THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTMAS 
by Dave R. Mode, Jr.

Christmas is one of the most regarded holidays celebrated by millions every year. This holiday is marked by the commemoration of the nativity of the Messiah. The celebrations connected with this holiday include Christmas tree decorating, placing presents under the tree, exchanging of gifts, visiting and feasting with family and friends, and decorating houses with candles and lights, etc. Such celebrations to begin prior to Christmas day and lasting until the beginning of the New Year. The word "Christmas" is derived from the "Christ-mass" or the "Mass of Christ". A special mass service celebrated on the 25th of December to honor the birth of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ). It was known to have been celebrated during the third century CE. However, the day of the "Christ-mass" became an official holiday on the 25th of December in 325 CE. Apparently, since it was understood that the actual birthday of the Messiah could not be determined, the 25th of December was selected as the day of its celebration. On the surface, the reason for choosing the 25th of December as the day to commemorate the nativity of the Messiah seems very plausible. After all! The idea of celebrating the birth of Messiah is good. Also, it was necessary that a day be selected in order to celebrate his birth annually. So then (as some would say), since any day of the year could have been chosen, why not choose December 25th? Although it seems plausible, there appears to be reason to question the choosing of December 25th as Messiah's birthday and to examine the manner in which the day was celebrated. 

Looking at the origins of Christmas, we will consider the significance of December 25th and the customs involved in its celebration. 

SIGNIFICANCE OF DECEMBER 25TH 

Although many that celebrate Christmas consider December 25th to be as good a selection as any other day of the year, the date held great significance amongst many adherents of pagan religions around the world. The 25th of December was recognized as the birthday of the sun god within the framework of paganism. Originating from the religious system of Babylon, the sun god Marduk created an orderly world out of a formless and void world. As part of creating this orderly world, he removed the monsters of chaos and routed them to the underworld. The world ran down as the year came to a close. After crops were harvested, the empty brown of the fields told that life was dying. During this time Marduk fought with the monsters of chaos in the underworld so that death would not become complete. Marduk almost lost the struggle, but on the 25th of December he regained strength to win the fight. By doing this Marduk would renew the world bringing in a new year of vegetation and harvest. Every year Marduk would renew the world in this manner. 

It was believed that the sun would encounter a rebirth because on the 25th of December it would be at the greatest level of strength. Therefore, the 25th of December came to be of great significance because the return of strength to the sun signified the rebirth of the sun god. Each nation that honored the rebirth of the sun referred to the sun god by different names. The Babylonians called this god "Marduk", the Canaanites called him "Baal",the Egyptians called him "Ra" and "Osiris", the Greeks called him "Zeus", the Persians called him "Mithra", and the Romans called him "Apollo". 

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