For how long Christmas been celebrated for now?

I wonder, was it for 2007 years? For how long did the Santa Clause tradition been going for that goes still?

Thanks for any input as it's much appreciated.

[edit on 24-12-2007 by TheoOne]

I guess nobody knows?

Hmmm...

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the idea of Christmas as a time to exchange gifts dates to the 19th century, but don't take that as absolute fact. Sometimes my memory is pretty fuzzy! Wikipedia might have some stuff on that, but with all the traditions and stuff around Christmas, those articles might be suspect. Still, it should give you a place to base your research.

The real question here I wonder is, when will we stop celebrating Christmas and the tradition of Santa, including the presents of gifts?

Originally posted by TheoOne
The real question here I wonder is, when will we stop celebrating Christmas and the tradition of Santa, including the presents of gifts?

I've wondered that too. I've pondered whether the materialism of christianity has been the ultimate spiritual joke on humanity... we are celebrating something we fail to recognize as a pagan holiday, yet we attribute it to Christ, who told us to deny materialism etc. The fact remains, we are materialists during holidays. Kind of ironic.

I don't think it will end. Even when society collapses and the remnant population is eeking by with no material comforts, they will celebrate christmas because it's become part of the 'everything is ok' need for society. We really need christmas to stay sane and forget our worries, unless we invent a new holiday to replace it, who's to say it will ever end?

I really don't know. it could have been celebrated 4000 or 6000 years ago. but not as christmas. every civilization had some type of celebration..maybe not santa or christ..but even the atlantians could have celebrated something like christmas...So if I had to take a guess...including the egyptians doing some gift giving and stuff..greeks included.


I'd say 10,000+ years..but look human history is sketchy and not everything was recorded, for all I know the dinosaurs could have had a tradition to give eachother back rubs. a form of gift.

December 21 is winter solstice, ancient cultures would have celebrated this day as the end of darkness and beginning of longer days and return to spring / summer.

For 3 days the sun rises at the low point, then on the 24th of December sunrise begins to arc back and track longer days until June 21, summer solstice.

Various forms of Christmas have probably been celebrated for tens of thousands of years, the knowledge that anotehr season of planting and hunting and warmth would return.

reply to post by Hallberg Rassy

I believe there is also some pagan bull gods birthday on the 24th, which has been speculated to be connected to christmas, heh.

Regardless, no one really knows how it came to be (originally). Modern christmas is 95% marketing, the perfect holiday for stores to sell extra much crap to eager consumers.

Something I do remember reading: Kissing under the mistletoe is an old Celtic ritual of peace.

[edit on 25-12-2007 by merka]

to clarify: 99% of ALL modern holidays are results of marketing. That includes birthdays, mothers day, earth day, etc.

Why do you post and say "I don't know".
Your post becomes meaningless as soon as you do.

You are on the internet, all the information you ask is on the internet.

History of Christmas
Holidays.net
Wikipedia
Didyouknow.com


Google History of Santa

Took less than thirty seconds to post those links, and I was having a conversation with someone at the same time.

Seriously, we are here to deny ignorance.
Do not jump into threads to proclaim how ignorant you are.

reply to post by Legalizer


Who are you talking to?

Originally posted by TheoOne
reply to post by Legalizer

 

Who are you talking to?

Well not you, because you kind of went off topic there with a whole new question, which could take a thread of its own, but then that would have to fall in "Prophecies and Predictions".

To answer your second question, the people who know who they are.

Originally posted by Legalizer
Why do you post and say "I don't know".
Your post becomes meaningless as soon as you do.

How about actually reading your own links?

Its all about various theories ending up in alot of unknowns. What we know:

- As the birth of Jebus, its an arbitrary date decided by the Vatican.
- There where numerous religious/pagan events at this time of year in various countries.
- We dont know which of these events was actually "first".

So in the end, we dont really know.

Modern day Christmas began to be celebrated under Queen Victoria's rule in England. Her husband, Albert, imported a Christmas tree from his native Germany. It became all the rage in England and then spread to the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Gift giving was started back in the first few centuries of this milenium, i.e. 3rd or 4th century AD. It was started by St. Nicholas, who thought poor children should have gifts at this time of year. He would leave them anonymously for the kids.

Christmas was not celebrated in its present form until the last half of the 1800's. Before that, the Puritans, who did not celebrate Christmas because they realized it was a Pagan holiday originally, really frowned on any kind of celebration at Christmas.

Hope this answers your question.

Originally posted by forestlady
Gift giving was started back in the first few centuries of this milenium, i.e. 3rd or 4th century AD. It was started by St. Nicholas

Was it? From what I've read, Saturnalia included gift giving too and it predates jolly old Nick.

Yes, that's true, but they were Pagans tha were celebrating. I believe the OP asked how long Christmas has been celebrated the way we do it now. That was Saturnalia, not CHristmas, even though it was at the same time of year.

I think Forest Lady's correct. I've read that the Dickens story, "A Christmas Carol" did a lot to frame the way Christmas is celebrated in the West now. Ironically, Dickens wrote it to enable him to pay off a debt. So the commercialism aspccts of "modern" Christmas run deep. Prior to that, the holiday wasn't nearly the celebration it has become today, and in fact wasn't even an excuse to close stores or stay home from work. It was just another day.

The way Christmas is celebrated today is a relatively modern tradition. Which doesn't make me like it any less.

Originally posted by merka
reply to post by Hallberg Rassy

 

I believe there is also some pagan bull gods birthday on the 24th, which has been speculated to be connected to christmas, heh.

This is another take on it. One of many but interesting. I think the author is reflecting on Alexandar Hislop's work with this snippit.

The truth is, Yeshua the Messiah was born nowhere near December 25. But December 25 was the "birthday" of the son-god, Mithra, a pagan deity whose religious influence was widespread in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries of the present era!

Mithra was indentified with the Semitic sun-god Shamash, and his worship spread from Asia to the west where he was worshipped as Deus Sol Invictus Mithras throughout the Roman Empire in the early centuries A.D.

Mithra was originally known as Mitra, an Indo-Iranian sun-god. He drives across the sky in a chariot of gold, the sun being his eye. He was also known and worshipped as Apollo-Mithras, and also as Perseus, the slayer of the bull. In ancient Babylonian iconography, there is a scene of Gilgamesh (Tammuz, supposed son of Nimrod) slaying a bull, indicating that the two deities are really the same. The worship of this deity was spread by Roman soldiers throughout the Empire.

From this source

www.hope-of-israel.org...

Christmas day was celebrated probably for alot longer than 2007 years. Its also a pagen festival.

reply to post by andy1033

In case you havent read like, the thread, no. The "origin" of christmas is diffuse due to the many different theories. You cant say "its also a pagan festival", because it isnt in any kind of "christmas" shape (unless we are all pagans: I know I am ).

[edit on 26-12-2007 by merka]