Christmas is a great spell cast by Satan to beguile and destroy souls especially the Israelites and to celebrate their destruction . It is evil to the core and in this video we find out why. If you'd prefer to read about it check out the article below the video.
THE FEASTS OF YAHAWAH!
Lev 23 even these are MY feasts
THE FEASTS OF SATAN
- If a feast is not decreed by Yah or his people Israel (because we decreed feasts as well) then they are of the spiritual demon Satan.
- A. Satan is the prince of Evil! He owns all the kingdoms of the world and he is the tempter against Yahawah’s law. He is the adversary! All manifestations of lawlessness are under his watch. Let’s prove that.
- Daniel 9:26 prince of evil
- Matt 4:3 he is the tempter
- 1 Peter 5:8 your adversary the devil
- Luke 4:6-7 owner of the kingdoms of the world
- If all the kingdoms of the world are given into Satan’s hand where is the account of a different evil spirit that tells satan what to do?
- There is none. Only Yahawah commands Satan and that’s pursuant to Job 1, 1 Kings 22:19-23 and other scriptures
- Yahawah commanded us not to practice the customs of the world
- Jer 10:4 learn not the way of the heathen
- Wisdom of Solomon 2:12 & 16 abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness
Recap
If we have our own feasts, heathen feasts are of Satan and God said don’t keep them, why are many of our people still celebrating christmas?
A. it’s because they’ve been thoroughly deceived and they are not searching for the truth. Let’s uncover the truth about Christmas starting with the scriptures.
CHRISTMAS IN THE BIBLE
- Jer 10: one cutteth a tree out of the forest
- Rev 11:7-11 they give gifts to one another
- The scriptures present Christmas as an ancient pagan feast that celebrates our spiritual death.
- John 10:22-23 Messiah didn’t celebrate christmas in the winter he celebrated the Feast Of Dedication.
Recap
THE ABOVE BEING SAID WE CAN ESTABLISH THAT CHRISTMAS IS ACTUALLY A SATANIC FESTIVAL ADOPTED BY CHRISTIANITY TO LEAD YOU TO DAMNATION! THAT’S CLEAR IN THE SPIRITUAL RECORD. NOW LET’S GO THROUGH THE HISTORICAL RECORD TO REMOVE THE MASK FROM THIS SATANIC FEAST.
YULE & CHRISTMAS
Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time" or "Yule season") is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.
Midwinter, known commonly as Yule or within modern Druid traditions as Alban Arthan,[14] has been recognised as a significant turning point in the yearly cycle since the late Stone Age. The ancient megalithic sites of Newgrange and Stonehenge, carefully aligned with the solstice sunrise and sunset, exemplify this.[15] The reversal of the Sun's ebbing presence in the sky symbolizes the rebirth of the solar god and presages the return of fertile seasons. From Germanic to Roman tradition, this is the most important time of celebration.[16][17]
Practices vary, but sacrifice offerings, feasting, and gift giving are common elements of Midwinter festivities. Bringing sprigs and wreaths of evergreenery (such as holly, ivy, mistletoe, yew, and pine) into the home and tree decorating are also common during this time
Later departing from its pagan roots, Yule underwent Christianised reformulation,[1] resulting in the term Christmastide. Some present-day Christmas customs and traditions such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others may have connections to older pagan Yule traditions. Terms with an etymological equivalent to Yule are still used in Nordic countries and Estonia to describe Christmas and other festivals occurring during the winter holiday season. Today, Yule is celebrated in Heathenry and other forms of Neopaganism, as well as in LaVeyan Satanism.[1]
[…]the long-bearded Norse god Odin[2] bears the name Jólnir which means “'the Yule one.”
