Originally, the early church paid no special attention to the celebration of the Nativity, in large part because the Bible gives no date, not even a hint of one, for the birth of Jesus. Easter and the celebration of the Resurrection constituted the main holy season for the church. Conveniently, its annual occurrence was specified in the bible (Jesus was celebrating Passover on Holy Thursday) and was tied to the lunar calendar of Jewish tradition. It wasn’t until the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 312 A.D. that the movement to celebrate Jesus’s birth began.
The religion of the Roman world at that time featured a wide array of gods (Jupiter and Mercury) and goddesses (Juno and Venus) and associated annual festivals. One of the most important — and raucous — was the annual festival of the sun god Saturn. Held at the winter solstice (usually starting Dec. 17 and ending around the 25th), it celebrated the end of the solar cycle in which the days grew shorter and the commencing of a new one (usually Dec. 21) wherein the days grew longer. Romans generally spent the week eating, drinking, and exchanging gifts.
Obviously, the Saturnalia, as it was called, was a trying week for the Romans, who had converted to Christianity. They had to sit out the biggest party of the year (or feel guilty for joining in). So in the years following Constantine’s conversion and the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, church leaders decided to offer a celebration of Christ’s nativity as an alternative to the pagan Saturnalia. The oldest credible record of a Christmas celebration comes from a Roman almanac that refers to a Nativity festival in Rome in 336 A.D.
Strategically, this layering of the new religious ritual over the old was a brilliant move, as it made the conversion to Christianity considerably less jarring. Symbolically it worked as well, since the pagan rebirth of the sun could easily be reshaped into the Christian birth of God’s son — the light of the world. As a cover story of sorts, they defended Dec. 25 as a perfectly logical choice. Since Christian tradition said God created the world in the spring (late March — yes, the spring equinox), they argued that Jesus must have been conceived on that date, leading to his birth nine months later in late December.
As Christianity spread westward across the empire, it encountered the Celtic world and a similar challenge. The Celts had a pantheon of gods and goddesses every bit as elaborate as the Romans. It was also similar in that most of them were tied to nature, the seasons, and celestial movements. Not surprisingly, the Celtic religion also celebrated the winter solstice. Known as Yule, it marked the rebirth of the sun after Dec. 21 — a perfect image for Christian missionaries to transform into a holy celebration honoring the birth of the son.
And so as Celtic Europe, including Ireland following Patrick’s arrival ca. 430 A.D. slowly converted from pagan to Christian, missionaries wisely overlay the new tradition upon the old. A similar transformation occurred with four other major Celtic holy days. Samain on Nov. 1, for example, became All Soul’s Day; Imbolc in early February became Candlemas (later Groundhog Day), and the fertility rites of Beltaine on May 1 were melded into the adoration of Mary. Celtic deities were also Christianized by transferring their powers and attributes to Christian saints.
The influence of pre-Christian Celtic tradition on Christmas extends beyond its placement near the winter solstice. The yule log, for example, originated in Celtic practice. It was lit on the eve of the solstice to burn through the night to welcome the new sun.
The association of holly with Christmas also derives from Celtic tradition. Ancient Celts revered the evergreen as a symbol of eternal life and believed that when placed around a doorway or window its prickly leaves warded off evil spirits. Christianity kept the tradition because of its emphasis on eternal life and also because the sharp leaves conjured up images of Christ’s crown of thorns.
Mistletoe also comes from the Celts who saw it as a plant possessing miraculous properties, including the power to heal sickness, neutralize poison, stimulate fertility, and bring good luck. Celts considered mistletoe so sacred that warriors who found themselves battling beneath it were required to cease fighting (at least for a short period of time) and exchange greetings. From this idea (along with the fertility connotation) comes the more recent practice of kissing beneath the mistletoe.
While these are important contributions to the way Christmas has come to be celebrated, the Celts were only one of many groups that have shaped the holy day. The modern Christmas tree, for example, comes from Germany. St. Nicholas was a bishop in what is today the country of Turkey. The story of reindeer comes from Scandinavia.
Fruitcake, of course, comes from hell itself — but that’s another story. Merry Christmas.
HIBERNIAN HISTORY WEEK
Dec. 24, 1948: St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City provides the setting for the first midnight Mass broadcast on television.
Dec. 27, 1904: Leading figures in Ireland’s literary revival open the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
HIBERNIAN BIRTHDATES
Dec. 29, 1936: Actress Mary Tyler Moore is born in Brooklyn.
Dec. 30, 1873: Governor of New York and 1928 presidential candidate Al Smith is born in New York City.