Christmas may very well be the oldest holiday that is shared

across the many cultures of the world; it is traditionally

celebrated during the winter season (or even the warm summer

season if you count Australia, where Christmas is celebrated as

an official holiday).

Before Christmas was celebrated, people were finding time to

celebrate in Europe during the winter holiday before the birth

of Jesus Christ ever even occurred!

The Winter Solstice has always been a time to celebrate and

rejoice; it is celebrated on December 21 in the northern

hemisphere and it was after the Winter Solstice that the worst

part of the year was behind them. It was at that point during

the year that the days began to get longer, giving the people

more time to spend outside on their crops and tending to their

animals.

In Scandinavia during the Winter Solstice, men and their sons

used to go in to the woods to cut a tree down. After the tree

had been felled, a nicely sized log was cut out of it, and the

men would carry the log back to the home. This log was dubbed a

Yule Log, and the Yule log was burned in the fireplace. The

entire time the Yule log burned, the family would feast. Often

times the Yule log might burn for a whole twelve days! Of

course, as the Yule log burned it sent sparks out of the hearth

and as the sparks flew out of the fire place, the family would

count the sparks and each spark stood for a farm animal (a cow,

a goat, a pig, etc) that would be born on their property that

year. It is important to note that farm animals were signs of

wealth back then.

Saturnalia is a celebration of the Winter Solstice that

occurred in ancient pagan Rome. Saturnalia was celebrated in

honor of the god of agriculture, who was named Saturn. During

the time of Saturnalia, the entire Roman empire is in a state

of social disarray. Servants and peasants spend time with and

celebrate the holiday with people of higher classes, which was

a rarity back then.

The Saturnalia festival in itself can last as long as an entire

week in Rome. During that time, people rejoiced all over the

country of Rome. The phrase ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ was

played out to its fullest. Shops and businesses are closed

during the Festival of Saturnalia. Following the first week of

Saturnalia, the festival itself usually ends, but the

Saturnalia period itself does not end.

In addition to Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, the Romans

also worshipped an infant type god named Methra, who was carved

out of a rock. On Mithra’s birthday, people also rejoiced, just

as they did during Saturnalia. The day of this rock god’s

birthday was one of the most sacred days of the year for the

Roman people. It was a time for celebration and togetherness,

and for family.