In chapter 55 of the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, different names for the gods are given; one is "Yule-beings"
The Saga of Hákon the Good credits King Haakon I of Norway who ruled from 934 to 961 with the Christianization of Norway as well as rescheduling Yule to coincide with Christian celebrations held at the time. In time, Haakon had a law passed establishing that Yule celebrations were to take place at the same time as the Christians celebrated Christmas,
RITES OF YULE
It was ancient custom that when sacrifice was to be made, all farmers were to come to the heathen temple and bring along with them the food they needed while the feast lasted. At this feast all were to take part of the drinking of ale. Also all kinds of livestock were killed in connection with it, horses also; and all the blood from them was called hlaut [sacrificial blood], and hlautbolli, the vessel holding the blood; and hlautteinar, the sacrificial twigs [aspergills]. These were fashioned like sprinklers, and with them were to be smeared all over with blood the pedestals of the idols and also the walls of the temple within and without; and likewise the men present were to be sprinkled with blood. But the meat of the animals was to be boiled and served as food at the banquet. Fires were to be lighted in the middle of the temple floor, and kettles hung over the fires. The sacrificial beaker was to be borne around the fire, and he who made the feast and was chieftain, was to bless the beaker as well as all the sacrificial meat.[15]
- WOS 14:23-27 strange rites
The Church of Satan and other LaVeyan Satanist groups celebrate Yule as an alternative to the Christian Christmas holiday.
- ie. they remove the mixing of Christianity from their festival and just keep their pagan festival
In modern Germanic language-speaking areas and some other Northern European countries, historical cognates[3] to English yule denote the Christmas holiday season. Examples include jul in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, jól in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, joulu in Finland, Joelfest in Friesland, Joelfeest in the Netherlands and jõulud in Estonia.
- Let’s get one more quick witness on Yule
SACRED PLANTS OF YULE
Under the heading of Paganism and Wicca we find the following
https://www.learnreligions.com/sacred-plants-of-the-winter-solstice-2562958
- In many European societies, the holly plant has become representative of the waning sun as the solstice approaches. Symbolizing the old solar year, holly is associated with the Holly King himself – a precursor to Santa Claus – who is conquered by the Oak King when Yule rolls around.
In the pre-Christian British Isles, the holly was often associated with protection — planting a hedge around your home would keep malevolent spirits out, thanks in no small part to the sharp spikes on the leaves.
The ancients used the wood of the holly in the construction of weapons, but also in protective magic.[4] Hang a sprig of holly in your house to ensure good luck and safety to your family. Wear it as a charm, or make holly water (which you probably read as holy water!) by soaking leaves overnight in spring water under a full moon. Add holly branches to boughs, wreaths, and garlands, to bring the Yule season into your home
- We’ve all heard of the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe – it’s associated with peacemaking and the end of discord, which is a perfect theme for the winter holidays. The Norsemen laid down their arms if they met beneath a growth of mistletoe[5] — why not use it in a working to end strife and discontent in your life? You can place sprigs of mistletoe around your home and on tabletops in vases and bowls, or even make what’s called a “kissing ball” to hang in the doorway. Mistletoe is associated with several deities, including the Norse Frigga and Baldur, as well as connected to prosperity and fertility. Pliny wrote that Druid elders[6] performed rituals in which they harvested mistletoe — a botanical parasite — from oak trees with golden sickles.[7] It was collected under a waxing moon phase, and then fed to animals to guarantee their fertility. As part of the rite, a pair of white bulls was sacrificed, and if prayers were answered, prosperity would be visited upon the villages
Recap
Yule which christmas gets it’s floral decorative traditions from a festival of false gods ie. devils, strange rituals and witchcraft!
Q. Is the true God of the bible happy with witchcraft and the worship of devils?
A. Hell no!
1 Cor 10:20 sacrifices to devils
Deut 18:9-12 those who practice witchcraft are abominable to Yah!
Q. So what other pagan festivals influenced christmas? Let’s look at another one called Saturnalia which even older than Yule.
SATURNALIA & CHRISTMAS
What is Saturnalia?
Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn[8], [9], held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum, and a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms: gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves as it was seen as a time of liberty for both slaves and freedmen alike.[1] A common custom was the election of a "King of the Saturnalia", who gave orders to people, which were followed and presided over the merrymaking. The gifts exchanged were usually gag gifts or small figurines made of wax or pottery known as sigillaria. The poet Catullus called it "the best of days".[2]
Observations
Saturnalia is a festival to the edomite imagined god Saturn. It shares gift giving, merrymaking and egalitarian doctrine with christmas!
Let’s quickly look at who this god Saturn is in a little bit of detail. See footnote 9 & 10.
