Dice players during Saturnalia in a wall painting from Pompeii

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Original Holiday: Winter Solstice

You probably already knew that. The winter solstice has no doubt been celebrated for as long as man has been able to tell time from watching the heavens. And that has been a very long time indeed.

The caption reads: "Now you have license, slave,

to game with your master.”

Many ancient religions held great importance for the phenomenon of the winter solstice, the time when daylight was at its shortest and the night was at its longest during the year. In the Julian calendar, this date originally fell on December 25th. It was at this point in the year that the Romans held midwinter celebrations called Saturnalia, which was the god Saturn. This included feasts and the custom of giving wax dolls to children as presents.

It also included role reversal, with masters serving their slaves the holiday feast before enjoying it themselves. The King of the Saturnalia whose every command was to be obeyed, was likely the inspiration of the King of Misrule tradition of the Middle Ages. Dicing, normally frowned upon, was allowed for everyone, including slaves.

So, you were probably aware that the Christmas holiday springs from the winter solstice celebrations that are unknowably ancient. But were you aware of the happy coincidence of how the date of Christ's conception fit in perfectly with celebrating his birth on December 25?



Since it was a common practice at the time for emperors to celebrate their birthdays on dates arbitrarily chosen, it was decided to pick a date for Jesus’ birthday, and December 25th was selected. The theological basis for this date was that it fell exactly nine months from March 25th, which was believed to be the day on which the world was created, and would also be the date of Christ’s conception.

Caroling, for example, often featured lewd songs and medieval art exposes couples courting in dark corners. Coming in the dead of winter when most agricultural tasks were at a standstill, Christmas provided a crucial break from the day-to-day drudgeries of subsistence lifestyles.

Trust me, I tried very hard to find the medieval art mentioned by the Ultimate History Project which provided the above quote, without success. However, I was able to find this 1839 illustration of Christmas revels at Haddon Hall, in Derbyshire, by Joseph Nash. Perhaps it demonstrates the pagan customs that so bothered the church

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From The Hidden History of Christmas Carols:

In his book, The Book of Christmas Folklore, Tristram P. Coffin says that “For seven centuries a formidable series of denunciations and prohibitions was fired forth by Catholic authorities, warning Everyman to ‘flee wicked and lecherous songs, dancings, and leapings.’” ... It must have been a ‘good time’, for clerics and priests who found themselves caught up in the fun received a stern scolding. In one document from 1338 A.D. they are accused of neglecting their clerical duties “while indulging in dances and masques; for prowling the city ‘streets and lanes’ ‘day and night’; as well as leading a riotous existence” The Church viewed these activities as “very remnant of pagan custom” (p99).

According to the BBC, it was the Druids who began the yule log tradition. Believing that the sun stood still for twelve days during the darkest time of the year, the ancient Celts would burn a large log to "conquer the darkness, banish evil spirits and bring luck for the coming year." Part of the log would be kept to light the yule log during the following year's solstice celebration.

The yule log has roots in ancient Norse customs as well. The Vikings would carve the log with runes that represented traits they wanted to get rid of, such as poor health or ill fortune, before burning it.

Burning a yule log remained a Christmas tradition for hundreds of years—as long as man relied on a fire for heat and light. But once we began using electricity to warm and heat our homes, and moved into apartments in large cities, the yule log tradition began to wane.

Urban areas like New York City have high-density populations, and, as a result, space is at a minimum. Therefore, fireplaces are a rare commodity in apartments and condominiums. In 1966, New York City television programming director Fred Thrower had an idea for log-deprived New Yorkers. Thrower had his local station, WPIX-TV, broadcast a looping video of a blazing fireplace -- with Christmas music playing in the background -- beginning on Christmas Eve. The broadcast, designed to provide city-dwellers with holiday ambience they might otherwise lack, was an instant success and became a Christmas morning mainstay on the New York station. It began airing on national cable networks, and in high-definition, in 2004 [source: The Yule Log].

There are many theories as to the origin of the Christmas wreaths. In ancient Rome they signified victory and were often worn on the head or were displayed over a doorway.

During the festivities they burned a giant Sunwheel, which was put on fire and rolled down a hill to entice the Sun to return. According to one theory, this is the origin of the Christmas wreath.

Another theory on the wreath's history claims the origin can actually be found about 1,000 years before the birth of Christ. Pagans celebrating the solstice made wreaths as a sign of perseverance through harsh winters and hope in a coming spring. Commonly made of evergreen, the wreaths included four candles representing the elements of earth, wind, fire and water, and were typically used in rituals that would ensure the continuance of the circle of life. By the 16th century, Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany had adopted these pagan symbols to celebrate Advent, the season of waiting and preparation for the birth of Christ. A traditional Advent wreath consisted of four candles in a circle of evergreens with a fifth candle in the middle. A candle was lit at dinnertime, with an additional candle lit every week. The last candle - the one in the center - was lit on Christmas Eve and represented the birth of Jesus.

It is claimed that the Vikings began the tradition during their observance of the winter solstice:But that is not the only explanation of the origin of this ancient symbol.

The Peanuts gang killed the Christmas trees.

At least they killed those awful aluminum trees of my childhood that were ugly the first time around, and needed to be lit with a revolving color wheel which simply made them grotesque.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, in addition to having wonderful music by Vince Guaraldi, and becoming a holiday staple, broadcast every year since its debut on December 9, 1965, is credited with destroying the aluminum tree industry.



The popularity of the special practically eliminated the popularity of the aluminum Christmas tree, which was a fad from 1958 to 1965, when the special portrayed it negatively. By 1967, just two years after the special first aired, they were no longer being regularly manufactured.

Yay, Charlie Brown, you won one!