Are New Years Celebrations Pagan in Origin?
Simply put, the answer is yes! In the earliest days of the Church (first and second centuries after Christ) there were no such celebrations as Christmas and New Year’s. The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: “According to the hypothesis accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25th on the Roman Calendar January 6th on the Egyptian Calendar) because on this day, as the sun began its return to the northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated ‘dies natalis Solis Invicti’ (the birthday of the invincible sun).” Those customs carried over in the observance of Christmas (with its many traditions and practices steeped in paganism and mythology), and the “birth” of the “new year” of the sun! This is why the Roman calendar designates Jan. 1 as the beginning of the “new year.” The beginning of the year from God’s perspective is several months later, with the festivals tied in with the harvest seasons in the Holy Land. Mu