Though these footnotes say that Saturn is credited with wielding lighting, being lord of creation and imparting wealth and food it is Yahawah who does these things in reality.
- Psalm 144:5-8 Yahawah wields lightning
- Sirach 18:1-6 Yahawah is Lord over all creation
- James 1:17 Every good gift comes from Yahawah
Q. So who is Saturn in the spirit realm?
- __________________
Recap
Christmas also takes its traditions from an even more ancient form of devil worship called Saturnalia, a festival to honor the demon that eats his own children.
Q. Which demon eats his own children?
- 1 Peter 5:8
- Habakkuk 2:7-8
- ___________________
Let’s investigate the relationship between Saturnalia and Christianity now!
PART 2
RECAP FROM PART 1
- You’re either keeping the feasts of God or you’re keeping the feasts of satan
- Christmas is mentioned in the bible as a feast celebrating the destruction of the so-called negro who is the biblical Israelite
- Christmas customs come from Yule a pagan festival invented by the so-called white man, satan’s people pursuant to Daniel 9:26 and other scriptures
- Christmas customs come from Saturnalia another pagan festival invented by the so-called white man, satan’s priest
- saturn who saturnalia is for is a demon of child sacrifice just like Molech, Baal & Chiun
SATURNALIA & CHRISTIANITY
As a result of the close proximity of dates, many Christians in western Europe continued to celebrate traditional Saturnalia customs in association with Christmas and the surrounding holidays.[106][111][14] Like Saturnalia, Christmas during the Middle Ages was a time of ruckus, drinking, gambling, and overeating.[14] The tradition of the Saturnalicius princeps[10] was particularly influential.[105][14] In medieval France and Switzerland, a boy would be elected "bishop for a day" on 28 December (the Feast of the Holy Innocents)[105][14] and would issue decrees much like the Saturnalicius princeps.[105][14] The boy bishop's tenure ended during the evening vespers.[106] This custom was common across western Europe, but varied considerably by region;[106] in some places, the boy bishop's orders could become quite rowdy and unrestrained,[106] but, in others, his power was only ceremonial.[106] In some parts of France, during the boy bishop's tenure, the actual clergy would wear masks or dress in women's clothing[11], a reversal of roles in line with the traditional character of Saturnalia.
Recap
Saturnalia’s customs influenced the priests of the Roman Catholic church from which all Christian churches descend[12], to dress up like women and have wild parties.
Q. Does Yah approve cross dressing?
Q. Does Yah want us to copy Saturnalia or did he say to avoid the customs of the heathen?
- These are the true roots of today's churches and their Christmas customs.
CHRISTMAS IS SATURNALIA!
Saturnalia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia#:~:text=Saturnalia%20was%20an%20ancient%20Roman,festivities%20through%20to%2023%20December
During the late medieval period and early Renaissance, many towns in England elected a "Lord of Misrule"[13], [14] at Christmas time to preside over the Feast of Fools.[15][105][14] This custom was sometimes associated with the Twelfth Night or Epiphany.[107] A common tradition in western Europe was to drop a bean, coin, or other small token into a cake or pudding;[105] whoever found the object would become the "King (or Queen) of the Bean".[105]
During the Protestant Reformation, reformers sought to revise or even completely abolish such practices, which they regarded as "popish";[14] these efforts were largely successful and, in many places, these customs died out completely.[14][108] The Puritans banned the "Lord of Misrule" in England[108] and the custom was largely forgotten shortly thereafter, though the bean in the pudding survived as a tradition of a small gift to the one finding a single almond hidden in the traditional Christmas porridge in Scandinavia.[108][109]
Nonetheless, in the middle of the nineteenth century, some of the old ceremonies, such as gift-giving, were revived in English-speaking countries as part of a widespread "Christmas revival".[14][108][110]
During this revival, authors such as Charles Dickens sought to reform the "conscience of Christmas" and turn the formerly riotous holiday into a family-friendly occasion.[110][16] Vestiges [ie traces or small parts] of the Saturnalia festivities may still be preserved in some of the traditions now associated with Christmas.[14][111]
The custom of gift-giving at Christmas time resembles the Roman tradition of giving sigillaria[111] and the lighting of Advent candles resembles the Roman tradition of lighting torches and wax tapers.[111][105]
CHRISTMAS IS SATURNALIA WITNESS #2
https://www.zmescience.com/science/history-science/origin-christmas-tree-pagan/
The ancient Romans marked the Winter Solstice[17] with a feast called Saturnalia thrown in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture, and, like the Celts, decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that Saturnalia was the most important celebration in Roman life. It was a week-long lawless celebration held between 17 and 25 December in which no one could be prosecuted for injuring or killing people, raping, theft — anything usually against the law really. But although a lot of people blew off steam by taking advantage of the lawlessness, Saturnalia could also be a time for kindness. During Saturnalia, many Romans practiced merrymaking and exchange of presents.[18]
Sounds familiar? [It’s because they are the same festival].
