While Christmas, by its very name, reflects the holiday's roots in Christianity, some of its traditions are traced to decidedly secular influences.
In fact, the date itself--Dec. 25--results from a willingness by members of the first century faith to adapt and transform prevailing cultural practices of the time, says Robert E. Wolverton Sr. of Mississippi State University.
For at least four centuries after the birth of Jesus Christ, there was no universal agreement on the annual date to celebrate the event, the classics professor explains. For much of the Christian world, the dates of Christ's birth varied anywhere from November to May.
According to Wolverton, all that changed sometime between 340 and 350 A.D. when Pope Julius I appropriated the day that Rome, capital and center of the European world, had traditionally honored the birth of Saturn, the unconquerable sun.
"The early church often would take established pagan celebrations and make them holy days, thus incorporating religious practices into what was familiar," says Wolverton, a practicing Catholic himself. "It was a very sneaky idea, but it worked."
Even with the papal decision that Dec. 25 was to be the birthday of Christ, many Eastern cultures continued to hold Jan. 6 as the correct date. This issue finally was resolved two centuries later when Roman Emperor Justinian declared Dec. 25 as the day of the Christ Mass and Jan. 6--12 days later--as Epiphany, or the day the Magi visited the baby Jesus.
Wolverton cites a Christmas carol that dates from the days of England's King Henry VIII as another example of the successful merger of Christian and secular symbols.
"During the 16th century, Henry decreed that the Catholic Church no longer could engage in worship services, and for 300 years Catholicism was legally banned in England," he says. The still-popular song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," actually served as a coded way for Catholics to teach their children the banned catechism, he explains.
Non-secular--and now, mostly lost--symbols woven into the carol's whimsical images include:
--Day 1: True love, God; the partridge, Jesus; and the pear tree, the cross on which he died. --Day 2: Two turtle doves, Old and New Testament. --Day 3: Three French hens, faith, hope and charity/love.--Day 4: Four calling birds, the Gospels in the New Testament.--Day 5: Five golden rings, the first five books of the Old Testament. --Day 6: Six geese a laying, the six days of creation.--Day 7: Seven swans a swimming, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.--Day 8: Eight maids a milking, the eight beatitudes in the gospel of Matthew.--Day 9: Nine ladies dancing, the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.--Day 10: Ten lords a leaping, the Ten Commandments.--Day 11: Eleven pipers piping, the eleven faithful apostles.--Day 12: Twelve drummers drumming, the 12 points of belief found in the Apostles' Creed.
And now you know the rest of the story.
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