[Nyerges is the author of several books, including
“Enter the Forest,” “How to Survive
Anywhere,” and “Whose Child Is This” (about the meaning of the symbols of
Christmas). He can be reached at www.ChristopherNyerges.com or Box
41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.]
I was
waiting in line to buy something at Target, and the friendly checker asked the
man ahead of me if he was ready for Christmas.
It was a cheerful and innocent question. After all, in December in the
United States, it does seem like getting ready for Christmas is the number one
dominant activity, and it’s the reason that lines in all the stores are long
and why you cannot easily find parking.
“No, I
don’t celebrate Christmas,” the man responded, and then he went on to explain
how much money he saves by not observing “all that silly stuff.” I did overhear
enough to hear that he was single, and then he walked on. I wondered if that was the real reason he
didn’t observe Christmas. He could have
been a Jehovah’s Witness, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or any of the other dozens
of religions and sects which don’t observe the Christian Christmas holidays.
Though I
have both fond and depressing memories of the Christmas season growing up, I
have worked through all the mish-mash of symbols that have gotten thrown into
the Christmas motif, and I regard them as generally uplifting. I have long ago ceased my mindless Christmas
card-sendng and gift-giving out of some sense of social obligation, but I still
immensely enjoy special times with friends and families in what is the darkest
time of the year.
Many years
ago, I was asked by a local non-profit to share at a Christmas event the “real
meaning” of Christmas. Even after I
agreed to do this, I wondered to myself:
How can I do that? How can I be
sure that I’ve really got it? How will
I know whether or not I’m right?
My job was
to discover what all the symbols and practices of Christmas mean, and how we
might best realize and vivify those meanings during this time. Needless to say, it was a tall task.
I found that the best way to share my research was
to be honest, explaining my background, how I went about my research, and what
I personally concluded.
I explained how I grew up in a Catholic family, and
was taught that Jesus was born on December 25, which is obviously why we
celebrate his birthday on that date. So
I had to begin my presentation with the man who is at the center of Christmas,
Jesus. It turns out that all historians
agree that Jesus was not born on
December 25, but rather in May or September, probably in the year 6 B.C. by our current reckoning. Not only that, many
of the modern symbols and practices of Christmas-time actually pre-dated Jesus,
and were celebrations of the Winter Solstice by the people that Christians
called “pagans.”
So then I
had to stop and define “pagans.”
Originally people outside of the strong influence of Roman power were
called the pagani, country folk, a term that had no religious overtones
in the beginning. Eventually it became a term of derision, meaning
non-Christian, for the people who practiced the old religion of Mithraism.
In the time of Jesus, there were many religions and
gods and Gods, and they didn’t all get along. Jesus, as everyone knows, was a
practicing Jew, and observed the Jewish
holy days. After the crucifixion, his followers carried on the message
of Jesus the Christ, and they still mostly-observed the Jewish traditions, hence,
Judaeo-Christianity.
None of this is new, of course, and these details
can be found in any encyclopedia, including such tomes as The Golden Bough, and Manly Hall’s Secret
Teachings of All Ages.
So why do we celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25,
when we know that the early Judaeo-Christians didn’t celebrate Jesus’ birthday
at all?
Most ancient religion is astronomy-based, and draws
great symbolism from the cycle of the earth around the sun. The winter solstice is the day of the least
light, from which the days have increasingly more light. The birth of the sun
has long been anthrpomorphized into the birth of the sun. Jesus wasn’t the first to be commemorated
with the winter solstice. Mithra, born
of a virgin mother in a cave, was said to be born on December 25. Nimrod from Babylon was also said to be
born on December 25, as was Osiris, Quetzalcoatl, and others.
The new religion of Christianity was still
struggling in the 4th century, and its adherents were still being
persecuted for their faith when
Constantine became the emperor.
Constantine also converted to Christianity. In his attempt to unite his kingdom, he made Christianity the
official religion, and he Christianized all the so-called pagan
commemorations. As a result, the birth of
the Sun that was already commemorated by the Mithra-"pagans" was now going to
commemorate the birth of the Son, Jesus.
Some of the symbols that have been adopted into the
Christmas season are universal symbols of eternity, life, and light, symbols
such as wreaths, evergreens, the tree,
lights and candles, the giving of gifts, the virgin birth, and birth in a
stable.
Santa Claus was based on a very real Catholic bishop named
Nikolas of Myra (modern day Turkey) who gave gifts during the winter and the
newly-established Christmas season. He
was born in March 15, 270, and actually participated in the First Council of
Nicaea in 325, the famous council where early church doctrine was argued and
decided. He died on December 6th,
343. This generous bishop was remembered
for the gifts he gave, and his image was severely watered-down over the years
by Coca-Cola and others who used him in their advertising.
It’s correct that many people have been turned off
when they learn of this hidden history of Christmas -- and I've just touched the tip of the iceberg here. Some even find all this depressing. But I am not like the man in line ahead of me at Target. I’ll still observe the Christmas season, and
I enjoy the lessons that are buried within all these symbols.
Can I say that today I know the “real meaning” of
Christmas? I have come closer to
experiencing the universal “magic” of Christmas in my personal life, year by
year, and I feel that this is an on-going process, where there are always more
nuances to be learned. I never get
tired, for example, of watching Capra’s wonderful Christmas movie, “It’s a
Wonderful Life,” and watching Jimmy Stewart confront the meaning and purpose of
his own life, and the value of true friendship. Though he had nothing to give others that fateful year, it turned
out his greatest gift was the service
he’d done for so many in the town.
And for this reason, I have long felt that “It’s a
Wonderful Life” expresses “the real meaning” of Christmas: slow down, breathe,
recognize the higher power, and acknowledge your friends and family who are the
real gifts in your life.
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