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Hello friend, Merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family, friends and loved ones.

I want to mention the true meaning of Christmas briefly, or at least what I know.

Christmas was heavily influenced by ancient Roman culture 

The ancient Romans celebrated a festival called Saturnalia to worship the Roman god Saturn, the god of agriculture and time, who ruled in the golden age. Saturnalia lasted from the 17th of December to the 23rd of December.

What was the Golden Age? 

The golden age can be thought of as heaven on earth. In the golden age, Saturn’s reign was characterised by:

• Peace between humans and nature.
• No war.
• No private property.
• Equality.

The celebration of Saturnalia

People were allowed to get drunk and gamble. Everyone wore the same clothes to practice equality. People gave gifts freely, enjoyed feasts accompanied by jokes and all-around joy.

The Romans also celebrated Sol Invictus

Sol Invictus was a celebration on the 25th December to celebrate the rebirth of the sun and another cycle (because after December, the days start getting longer, and Romans saw the sun as being “reborn”).

 Constantine the Great and the Edict of Milan

Constantine the Great was ruler of the Roman Empire from 306 to 337 (AD), and he issued the Edict of Milan, which granted religious freedom across the Empire.

This was a huge turning point because Christian’s had been martyred for hundreds of years, and finally Christianity was now accepted.

Constantine the Great later became a Christian himself on his deathbed.

Theodosius I and Christmas

Theodosius I was the emperor of Rome from 379 to 395 AD, and he made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire.

Before Theodosius I, Christmas was likely practised privately.

Christmas replaced Saturnalia and Sol Invictus

During Theodosius’s reign, the church adopted the 25th December, Christmas, to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth, and Christmas eventually replaced pagan festivals.

Pagan celebrations were popular across Rome, so it made sense for Christmas to replace them on a similar date and keep what worked, like:

• Festivities, parties and celebrations.
• Giving (showed God’s generosity).
• Light and candles- they were used to celebrate the rebirth of the sun on Sol invictus, but now were used to celebrate Jesus’s birth (the light of the world).
• Reversals of roles – During Saturnalia, slaves were free and even served by their masters. At Christmas, helping the poor and looking after the most lowly is still important (think of helping in soup kitchens on Christmas).

Christmas developed, but this remained

Initially, Christmas was celebrated in churches, and it has since developed in many different ways.

What remained was that Christmas still celebrates Jesus Christ’s birth, feasting, music, lights, giving, and overall jolliness.

Saint Nicholas of Myra (the original Santa Claus)

In the 4th century AD Saint Nicholas was a wealthy bishop from Myra (now called Demre), in Turkey.

Three impoverished sisters were about to be sold into slavery.

Nicholas of Myra paid their dowries so they could seek husbands and marry.

The true meaning of Christmas: 

To give to the people who really need it. Not to go wild in extravagance.

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