Is Christmas Pagan?

Here are the ten most common erroneous beliefs about Christmas being tied to paganism.

First, Christmas is the Roman feast of Saturnalia.” Saturnalia, honoring the Roman god Saturn, ran from December 17 to 23. Christmas on December 25 doesn’t even overlap. There’s no evidence the early Church chose this date to compete with Saturnalia.

Second, “Christmas is actually the feast of Sol Invictus”. Sol Invictus was declared in AD 274. Hippolytus of Rome linked Jesus’s birth to December 25 in AD 20. If anything, Sol Invictus may have been Rome’s attempt to counter Christmas.

Third, “Christmas is the celebration of the winter solstice.” The solstice is around December 21, not December 25. Christians picked December 25 because it is 9 months after March 25, the Annunciation.

Fourth, “Mithras was born on December 25.” There is no historical evidence linking Mithras to that date. Besides, the celebration of Christmas predates the cult of Mithras.

Fifth, “Horus was born of a virgin, just like Jesus.” Horus was born to Isis using the dismembered body of Osiris—not exactly a “virgin birth.”

Sixth, “There are lots of pagan myths which include virgin births.” There’s no evidence of virgin-born saviors in pagan mythology before Christianity. The Virgin Birth is rooted in Jewish prophecy that predates most pagan mythology, particularly Isaiah 7:14. Claims of “parallels” with pagan myths are modern speculation, not ancient fact.

Seventh, “Christmas trees come from pagan worship of evergreens.” The Christmas tree tradition started in 16th-century Germany, long after the death of paganism in Europe. Ornaments and candles symbolize the Garden of Eden and Christ as the light of the world.

Eighth, “Gift-giving comes from Babylonian traditions.” Babylonians did not invent gift-giving. Christians give gifts on Christmas because of the Magi.

Ninth, “Santa Claus is just the Norse god Odin.” This connection is supposedly because Odin rode a flying horse…but that’s the only connection. St. Nicolas lived in the 4th century and Odin was not worshipped until the 5th century.

Tenth, “Yule logs, wassailing, holly, mistletoe, etc. are proof Christmas is pagan.” These are examples of cultural adaptation, not paganism. None of these traditions are inherently pagan

Nor are they strictly necessary to celebrate Christmas.

Hope the debate is settled, so you can say with all the confidence you can muster, “Merry Christmas!”

Press On!

Mark