What really celebrate Christmas? What we now call Christmas is a Christian holiday that exists prior to its Christianization: originally it was the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (day of birth of the unconquered sun). This festival, which fell right on December 25, was very popular among the Romans, although the ritual of Sol Invictus has its origin in the East. What not less important, the festival of Deus Sol Invictus is antecedent to the Christian Christmas. The Christian religion and Christianize taken to coincide with this festival making the birth of Christ.
The previous festival was celebrated a few days after the winter solstice. This falls precisely between December 21 and 22 and December 24 the sun seems to stand still in the sky. During this period he has the longest night and shortest day. After this struggle between light and darkness, the invincible or unconquerable sun wins its battle, the light defeats the darkness and return to the days get longer. It was therefore a party celebrating the victory of light directly linked to astronomical events, especially as there are many similar festivals in many cultures also far apart. But what did the Sol Invictus Christmas that we venerate today as the birth of Jesus? The feast of Christmas first appears during the reign of Constantine institutionalized by decree the celebrations of the nativity. The target date was to coincide with the pagans celebrated Sol Invictus: therefore they worshiped the Sun, the holiday fell on December 25 and this was before they did the Christians. The choice of the birth of Jesus at December 25 was nothing but a political choice to match existing holidays and public holidays "emerging". Fortunately, the rescue of the Christians was the edict of Theodosius, which established as the only state religion of Christianity. Christianity and the cult of Christmas worship were then required to be accompanied by a decree that went before, and then replace, the previous celebrations.
The two religions coexisted for a long time, and years after the edict be read again the words of Pope Leo I:
"It's so much the religion of the Sun estimated that some Christians, before entering the Basilica of San Pietro in Vatican, after climbing the stairs, turn to the sun and bending his head they bow in honor of the star shining. We are very distressed and we grieve for the fact that this is repeated for the pagan mentality. Christians must abstain from all appearance of allegiance to the cult of the gods. "You know how
ended up and what has come down today, but the root of this festival and especially its symbolic meaning is rimasto invariato: il sole viene ad allungare le giornate e questo decreta la vittoria della luce sulle tenebre; la luce simbolicamente è nascita e vita, e così, da festa pagana del sole si è arrivati al Natale, festa cristiana della nascita del bambinello. Un fatto che, coincide da sempre con il Sol Invictus: allora buon Dies Natilis Solis Invicti a tutti.
The previous festival was celebrated a few days after the winter solstice. This falls precisely between December 21 and 22 and December 24 the sun seems to stand still in the sky. During this period he has the longest night and shortest day. After this struggle between light and darkness, the invincible or unconquerable sun wins its battle, the light defeats the darkness and return to the days get longer. It was therefore a party celebrating the victory of light directly linked to astronomical events, especially as there are many similar festivals in many cultures also far apart. But what did the Sol Invictus Christmas that we venerate today as the birth of Jesus? The feast of Christmas first appears during the reign of Constantine institutionalized by decree the celebrations of the nativity. The target date was to coincide with the pagans celebrated Sol Invictus: therefore they worshiped the Sun, the holiday fell on December 25 and this was before they did the Christians. The choice of the birth of Jesus at December 25 was nothing but a political choice to match existing holidays and public holidays "emerging". Fortunately, the rescue of the Christians was the edict of Theodosius, which established as the only state religion of Christianity. Christianity and the cult of Christmas worship were then required to be accompanied by a decree that went before, and then replace, the previous celebrations.
The two religions coexisted for a long time, and years after the edict be read again the words of Pope Leo I:
"It's so much the religion of the Sun estimated that some Christians, before entering the Basilica of San Pietro in Vatican, after climbing the stairs, turn to the sun and bending his head they bow in honor of the star shining. We are very distressed and we grieve for the fact that this is repeated for the pagan mentality. Christians must abstain from all appearance of allegiance to the cult of the gods. "You know how
ended up and what has come down today, but the root of this festival and especially its symbolic meaning is rimasto invariato: il sole viene ad allungare le giornate e questo decreta la vittoria della luce sulle tenebre; la luce simbolicamente è nascita e vita, e così, da festa pagana del sole si è arrivati al Natale, festa cristiana della nascita del bambinello. Un fatto che, coincide da sempre con il Sol Invictus: allora buon Dies Natilis Solis Invicti a tutti.