Is Christmas A Pagan Holiday?

Is Christmas Really a Pagan Holiday? Christmas is celebrated on December Twenty-fifth almost all over the world. For most people it represents the celebration of the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. However, many people do not believe this and dispute that it is actually a pagan holiday. It is true that Christmas now has many traditions that were not there during the first Christmas, the time of Jesus Christ’s birth, but is this substantial enough to call it a pagan holiday? There are many parts of Christmas that were not present during the first Christmas, but when people say it is a pagan holiday, they are false; regardless of the additions, the crux is that Christians view it as a means in which we honor, respect, and show our love

His name was Jesus Christ. This was the first Christmas! The name Christmas is derived from the name “Mass of Christ.”2 The Christmas holiday was first started in A.D. 336.3 It was started in Rome during Constantine’s (the first Christian Roman Emperor) reign.4 It was established during the winter solstice, a time where many other pagan festivals took place.5 A few of these festivals are the Saturnalia (a holiday to honor Saturn, the god of agriculture) and Juvenalia (a feast in honor of Roman children).6 Bishops established Christmas at this time so that Christ’s followers would not be tempted to participate in the pagan festivals.7 Though it worked, a few pagan traditions were incorporated into the Christmas

First of all, putting up holly, mistletoe, a Christmas tree, and burning the Yule Log are done, not in the view of worshipping pagan gods, but rather in associating items that were present during Jesus Christ’s birth. Saying that Christians view Santa Claus as the God-giver is false. As a young child, it is difficult to comprehend the whole concept of the Christmas story. Therefore, Santa Claus is used as a guide for young children. He acts as a stepping stone, to help it later become easier, as the children grow older, to value the gift that God gave us. The Christmas lights are not a copy of the Roman bonfires or candles they used. They are used to symbolize the light of the world, Jesus Christ. Christians exchange gifts, not to again duplicate the Romans, but show and copy how the wise men gave gifts at Jesus Christ’s birth and in remembrance of the greatest gift God gave us, His Son. The day that Christmas is celebrated, whether it is Jesus Christ’s genuine birth date or not, is not as important as to the reason why His birth is celebrated. The originality of Jesus Christ’s birth is put into question by the pagans. They say that it relates to other pagan god’s children. What they forget to consider, a vital fact, is that Jesus Christ’s birth was prophesied long before it actually happened! This prophecy was foretold by the prophet Isaiah about six hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ.26 The prophecy comes from