylight hours tends to make people grumpy, just the time for a good cheer type of holiday.

I agree Damo. On the first warm days when there is all that new green, its easy to feel like celebrating.

Just like the fall harvest festivals, when its turning cool and the leaves are changing.