By Tim Gallagher
May 12, 2021
Source: Euro News
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Constantine I (Flavious Valerius Constantinus), Roman Emperor from 206-337 CE also known as Constantine the Great converted to Christianity in 312 CE according to World History (worldhistory.org 2/17/22) as a means of holding on to power and the Roman Empire, which was showing signs of falling apart. Constantine, like many Romans, had pre-existing non-traditional pagan beliefs and traditions that were deeply apart of their culture and social political systems. When he converted to Christianity he did so to hold onto power blending the Christian faith, as many did, with their pre-existing beliefs.
The term Pre-Christianity, as used below is purposely, not very clear. The belief in God has existed since creation. When Jesus came to earth his disciples were called Christians because he was the Christ who Jeremiah prophesied about. For example Abraham is said to be the father of the faith and existed before the conversion of Constantine to the Christian faith. Similarly those who became to be known as Lutherans were considered to be a form of Catholicism, a form of Christianity, when Martin Luther reformed the faith (after Constantine's conversion) and developed a nuance of the same belief system, each one, Anglicans, Baptists and so forth, feeling their version to be the true or right form or version of the same faith. The same faith (the same God) of Abraham thus came to be known as Christianity after the coming of Jesus Christ.
Many Romans of the non-traditional, as it is today, pagan beliefs had no interest in trading Mercury, Apollo and their other gods, goddesses and mythology for Christianity. They simply did so out of social and political pressure imposed by the conversion of Constantine to the Christian faith as a means of holding onto power and the Roman Empire. There interest in social and political power and having the right pedigree existed pre and post - coming of Jesus Christ. Thus the following article is not entirely correct. Nonetheless, it gives us some insight into how people of the non-traditional pagan faith(s) sought and still seek to blend both pagan and Christian beliefs to suit their social and political motives.
That’s right, Saturnalia. Because many of our most treasured Christmas traditions are in fact, borrowed. In the early days of Christianity, would-be converters found it convenient to adapt already beloved solstice celebrations to their belief model, so it would be easier to convince others to follow them. This means that our modern-day Christmas is in fact one in a long line of celebrations to brighten up the gloomy winter and look forward to the days lengthening.
It’s not that the whole of Christmas is plagiarised, but if you look you’ll see some long-running trends linked to pre-Christian Europeans. It turns out pagan traditions are everywhere at Christmas, so when you’re decorating your tree this year, think about our druid ancestors and what they would have made of your handiwork. Ripping off Ancient Rome Saturnalia, a Roman festival which took place in the winter, celebrated Saturn; the god of agriculture, liberation and parties. Usually marked by gift-giving, feasting and general merriment, Saturnalia took place on 17 December and was stretched to three and then seven days long. Think of the hangover.
In the later Roman Empire, "Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus" or the “Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun,” was marked to celebrate the days getting longer and coming of the new year. This party took place on - would you believe it - December 25th. These two festivals were already popular and like all things cool and fun were instantly ripped off by the new kids on the block.
Yule never guess where this one is going As Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire it spread to Germanic regions which, closely linked to Scandinavian culture, already had their own winter celebrations.
Mōdraniht - or ‘Night of the Mothers’ - was held on Christmas eve and may have involved some sacrifices.
Meanwhile Yule - celebrated between November and January - was a time when cattle and other animals would be slaughtered so they wouldn’t have to be fed through the winter. This fresh supply of meat made it the perfect time for a feast. Mistletoe-ld you so Next time you’re trying to dodge an unwanted advance from a colleague under the mistletoe, it’s worth trying to distract them by bringing up the plant’s mystical pagan origins.
Mistletoe was considered very powerful by druids living in ancient Britain and was believed to cure diseases, make people and animals more fertile and bring good luck. When mistletoe was found, the druids would cut it from a tree using a gold knife and sacrifice a white ox. It was believed that if enemies met under a sprig of mistletoe they would have to lay down their arms and embrace, leading many to believe this is where our tradition of hanging mistletoe at Christmas comes from.
In one Scandinavian legend, Balder, the god of Peace, is killed by an arrow made of mistletoe. After he was brought back to life, the mistletoe was given to the goddess of love to prevent any further mishaps. She commanded that everyone who passed under the plant would get a kiss to show this plant was a symbol of love.
Once you’ve explained all that to your colleague they’ll probably have gone to kiss someone else. Fir-ry friends.
“Evergreen” is not just an epic song by Will Smith, it’s also a type of tree which keeps its leaves all year round.
Pre-Christian Europeans would bring fir branches into their homes to brighten them up during the winter months, a home decor trend that was also practiced by Romans during Saturnalia.
These pine scented wall hangings were treated with suspicion by early Christians. One myth says that they became symbols of Christmas when an eighth-century Benedictine monk chopped a fir tree down in anger, transforming it from heathen to heavenly in one swoop, and giving us our modern day Christmas trees.
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