Why do people celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25th?
The answer to this question may lie in the pagan (the ancient polytheistic religion) origins of Christmas. Pagan Feasts Before the Romans converted to Christianity, they celebrated the popular holiday Saturnalia, a festival of feasting and revelry held in December in celebration of Saturn, the god of agriculture, and the winter solstice. It is an appropriation of the pagan Midwinter festivals, such as the Germanic Yule and the Roman festival of the birth of Unconquered Sun, celebrated on the day after the winter solstice, or the Roman festival of Saturnalia. Kelly Wittmann wrote, “In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25th. There is wide acceptance of the belief that Pope Julius I was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans, who remained a majority at that time, to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.” Moreover, in ancient Babylon, De
