Christmas is the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus; Christmas has had most of its origins from pagan beliefs, rituals and festivities. Much of what we celebrate during Christmas are the result of the blend of pagan religions and Christianity and it also has got to do with historical contexts and events. The assumption that the Christmas tree and holly are only for decorational purposes has to do with the commercialization and consumerism that has infiltered the minds of people. Christmas in most countries, is celebrated on the 25th of December, some celebrate it around January or some other month, but what is the main reason for this date to be chosen? According to the pagan worship in Ancient Rome, the 25th of December is the day when pagans celebrate the last day of the winter festival, "Saturnalia". It is also the celebration of the birthday of the sun-god, "Sol Invictus" or "Mithras". This date was officiated under the rule of the Roman emperor Justinian around A.D. 527-565, and was recognized as an official holiday. Until today, some pagans still keep the practice. …show more content…
The palm tree representing Baal-Tamar, and the fir tree representing Baal-Berith. It is also said the the mother of the sun-god, Adonis, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree. This is said to have been account for the "transformation" of the Yule log placed into the fire on Christmas Eve, only to have it change into a Christmas tree the next morning. There is also an old Babylonish fable about an evergreen tree which sprang out of a dead tree stump, the dead tree stump symbolized the dead Nimrod, the new evergreen tree- Nimrod had come to life