In the early days of Christianity, the birth of Jesus was set at the last day of Saturnalia by the first Christian Romans[19] in power to approach pagans, … It was a clever political ploy, some say, which in time transformed Saturnalia from a frat party marathon into a meek celebration of the birth of Christ
Recap
- The conscience of Christmas was changed with the help of Charles Dickens creating stories to change the image of the feast! The most famous one being A Christmas Carol Q. Isn’t that illusion, lies and brainwashing family? Isn’t that putting evil for good and good for evil?
- Saturnalia was transformed from a frat party marathon to the celebration of the birth of Christ by Emperor Constantine Dec 25th 336 AD.
THE CREATOR OF CHRISTMAS - EMPEROR CONSTANTINE
As we read above Emperor Constantine was the creator of modern Christmas! Let’s read a small excerpt of what he had to say concerning keeping the laws of God under the direction of God’s appointed priests.
https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214/npnf214.vii.x.html
From the Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council.(Found in Eusebius, Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18–20.)
We ought not, therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews, for the Saviour has shown us another way; our worship follows a more legitimate and more convenient course (the order of the days of the week); and consequently, in unanimously adopting this mode, we desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews, for it is truly shameful for us to hear them boast that without their direction we could not keep this feast.
- He called the company of Yahawah’s priests detestable
- He rebelled against our ordinances to keep the holy feast of Passover
- He rebelled against the sabbath that Yahawah ordained
Q. What does this tell us about Constantine?
A. He hates God’s laws, statutes and commandments. How do we know? Cause the scripts say the following
- John 4:22-24 salvation is of the Jews
- Psalm 147:19-20 Jews are the only ones ordained to teach God’s word
- Q - Why is Constantine so arrogantly opposed to following Yahawah’s priests?
- Because of old hatred Amos 1:11
- Because he is of Satan’s unholy nation Daniel 9:26
- Because he’s the fulfillment of 2 Corinthians 11:14 & 2 Thess 2:3-4 among other scriptures. Let’s look at these scriptures.
CONCLUSION
Christmas is a modern rebranding of Saturnalia, an ancient feast to honour the spiritual demon Satan through the false god Saturn.
- It was started by a demon named Emperor Constantine
- It continues Saturnalia’s demonic traditions today including child sacrifice
- It celebrates the destruction of the children of Israel pursuant to Rev 11:10
- And God hates it!
- Many of the children of Israel will keep it as they always have
- See the entries on Moloch and Raiphan
- But as for you and your household you should serve Yahawah!
- Joshua 24:14-15
- HalleluYah!
FURTHER READING
Saturn is Kronos is Baal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal
Baʿal Hammon, however, was identified with the Greek Cronos and the Roman Saturn (as the "African Saturn")...
… as explained by Day, the texts at Ugarit revealed that they were considered "local manifestations of this particular deity, analogous to the local manifestations of the Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church".[19] In those inscriptions, he is frequently described as "Victorious Baʿal" (Aliyn or ẢlỈyn Baʿal),[13][9] "Mightiest one" (Aliy or ʿAly)[13][g] or "Mightiest of the Heroes" (Aliy Qrdm), "The Powerful One" (Dmrn), and in his role as patron of the city "Baʿal of Ugarit" (Baʿal Ugarit).[38] As Baʿal Zaphon (Baʿal Ṣapunu), he was particularly associated with his palace atop Jebel Aqra (the ancient Mount Ṣapānu and classical Mons Casius).[38] He is also mentioned as "Winged Baʿal" (Bʿl Knp) and "Baʿal of the Arrows" (Bʿl Ḥẓ).[13] Phoenician and Aramaic inscriptions describe Bʿl Krntryš, "Baʿal of the Lebanon" (Bʿl Lbnn), "Baʿal of Sidon" (Bʿl Ṣdn), Bʿl Ṣmd, "Baʿal of the Heavens" (Baʿal Shamem or Shamayin),[39] Baʿal ʾAddir (Bʿl ʾdr), Baʿal Hammon (Baʿal Ḥamon), Bʿl Mgnm.
