Blog Search Results

Does Christmas have pagan origins?

...ent being Saturnalia. This was a festival in honour of the god Saturn and was held on December 17th originally, but later extended to the 23rd. It involved gift giving and feasting, so you can see where some of those influences still appear today! Early Christians spoke against the pagan festivals of the day, and usually just lumped them all together in their criticisms, as the end of the year/beginning of the next had a few different events going on, similar in some ways to our own day. Tertullian was most vocal about it all, and had some harsh words for those Christians who did get caught up in all of the parties going on around them! Have a look at the quote...

What was so good about Good Friday?

...feast of Saturnalia. But the real celebration, and the main thrust and focus in the New Testament is the death of Jesus and his subsequent resurrection. While there does seem to be some evidence to suggest that by the 2nd Century, early Christians were celebrating Easter, it sometimes feels like the Modern Church has placed more emphasis on Jesus's birth in terms of celebrations and events, than it does for his resurrection. Though that's probably partly due to Western culture and the so-called "War on Christmas" making some churches push Christmas harder. I digress. Paul makes his view on the resurrection, and thus the whole point of Christianity, quite cl...

From Paradise to Presents: The Christian Story Behind the Christmas Tree

...the Roman Saturnalia and the Germanic Yule. These practices celebrated the endurance of life through the cold and darkness, offering hope of the spring to come. While these customs were not inherently Christian, they provided a cultural framework that could be adapted to Christian theology. The evergreen tree, in this context, became a symbol of eternal life in Christ, as suggested by John 10:28: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” Martin Luther and the Candlelit Tree A significant figure in the history of the Christmas tree is the Reformer Martin Luther. According to tradition, Luther was struck by the beauty of a starry winter sky sh...