Most of the holiday traditions of this time of year can be traced back thousands of years to the celebration of the Winter Solstice. Because the earth is tilted on its axis as it circles the sun, we experience seasons. At the Winter Solstice (derived from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere," to cause to stand still) the sun is at its lowest point in the sky and the hours of darkness are the longest. This year, the solstice occurs on
Sat., Dec. 22, 2007, 1:08 A.M. EST.
For those living long ago, this was a difficult time. Growing season had ended and they had to live off of what food was stored and what animals they could find. The people feared that as the sun sank lower in the sky, perhaps it would never return, and they would be left in the darkness and bitter cold forever. When, after the solstice, they saw that light was again increasing, naturally it was a cause for celebration. Though many more months of cold lay ahead, they knew that the full warmth of the sun would again return, and so this time came to be associated with rebirth and renewal.
As early as four thousand years ago, ancient Egyptians celebrated the rebirth of the sun at this time of year. They set the length of the festival at 12 days, to reflect the 12 divisions in their sun calendar and decorated with palms that had 12 shoots (a symbol of the completed year, since a palm was thought to grow a new shoot each month). The theme of rebirth was portrayed by a ritual in which Isis circled the shrine of Osiris seven times, to represent her mourning for him and her wanderings in search of the scattered parts of his body. For the
festival, people decorated the outside of their houses with oil-lamps that burned all night. At midnight, the priests emerged from an inner shrine crying, "The Virgin has brought forth! The light is waxing!" and showed the image of a baby to the worshippers.
The Persians also had an annual festival of renewal which they adopted from the Babylonians. There were great festivities where masters and slaves exchanged places and rules of ordinary living were set aside for a time.
In ancient Rome, the Egyptian and Persian traditions merged in the Roman festival of Saturnalia, honoring the god Saturn, when great feasting and merry-making ocurred. Good-luck gifts called Stenae (lucky fruits) were exchanged and homes were decorated with evergreens to symbolize prosperity and the continuity of life. At this time quarrels were forgiven, businesses and courts were closed, a mock King was crowned, and candles and lamps were lit to chase away evil spirits of darkness.
By the third century, there were many different religions being followed in the Roman Empire, nearly all celebrating the birth of their particular god-man/savior (Appolo, Attis, Baal, Dionysus, Helios, Hercules, Horus, Mithra, Osiris, Perseus,...) at this time of year. Around 270CE Emperor Aurelian sought to blend the various nativity celebrations into one on December 25th, calling it the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun". Though Mithraism was the official religion of the empire, Christianity was gaining in power, and by the 4th century it had won out.
Though no one knows when Christ was born, it is fairly certain it was not in December (some accountings put it closer to fall, and some in spring, which would be the time shephards would be out in the fields). In the third century various dates, from December to April, were celebrated by Christians as Christmas. January 6 was the most favoured day because it was thought to be Jesus' baptismal day (in the Greek Orthodox Church this continues to be the day to celebrate Christmas). But the Church was trying to win over the pagan populace and so around 350, December 25th was adopted in Rome as the date of Christ's birth, coinciding with Winter Solstice and Saturnalia. Eventually the time when the people celebrated the birth of the sun was transformed into the time when the people celebrated the birth of the Son.
This was not an immediate transformation. The Christian version of the holiday wasn't celebrated in Ireland until the late fifth century; in England, Switzerland, and Austria until the seventh; in Germany until the eighth; and in the Slavic lands until the ninth and tenth. and so pagan traditions continued and were eventually blended into the Christian celebration. The Yule log, holly and other evergreens, carolling, gift giving, feasting, mistletoe and other Pagan traditions became a part of the mainstream Christian celebration (in an appropriately watered-down form), though most celebrants do not realize their origins.
Pagans today still celebrate the winter solstice as Yule, one of the lesser sabbats. It is also known as Midwinter, Yuletide, Alban Arthan, Feill Fionnain, ...(depending on the tradition followed) and is the time when the Goddess gives birth to the Divine Child, the reborn Sun God; a time when the waxing sun overcomes the waning sun. In some traditions this is symbolized as the struggle between the Holly King and the Oak King (the Holly King dressed in red, driving a team of eight reindeer - eight being the number of Solar Sabbats and deer being sacred to the Celtic Gods - looking suspiciously similar to that jolly fellow we associate with this time). As in days of old, it is a time to celebrate the turning of the Wheel of Life (Yule meaning 'wheel'), rebirth, and the coming light. It is a time of hope and of joy.
May the blessings of hope and joy be yours, however you celebrate the season.
