What Star is This? The Pagan Origins of Christmas Symbols
The Christmas holiday is celebrated all over the world in various traditions. But few people realize it has an origin steeped in paganism and sun worship. In fact, the day itself and all it represents can be whittled down to one word: light.
Rooted in the cyclical pagan year, Christmas can be linked back to the celebration of the Winter Solstice around December 21st, a time when the night was at its longest, and the coming of the “light” was celebrated and revered. New hope, the Sacred Fire, the Light of the World, all represented the end point of one natural cycle, and beginning of another. The Solstice may have been the longest and darkest of days and nights, but from that point on, there would be more light and the promise of a coming spring.
Roots in Ancient Tradition
Our traditional ‘Western” Christmas holiday actually has its roots in ancient Celtic and Saxon tradition. The Celts and Saxons celebrated “Yula” or “wheel of the year,” which became our modern Yule. This was often held on the actual day of the Solstice.
