Since Halloween is approaching, I'd like to point out something. Christmas and Halloween have so many obvious parallels, yet for some reason everyone accepts that atheists can and should celebrate Halloween, but many people (including some atheists) think Christmas is too "Christian" and atheists shouldn't participate?
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– Save the nativity scene and a few Christmas carols, both of these holidays' major customs are either secularizations of pagan practices (from Samhain, Saturnalia, Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, Yule, etc.) or modern post-18th century secular inventions from Britain/America.
– Both have titles that are explicitly Roman Catholic in nature. Christmas means "Christ's Mass", the latter term referring to the Catholic feast of the Eucharist, and Halloween means "All Hallows Evening", referring to the night before the Catholic holiday of All Hallows (modern: "Saints") Day.
– Both were placed on their respective dates by the Church to intentionally co-opt an existing pagan holiday. Christmas was created and immediately placed on Dec. 25 to co-opt the Roman Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (birth of the Invincible Sun) feast, and All Hallows Day, already in existence as a mid-May feast, was moved to November 1 in the Middle Ages to co-opt the October 31 Celtic pagan festival of Samhain.
– Both holidays are still celebrated in a religious fashion by some (Christmas by Christians, Halloween by either neo-pagans or some Catholics celebrating the eve of All Saints Day), but this doesn't stop non-religious people from celebrating them, nor should it.
– Both holidays can safely be categorized as secular Western holidays originating in pagan and Christian superstition.
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So what's the problem, why is it always debated as to whether us atheists (or any non-Christians) should celebrate Christmas?
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Christmas is nothing to do with either Christianity or Islam but it does have it's origins in the midwinter festival and many other basically pagan rites but since much of it is a celebration of nature rather than religion everyone should be able to enjoy it and be happy together despite religion!
The ancient European pagans celebrated the midwinter festival and a number of other festivals long before Christianity ever existed!
Babylonians celebrated the feast of the Son of Isis with gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift giving and the goddess of fertility, love, and war.
The Romans held a festival on 25 December called “Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, celebrating their own god Sol Invictas – PAGAN!
The Persian god Mithras, the Syrian sun god Elah Gabal, the German Sol, the Greek Helios and the Mesopotamian Shamash. But also Saturnalia, honouring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. The law courts and schools were closed. No public business could be transacted an this is where the holidays originated - ALL PAGAN!
Wax tapers were given by the more humble to their superiors. The origin of the Christmas candle - PAGAN!
In Rome groups of costumed went from house to house entertaining their people. And this was where the carolling Christmas tradition originated PAGAN!
Statues of the Mother and lover or Mother and son were paraded through the streets not only in Italy but also in Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Bulgaria. Thus, the symbolism of the Heavenly Virgin and the infant child paraded on a yearly basis are not of Christian origin. They stem from the Mother-goddess religion, which is very ancient ENTIRELY PAGAN!
Scandinavian countries celebrated Yule honouring Thor – PAGAN!
In Germania (not Germany) they celebrated midwinter night followed by 12 wild nights of eating and drinking. The 12 days of Christmas PAGAN!
The church under Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25 in 350 AD in order to try to hijack the PAGAN festivals but it was largely ignored. Christians did not really celebrate Christmas until 378 but it was then dropped in 381 and not resurrected until 400.
The Christmas tree stems from pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of holly boughs ivy and other foliage as an adaptation of pagan tree worship. Holly and ivy represented male and female. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual - all PAGAN!
Santa Claus came from the Dutch “Sinterklaas” and was a tall figure riding a white horse through the air and usually accompanied by Black Peter, an elf who punished disobedient children. Also the origin of the reindeer, sleigh and the elves ALL PAGAN!
The modern red coated Santa was brought about by coca cola!
AMERICA ACTUALLY BANNED CHRISTMAS several times and is the originator of the expression “Happy Holidays” which came about because of the pagan origins of Christmas to include all religions and traditions!
Halloween is shortened from All Hallows' Evening which has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain a celebration of the end of the harvest. But it was a day on which many northern European Pagan traditions or religious festivals were celebrated!!
Two Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old All Saints' Day from May 13 itself the date of a pagan holiday to try to hijack the pagan festival.
The Venerable Bede, an early Christian writer pointed out that the Christian church absorbed Pagan practices when it found the population unwilling to give up the festivals. Thus a lot of what Christians now see as Christians practices are in fact pagan!
CBoth these festival and Easter are the time of year christians strive to prove just how pagan they have become!
Since pretty much about both holidays is either secular or very historically recent in origin, there's really nothing that is religious about them, unless one ADDS going to some kind of religious event/place on top of all of the usual. So, there should be no issue about anyone being a part of either holiday.
Why should atheists/agnostics celebrate either holiday? Since both are rip-offs from earlier pagan holidays, it's open season as far as I'm concerned. Both are fun ways to indulge in spirituality without needing any label attached. As far as that goes, I celebrate St. Swithin's Day (patron saint of rain) which is sometime in June or July (I gotta Wikipedia that one again). There's no pagan ripoff here that I know of, but when you live in the desert, you take any form of rain dance you can get..
Blessings on your Journey!
I'm atheist and I celebrate Christmas in a very non-Christian way. And I think Christmas is very pretty.. If you ignore the religious aspect.
Because Christians are under the impression that it's THEIR holiday meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus when, in reality, it's been so commercialized that it could just be called Merry Nonspecific Winter Holiday. I guess some people just don't understand that holidays and presents and pine trees and family dinners are nice whether you share their religion or not.
Halloween, I don't celebrate it as I find it...lame
I celebrate December 25th not as Christmas but as my one day a year that family can get together and enjoy themselves. Presents are just a way to make it even more enjoyable
It's become more of a cultural thing in my family, as opposed to a religious occasion (Christmas, that is). My family's all atheists.
I'm being Katy Perry for halloween ahhh!
I'm an atheist, I like christmas cause the songs are purdy.
Theists don't want to share what they have stolen.