On entering the Board Room for a presentation with a colleague, we were greeted by the subject of this article. A very articulate and energetic man was saying this to two colleagues who were trying to convince him that Christmas is not a pagan celebration.

This man seemed to have more “facts” or rather knew how to present his position better than his colleagues. Being my superiors, I couldn’t join in the "debate". What I could not share with them, I share with you.

Christmas is not a pagan celebration. It is the commemoration of the birth of Our Lord rather than the celebration of His birthday.

The feast of Christmas, “the Mass of Christ”, used to be celebrated on January 6. (January 6 is now being celebrated as the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord. The Feast of Epiphany which originated in the Eastern Church in the Third Century is a three-fold commemoration of Our Lord’s manifestation among men: First to the gentiles, in the persons of the Magi (Matt 2:1-12), second at the time of his baptism in the river Jordan when His divinity was made manifest (Matt 3:13-17, Mk1:9-11, Lk 3:21-22), and lastly at the wedding feast in Cana where He turned water into wine at His Mother’s request (Jn 2:1-12).

In the Eastern rite, the baptism in the Jordan was particularly stressed, whereas in our Latin rite the coming of the Magi is more prominent). Celebration of Christmas became distinct in the Roman Church at about 300AD and the date was December 25, but the Church in other states kept different days for a long time. Why was the date moved from January 6 to December 25 in Rome?

Ancient Rome was a highly pagan empire with numerous gods and elaborate and “gluttonic” celebrations in their honour. December 25 was the day they celebrated the great Roman Solar Feast, Notalis Solis Invicti, (the birthday of the unconquerable sun-god), which the Roman Emperor Aurelian made compulsory throughout his empire in AD 274. It was one of their greatest celebrations with rituals and feasting everywhere.

The Elders (Magisterium) of the growing but underground Church in Rome discovered to their dismay that most new converts still joined in this stupendous celebration, to eat and wine and enjoy themselves. So the Magisterium met, discussed and prayed ernestly about this trend. At the end, they and the Holy Spirit (Whom Christ has promised that He will be with the Church to guard, guide, inspire and help her to the end of time (Jn 14:16-17; 16:12-15)) decided (Acts 15:28) to move the Feast of Christmas to December 25th to supplant the pagan feast since Christ is the true “Light of the world” (Jn 8:12). They did this so that as the pagans celebrated theirs, the Christians in the catacombs commemorated the birth of the Messiah and as such would have no reason to join in the pagan celebrations. St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople from 397 till he died in exile in 404AD wrote and said: Who indeed is so unconquerable as our Lord? He is the Sun of Justice. So December 25 became the day to commemorate the birth of our Lord till tomorrow.

Does the supplanting of the pagan feast with Christmas make the feast of Christ’s birth (Christmas) a pagan celebration? Does the conquering of evil with good necessarily make the conqueror evil? Are we not urged in the Scripture to conquer evil with good (Rom 12:21)? On Christmas day, do we offer sacrifices to the non-existent ancient Roman sun-god or do we worship the Omnipotent God of the sun? Most Churches in the Eastern part of Nigeria are built on what used to be village shrines dedicated to certain gods; does this make worshipers in such church worshippers of the "overthrown" gods? No!

Christmas is not a pagan celebration but indeed the celebration of the conquering of evil and evil practices with the Divine and divine practices. That is what and why Christ came for: to supplant evil with good. The conquering has not only been in ancient Rome alone, but in most countries, towns and villages where Catholicism has triumphantly entered. And this conquering should also be the same in our individual lives. The gods of sexual revolution (fornication, adultery, masturbation, pornography) and materialism, the gods of gossip and lying, the gods of bribery and corruption, pride, jealousy, laziness, abortion, etc, must be conquered and burnt up by the Sun of Justice and supplanted with love for God and the godly. This is the bold statement the Church made by that singular decision. If the ancient Roman feast had subsisted and upheld by the Church, then the protestations would have been weightier. The argument is completely hollow, so long as that evil has been forever supplanted!

"Is it in the Bible?" Yes, the divine birth of Our Lord is in the Bible (Mtt1:18-25, Lk 2:1-7). What may not be explicitly stated in the Scripture is the date. And so what is the problem with that? Christ, "coming" from a humble and non-royal background, no one may have recorded the date of His divine birth. But the Church, in her wisdom and in union with the ever alive, present and active Holy Spirit have given us a date since the Third Century. And about the 19th and 20th centuries, about 1,600 (!!!) years after, people are still disputing it! (Read Gal 1:8, and be wise). The date should not bother us. Let the true celebration bother us, after all Christ lives timelessly. Even as we bother more about the true celebration of Christmas, let us realize that we still live in a timed world. A world where there is time for everything under the sun (Ecc 3:1-. And so, for the commemoration of the birth of Christ under the sun, His followers have chosen a date: formerly it was January 6, but now December 25 and they call it Christmas (Christ Mass or the Mass of Christ).

Don't celebrate christmas nau, whats ur stress?

Does it matter who was born on Christmas?

Saint Nicholas(Santa claus) rules the event not Jesus or Roman Sun God

nnady chuks: Don't celebrate christmas nau, whats ur stress?

Why not take your time and read the article and hear what it say.

I celebrate Christmas and will always do

OlaoChi: Does it matter who was born on Christmas?

Saint Nicholas(Santa claus) rules the event not Jesus or Roman Sun God

Jesus rules the event, without Him there will be no "Saint Nicholas".

Thank you

The fact is there is no way you can prevent pagans or anybody, attaching whatever interpretation they want, to christian holidays.


As a christian, your choice remains you either stop celebrating the occasion or you can use it as an opportunity to reach out to the unchurched ( or pagan churchgoers).

Currently, christmas isn't celebrated by christians alone but the real meaning of the season is what christians should focus on

In any case, if christmas is not celebrated then people would just move their festivities to the end of the year.

KasaMary:

Jesus rules the event, without Him there will be no "Saint Nicholas".

Thank you

Really? Maybe only in your neighborhood cause all around the world it's Santa claus we all wait for

OlaoChi:

Really? Maybe only in your neighborhood cause all around the world it's Santa claus we all wait for

Surely.
We go to Christ as individuals. We may be in the midst of crowds (Church), which is necessary and helpful, but each of us have to say a personal "yes" to Him.

Merry Christmas (Christ Mass) Olaochi.

KasaMary:


Surely.
We go to Christ as individuals. We may be in the midst of crowds (Church), which is necessary and helpful, but each of us have to say a personal "yes" to Him.

Merry Christmas (Christ Mass) Olaochi.

And this only happens in ur neighborhood
Merry Christmas

Hope u got a gift from Santa