Christmas Trivia
Christmas Trivia
In the West we celebrate Christmas on DEC-25, as the day when Yeshua of Nazareth was born, which equates to JAN-07 of the Julian calendar used by some Orthodox Christian Churches. This is not actually the date of Jesus' birthday which most biblical scholars believe occurred in the autumn (I bet on or very close to the Autumnal Equinox). Christmas celebrated on Dec-25 can actually be attributed to attempts to increase its acceptance and cultural integration by aligning with two other popular festivals: (1) the ancient Roman celebration of Saturnalia1; and (2) the Germanic/Nordic celebration of Yule2.
Saturnalia and Yule were/are not ‘religious’ holidays per sae but from my perspective they did have something in common with Christmas, and that was that they created powerful focalizations which catalyze light in the world... In the case of Saturnalia and Yule it was the light of the sun, the external cosmic light from which manifestation is born and reborn; In the case of Christmas it was the inner light, the Christ Light, the light of perfection, the source of all, the light of lights.
1. Saturnalia is a festival of light leading to the winter solstice, with the abundant presence of candles symbolizing the quest for knowledge and truth.[5] The renewal of light and the coming of the new year was celebrated in the later Roman Empire at the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the "Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun," on December 25.[6] Wikopedia Article
2. Yule (from the Norse iul, meaning wheel) marks the death and the rebirth of the Sun God; it also marks the vanquishing of the Holly King, the god of the Waning Year, by the Oak King, the God of the Waxing Year. The Goddess, who was Death-in-Life at Midsummer, now shows her Life-in-Death aspect; for although at this season she is the leprous white lady, Queen of the cold darkness, yet this is her moment for giving birth to the Child of Promise, the Son-Lover who will re-fertilize her and bring back light and warmth to her Kingdom. (Eight Sabbats for Witches_ by the Farrars) Earthwitchery wedsite article.