Baal Hammon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal_Hammon
Baal Hadad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadad
Ancient Roman Religious Language the foundation of Law & Religious Vocabulary
The vocabulary of ancient Roman religion was highly specialized. Its study affords important information about the religion, traditions and beliefs of the ancient Romans. This legacy is conspicuous in European cultural history in its influence on later juridical and religious vocabulary in Europe, particularly of the Christian Church.[1]
[2] Odin (/ˈoʊdɪn/;[1] from Old Norse: Óðinn) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet, and depicts him as the husband of the goddess Frigg. In wider Germanic mythology and paganism, the god was also known in Old English as Wōden, in Old Saxon as Uuôden, in Old Dutch as Wuodan, in Old Frisian as Wêda, and in Old High German as Wuotan, all ultimately stemming from the Proto-Germanic theonym *Wōðanaz, meaning 'lord of frenzy', or 'leader of the possessed'. source
[3] "coming from the same root or original word but showing differences due to subsequent separate phonetic development," source
[4] Exodus 22:18 thou shalt not suffer a witch to live
[6] A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. While they were reported to have been literate, they are believed to have been prevented by doctrine from recording their knowledge in written form. Their beliefs and practices are attested in some detail by their contemporaries from other cultures, such as the Romans and the Greeks.
The English word druid derives from Latin druidēs (plural), which was considered by ancient Roman writers to come from the native Gaulish word for these figures.[8][9][10] Other Roman texts employ the form druidae, while the same term was used by Greek ethnographers as δρυΐδης (druidēs).[11][12] Although no extant Romano-Celtic inscription is known to contain the form,[8] the word is cognate with the later insular Celtic words, Old Irish druí 'druid, sorcerer', Old Cornish druw, Middle Welsh dryw 'seer; wren'.[10] Based on all available forms, the hypothetical proto-Celtic word may be reconstructed as *dru-wid-s (pl. *druwides) meaning "oak-knower". The two elements go back to the Proto-Indo-European roots *deru-[13] and *weid- "to see".[14] The sense of "oak-knower" or "oak-seer" is supported by Pliny the Elder,[10] who in his Natural History considered the word to contain the Greek noun drýs (δρύς), "oak-tree"[15] and the Greek suffix -idēs (-ιδης).[16] The Welsh word for oak is/was derw.[17][18] Both Old Irish druí and Middle Welsh dryw could refer to the wren,[10] possibly connected with an association of that bird with augury in Irish and Welsh tradition (see also Wren Day).[10][19]
[8] In Roman and Etruscan reckoning Saturn is a wielder of lightning; no other agricultural god (in the sense of specialized human activity) is one.[23][d] Hence the mastership he has on agriculture and wealth cannot be that of a god of the third function, i.e. of production, wealth, and pleasure, but it stems from his magical lordship over creation and destruction. Although these features are to be found in Greek god Cronus as well, it appears that those features were proper to Roman Saturn's most ancient aspects, such as his presence on the Capitol and his association with Jupiter, who in the stories of the arrival of the Pelasgians in the land of the Sicels[24][14](1.7.27–31) and that of the Argei orders human sacrifices to him.[25]
[9] SATURN AND BAAL Little evidence exists in Italy for the cult of Saturn outside Rome, but his name resembles that of the Etruscan god Satres.[e] The potential cruelty of Saturn was enhanced by his identification with Cronus, known for devouring his own children. He was thus used in translation when referring to gods from other cultures the Romans perceived as severe; he was equated with the Carthaginian god Baal Hammon, to whom children were sacrificed, and to Yahweh, whose Sabbath was referred to as Saturni dies, "Saturn's day," in a poem by Tibullus, who wrote during the reign of Augustus; eventually this gave rise to the word "Saturday" in English.[6] The identification with Ba'al Hammon later gave rise to the African Saturn, a cult that enjoyed great popularity until the 4th century. Besides being a popular cult it also had the character of a mystery religion and required child sacrifices. It is also considered as inclining to monotheism.[32] In the ceremony of initiation the myste (initiate) "intrat sub iugum" ("enters beneath the yoke"), a ritual that legally compares to the Roman tigillum sororium.[32](pp 385–386) Even though their origin and theology are completely different the Italic and the African god are both sovereign and master over time and death, a fact that has permitted their association. However, the African Saturn is not directly derived from the Italic god, but rather from his Greek counterpart, Cronus(read Overthrown section).
