MIDVINTERBLOT AND YULE =
CHRISTMAS?
Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of
JESUS CHRIST, who Christians believe is the SON of GOD.
The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of
Christ. A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is
where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The
'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after
sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at
Midnight.
So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to
Christmas.
Christmas is now celebrated by people around the
world, whether they are Christians or not. It's a time when family and friends
come together and remember the good things they have. People, and especially
children, like Christmas as it's a time when you give and receive presents to
remember the Magi who followed the Star of Bethlehem at the time of His first
coming…
The Magi brought gifts to JESUS upon his birth;
which where Gold, which speaks of His birth for JESUS CHRIST is born the King of
Kings. Frankincense which speaks of the fragrance of His Life’s Beauty and His
Resurrection. Myrrh speaks of His death, as that was the embalming fragrance
that was used at the time.
No one knows the real birthday of Jesus as the
actual date is not given in the Bible and the best guess currently that I know
of is due to the birthing of lambs and herding practices of shepherds which is
around is around March 17th?
So why do we celebrate it on the 25th December?
The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when it should be
celebrated.
Another point is that the birth of Jesus probably
didn't happen in the year 1AD but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2BC and
7BC (there is no 0AD as the years go from 1BC to 1AD).
The first recorded date of Christmas being
celebrated on December 25th was in 336AD, during the time of the Roman Emperor
Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor, well sort of). A few
years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be
for and hence forth (anno Domini), celebrated on the 25th
December.
Then again, there are many different traditions
and theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. A very early
Christian tradition said that it is the day when Mary was told by the Arch Angel
Gabriel that she would have a very special baby, who will be named JESUS. This
was called the Annunciation and is celebrated today on the 25th March. Nine
months after the 25th March is the 25th December!
March 25th was also the day some early Christians
thought the world had been made by GOD and also the day that JESUS died on when
he was an adult.
December 25th might have also been chosen because
the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter festivals called
'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' took place in December around this
date so it was a time when pagan people already celebrated things such as
Midvinterblot and Yule.
Midvinterblot and Yule, was called in Sweden and
toward the time of the winter solstice (this year it is; Tuesday, December 22nd
2015), is when the days became the shortest and coldest. For them as it is now,
the land appeared to be laid to waste, so to keep the fire of the life giving
sun alight people often made sacrifices before a great oak tree.
St. Boniface is supposed to have stopped one such
sacrifice and instituted the indoor Christmas tree at the same time. The burning
of such logs in the midst of sacrifice has come down to us as the traditions of
burning Yule logs and enjoying Christmas trees.
Our pagan ancestors, the holidays that marked the
great seasonal changes were often fearful, terrible, and dark but with the
coming of JESUS CHRIST came a great light that reclaimed not only individuals
but also the holidays they celebrated. In the case of Midvinterblot and Yule,
the holidays that once marked the terrible price required to provide light
instead began to express the joyous arrival of GOD's true
light!
Early Christians might have given this festival a
new meaning to celebrate the birth of the Son of GOD the Unconquered Son. In the
Bible is written the prophesy about the Savior, who Christians believe is JESUS
CHRIST and whom is called “Sun of Righteousness”.
The Jewish festival of Lights, Hanukkah starts on
the 25th of Kislev (the month in the Jewish calendar that occurs at about the
same time each December). Hanukkah celebrates when the Jewish people were able
to re-dedicate and worship in their Temple, in Jerusalem, again following many
years of not being allowed to practice their religion.
JESUS CHRIST was a Jew, so this could be another
reason that helped the early Church choose December the 25th for the date of
Christmas. During the spring (in March or April) there's a Jewish festival
called 'Passover'. This festival remembers when the Jews had escaped from
slavery in Egypt about 1500 years before Jesus was born. Lots of lambs would
have been needed during the Passover Festival, to be sacrificed in the Temple in
Jerusalem. Jews from all over the Roman Empire travelled to Jerusalem for the
Passover Festival, so it would have been a good time for the Romans to take a
census. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census (Bethlehem is about six
miles from Jerusalem).
In the autumn (in September or October) there's
the Jewish festival of 'Sukkot' or 'The Feast of Tabernacles'. It's the festival
that's mentioned the most times in the Bible. It is when Jewish people remember
that they depended on GOD for all they had after they had escaped from Egypt and
spent 40 years in the desert. It also celebrates the end of the harvest. During
the festival, Jews live outside in temporary shelters (the word 'tabernacle'
comes from a Latin word meaning 'booth' or 'hut').
Many people who have studied the Bible, think that
Sukkot would be a likely time for the birth of Jesus as it might fit with the
description of there being “no room in the inn”. It also would have been a good
time to take the Roman Census as many Jews went to Jerusalem for the festival
and they would have brought their own tents/shelters with them. It wouldn't have
been practical for Joseph and Mary to carry a shelter as Mary was
pregnant.
So whenever you celebrate Christmas, remember that
you're celebrating a real event that happened about 2000 years ago, that GOD
sent his SON JESUS CHRIST into the world as a Christmas present for
everyone!
Posted by,
Sir Richard
P.S. Oh by the way, FYI =
XMAS?
I have often wondered what the X in Xmas meant as
well. I do not care for it but; X representing the initial chi of Greek Khristos
‘Christ.’ Contrary to popular belief, the X in X-Mas was not made up by the
secular heathens in California (no attack intended). X-Mas was a shorter version
of Christmas, first used in Europe around the 1500s. In Greek, Christ's name
started with an X, Xristos. Thus, it is literally, "Christ-mas", or "Christ's
Mass".
MERRY CHRISTMAS :)
