Can anyone list some/all of the Pagan traditions involved with Christmas?

But that really shows the ridiculousness of the claim. I mean, whenever people have this discussion the make references to all sorts of non connected pagan traditions. Greco-Roman traditions with a smattering of Germanic and Norse imagery. Hell, why not add some Near Eastern and Hindu influences? That's just not how the study of religious history works, one MUST use clear and consistent evidence to support their claim.

I am not saying Christians never adopted pagan ideas. They most certainly did, but these Pagan ideas are much more profound than using the symbol of a tree. I mean, read the New Testament and circle all the references to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Catholics STILL use Aristotle's theory of the Causes to explain transubstantiation. Plato's Golden Mean is STILL part of Catholic moral teaching.

This is just what drives me crazy. People assume that because American tradition associated Mistletoe with Christmas, it must be Pagan. We have really no idea what Germanic or Celtic traditions were like because they were almost entirely illiterate. Furthermore, if you go to any other country, they celebrate Christmas with entirely different customs. I mean, in Italy they have a Christmas witch. In germany they have Knect Ruprecht. You just cant assume all peoples worldwide celebrate Christmas with trees, gifts, and Santa Clause. I guess the issue is, a lot of people watch or read popular history like the garbage the show on the History Channel, while never considering what goes into real academic history.

Furthermore, since when are candels, trees, ribbons, wreaths, etc. Pagan? Candels are in pretty much EVERY SOCIETY on the planet. Trees, well their are a few of them world wide. Wreaths, were give to Olympic victors, roman conqurors, and JESUS CHRIST befor he was crucified. Look, paganism doesn't have a monopoly on nature.

First you have to understand the spiritualized earth worship behind it. At Christmas, in the winter, the pagans would take an evergreen tree (worshiped for its strength and life throughout winter).

They would decorate it and this would symbolize the tree springing forth fruit from that life force god inside everything. So when you see the decorations on the tree, picture it as fruit springing forth from the pagan god. Also, there may be an aspect of giving gifts to the pagan god by hanging them on the tree. But I think it has more to do with the strength and life of the pagan god through the tree that brings forth the magical fruit.

Then on the highest day of the pagan holiday, the tree drops forth gifts to the pagan worshipers.

That is why the presents are put under the tree. So the buds of life are the golden decorations and the presents are the fruit of the womb of the pagan tree life force god.

That is why it says in the bible not to do that sort of thing. Right in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 10, God warns Christians not to do as the pagans do and cut a tree out of the forest and nail it in place so that it does not move and decorate it with gold and silver.

We are told not to do this because it is worshiping a false god.

Christmas?

Trees brought inside, evergreen boughs inside, decorations on the trees, candles lit at night, feasts, hanging mistletoe, the exchange of gifts, visiting friends, time off with family, a man who visits each house during the night. (There was a Germanic version in which Odin led a hunting party through the sky at night and children left boots filled with carrots or sugar for Odin's horses near the chimneys. Another tradition has a more somber note - a figure visited houses to decide which family members would die during the coming year.)

Easter - all the fertility rites involving rabbits and eggs.

The origins of Christmas go back to before the time of Christ when many ancient cultures celebrated the changing of the seasons. In the northern hemisphere in Europe, for example, the winter solstice, which was the shortest day of the year, occurs around Dec. 25th. These celebrations were based on the decline of winter. Since during winter animals were penned, people stayed in doors, crops didn't grow, etc., to know that winter was half over and on its way out was a time of celebration.

In the ancient Roman system of religion, Saturn was the god of agriculture. Each year during the summer, the god Jupiter would force Saturn out of his dominant position in the heavenly realm and the days would begin to shorten. In the temple to Saturn in Rome, the feet of Saturn were then symbolically bound with chains until the winter solstice when the length of days began to increase. It was this winter solstice that was a time of celebration and exchange of gifts as the hardness of winter began to wane and the days grew longer.

December 25th specifically coincided the day of the birth of the sun-god named Phyrgia a culture in the ancient Balkans.

In the Roman Empire, by the time of Christ the winter festival was known as saturnalia. The Roman Church was unable to get rid of saturnalia, so early in the 4th Century, they adopted the holiday and tried to make it a Christian celebration of the Lord's birth. They called it the Feast of the Nativity. This custom has been part of western culture ever since.

http://www.carm.org/questions/other-questions/what...

I'll save you some time and effort: everything about both of those days are pagan. Nothing on those days (with the exception of maybe Jesus supposedly coming back from the dead on Easter day) has anything to do with any of the religions.

Christmas: Anything involving winter, presents, trees, feasting, merriment, guys in animal drawn flying things, or nature symbols like trees and mistletoe.

Easter: Anything involving eggs, candies, or rabbits.

mistletoe, christmas tree, yule log, christmas carols, presents

The English Puritans condemned a number of customs associated with Christmas, such as the use of the Yule log, holly, mistletoe, etc. Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated trees and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event."

Celebrating the birth of a divine child born of a virgin, a star announcing that birth, three wise men etc - all existed in pre-christian myths long before christianity.

Many neutral things that pagans used in the worship of their false "gods" have been turned to a better purpose in the true Church. Wedding rings for example. And let's not forget prayer. Pagans prayed to their "gods" for many centuries. Does that mean the true Church shouldn't pray to the true God??

Pretty much everything, from the virgin birth, to the manger scene, to the bobbing for apples, it's all from Pagan sources.