[11] Deut 22:5, Zeph 1:7-9
[13] according to the anthropologist James Frazer, there was a darker side to the Saturnalia festival. In Durostorum on the Danube (modern Silistra), Roman soldiers would choose a man from among them to be the Lord of Misrule for thirty days. At the end of that thirty days, his throat was cut on the altar of Saturn. Similar origins of the British Lord of Misrule, as a sacrificial king (a "temporary king", as Frazer puts it) who was later put to death for the benefit of all, have also been recorded.[12]
[14] While mostly known as a British holiday custom, some folklorists, such as James Frazer and Mikhail Bakhtin (who is said to have borrowed the novel idea from Frazer), have claimed that the appointment of a Lord of Misrule comes from a similar custom practised during the Roman celebration of Saturnalia.[6][7] In ancient Rome, from 17 to 23 December (in the Julian calendar), a man chosen to be a mock king was appointed for the feast of Saturnalia, in the guise of the Roman deity Saturn.[1][6]
[15] The Feast of Fools or Festival of Fools (Latin: festum fatuorum, festum stultorum) was a feast day on January 1 celebrated by the clergy in Europe during the Middle Ages, initially in Southern France, but later more widely.[1] During the Feast, participants would elect either a false Bishop, false Archbishop, or false Pope.[2][3] Ecclesiastical ritual would also be parodied, and higher and lower-level clergy would change places.[2][3] The lack of surviving documents or accounts, as well as changing cultural and religious norms, has considerably obscured the modern understanding of the Feast, which originated in proper liturgical observance, and has more to do with other examples of medieval liturgical drama, though there is some connection with the earlier pagan (Roman) feasts of Saturnalia and Kalends
[17] https://www.britannica.com/science/winter-solstice
Winter solstice, the two moments during the year when the path of the Sun in the sky is farthest south in the Northern Hemisphere (December 21 or 22) and farthest north in the Southern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21). At the winter solstice the Sun travels the shortest path through the sky, and that day therefore has the least daylight and the longest night. (See also solstice.)
[19] Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Why Is Christmas in December?." Encyclopedia Britannica, December 14, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-christmas-in-december.
Christmas, the holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, is celebrated by a majority of Christians on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar. But early Christians did not celebrate his birth, and no one knows on which date Jesus was actually born (some scholars believe that the actual date was in the early spring, placing it closer to Easter, the holiday commemorating his Resurrection).
The origins of the holiday and its December date lie in the ancient Greco-Roman world, as commemorations probably began sometime in the 2nd century. There are at least three possible origins for the December date. The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus’ conception to March 25 (the same date upon which he held that the world was created), which, after nine months in his mother’s womb, would result in a December 25 birth.
In the 3rd century, the Roman Empire, which at the time had not adopted Christianity, celebrated the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) on December 25th. This holiday not only marked the return of longer days after the winter solstice but also followed the popular Roman festival called the Saturnalia (during which people feasted and exchanged gifts). It was also the birthday of the Indo-European deity Mithra, a god of light and loyalty whose cult was at the time growing popular among Roman soldiers.
The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. As Constantine had made Christianity the effective religion of the empire, some have speculated that choosing this date had the political motive of weakening the established pagan celebrations. The date was not widely accepted in the Eastern Empire, where January 6 had been favored, for another half-century, and Christmas did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century.
