It was also the day when Romans celebrated “Sol Invictus” (Unconquered/Invincible Sun) the official sun god of Rome. Rather, it is to point out where the “current celebration of Christmas” and its various traditions originate from.ĭecember 25th was the day which was celebrated as the Birthday of “Mithra” (also known as Mithras) a god of the Persians and subsequently of the Romans. Please note that the point of this post is not to diverge anyone from being joyful of the fact that Christ was born on this earth. Even few would even give ear to the fact that Pagan Festivals & Traditions are what gradually became “Christianized” and ended up as part of the Season of Christmas. But few know the actual origins of these traditions, that are celebrated as “Christmas” today. Christmas Trees, Wreaths, Holly, Carols, Gift-giving, Santa Claus and various other traditions are among the highlights of this season, that all Christians get involved in. Where did Christmas come from?Ĭonsidered “The most wonderful time of the year”, Christmas has become the most popular and widely celebrated holiday around the world among Christians and non-Christians, alike. This entry was posted in Main, Thoughts and tagged Christianity, Christmas, Chronography of 354, codex, December, december 25, December 25th, filocalus, invictus, Pagan, philocalus, Roman Calendar, Roman Empire, Saturnalia, sol, sol invicto comiti, tradition on Decemby RameshDeSilva. 30n, 162-8, plates X, XV-XVII).Įver told someone that December 25th is not Biblical? that it has Pagan Roots written all over it? Ever had people scoff at the fact that you do not celebrate Christmas? This post is a small piece of historical ammunition that you can use to show our friends and our families that the celebration of Christmas is nothing but tradition, and not only tradition, but connected to Pagan tradition as well. The figure in the Calendar also wears the calliculae (or galliculae), which reflect evil, and are also standard accoutrements of priests (Mollet, s.v.) and of shamans (Butterworth, Traces, pp. The fringed or tasseled mantle is a characteristic of shamans (Butterworth, Traces, 167-8), as is the tasseled Medusa mask (Butterworth, Traces, pp. The mask represents the custom of dressing in costumes (especially cross-dressing) that is characteristic of both Saturnalia and Carnival (Lawson 221-231). 75-6), the picture illustrates the “Saturnalia”, since gambling with dice (The dice are placed on the table) was allowed only during this holiday. SENATUS LEGITIMUS = Senate allowed (days on which the senate could sit)ĭIES AEGYPTIACUS = Egyptian days (unlucky days)ĭescription of Main Illustration – According to Salzman (pp. The Month of December in the Calendar of 354 (I have highlighted “Saturnalia” and “Natatalis(Birthday) Invictus” on the image for easy reference) The below page (click image to see enlarged view) contains the main Illustration of December alongside the festivities of the said month. You can view the complete calendar here or by reading the book titled “On Roman Time: The Codex-Calendar of 354 and the Rhythms of Urban Life in Late Antiquity” by Michele Renee Salzman.(Some of the pages can be viewed on Amazon as well) Saturnalia being celebrated on 17th December (7 Days leading upto the 25th) and “Birthday of Invictus” celebrated on the 25th of December are marked on this Calendar which dates back to 354AD. Amongst these festivities are the celebration of “Saturnalia” and “Birthday of Invictus(Invincible Sun)”. The Calendar itself contains important Roman Dates and festivities such as “Birthdays of Emperors”, “Birthdays of Popes”, “Games” & “Chariot Races”. Other versions of the names (“Philocalus”, “Codex-Calendar of 354”) are also occasionally used. The term ”Calendar of Filocalus” is sometimes used to describe the whole collection, and sometimes just the sixth part, which is the Calendar itself. It is the earliest dated western codex(Papyrus/Parchment sheets in form of a book) to have full page illustrations. The ”Chronography of 354”, also known as the ”Calendar of 354”, was a Roman Calendar with illustrations alongside various texts and lists, which was produced in 354 AD.
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