|
Historical
Origins of Christmas Traditions |
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses,
know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
I'M DREAMING OF A BLUE CHRISTMAS-- 2002
Ask any shrink-- This
time of the year is when the most suicides happen. The nights are long, and
Christmas is depressing. I have again watched
the folks wandering the aisles of WalMart, and they are even more sinister and
spaced out than in the past. The music sounds jolly, and the employees are trying
to be merry. But, it is all superficial.
Why is Christmas so depressing? The answer is partly in the frenzy and horrible cost of the "most wonderful time of the year." At no time during the rest of the year is there so much racing around in circles trying to meet the expectations of family, church, school, the work place, and society in general. Even the lights hanging outdoors are a pain to deal with, but people feel the pressure of the neighbors who do the same. The neighborhood must look merry and bright.
The most depressing thing about Christmas is the gross disappointment of the season. The gifts are mostly rubbish we don't need. The parties are based on nothing but the fact that we are expected to be there. The Salvation Army glares at you as you go shopping. It is not enough that you will not be out of debt for all the presents until May-- You are expected to fork over to a bunch of professional beggars who subsist on coercion of you at the door of WalMart. Then, the jackboot Baptist preacher tells you that you should "give Jesus a birthday present." Crass is the word for all of this, and it is very depressing.
Worse, many people have just experienced a death of someone close, or cancer has struck, or the car was repossessed because they lost their job. The roof started leaking, and it cost $5000 to redo it. There is really nothing left for presents, and the kids have been lied to that some fat drunken elf from the North Pole will soon be covering them all with presents. It is indeed a BLUE Christmas for many. The worst scene is the nursing home, the single wides in the poor part of town, the Army barracks, the tent in Saudi Arabia where GIs are far from home... All those people who are alone. No one comes to visit, and on Christmas they have only the memory of some Christmas long ago which was happy and jolly.
I hate Christmas. It has nothing to do with Jesus. It has everything to do with the Roman Catholic Whore Church which invented a birthday event in the name of Jesus in order to coerce the pagans into coming to town at the winter solstice about 400 AD. They wanted their offering money then, and they want it now. The true Church of Jesus Christ NEVER celebrated the birthday of Jesus. The Bible makes no mention of it at all after the ascension of Christ to heaven. His death and resurrection were noted, and the post-Apostolic church did observe His resurrection.
If you are alone or depressed over the insanity of this time of year, here are some suggestions from the King James Bible:
Jeremiah 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Learn the ways of Jesus Christ. Reading Luke 2 does NOT sanctify the greedy lust for presents as the family sits around the Babylonian phallic tree-- everyone poised to see what possessions they may add to their trash pile. Learn to hate Christmas. Our family worked at this for several years until we have nothing but hate for virtually every aspect of Christmas. The carols sung in church are the most paganized and heretical hymns in the hymn book. Read them through, and think about the stupid things in them which sound very Catholic and are not found in the Bible.
Psalm
59:8 But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen
in derision.
9 Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.
The Lord is laughing in mockery at the heathen at this time of year, and I believe He is mocking a lot of Christians who have draped the church house with rubbish from Babylon. I want you to join our Holy God as he mocks and laughs in derision at the stupid idiots who try to paganize Jesus Christ at this time of year. Do it out loud. Do it in WalMart. Do it to the saints in the local church as they wear themselves to a frazzle trying to convince the little brats in Sunday School to memorize their lines for the play. Pray that little Johnny will again yell, "Ma, I gotta go pee" when it is his turn to say his part, like he did last year.
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
God does not simply allow you to excuse yourself from the Babylonian Christmas celebrations-- God says you cannot walk with those who DO observe it. The backsliders in the church house who call to you, who claim you are missing an opportunity to exalt Jesus, and the extended family who claim you are ruining their peace.... Turn your back and walk away. You need not explain anything. They don't want to hear why you hate Christmas. They are guilty, and most of them have tinges of guilt as they participate in all the fetish and idolatrous activities of Christmas. Just leave them to sputter and fume. You owe them nothing because you cannot walk with them anyway. Hey, have you written the Budweiser company to explain to them why you don't buy their products? Of course not. So, why do you feel you have to explain to anyone why you don't erect the phallic Christmas tree in your home?
What shall we do on "Christmas Day"? Have hot dogs! Work! Sleep in! Go for a ride while the pagans are hung over or watching ball games and parades on the TV. Use this day as a day to escape from the insanity and get a rest. Burn the trash or the last of the fall leaves from autumn. In Australia and New Zealand, wash the automobile or go have a picnic with the kids-- the parks will be empty, and you will have them all to yourself.
Just walk on alone with your God and your few friends who are willing to observe Amos 3:3. We often go visit someone who shares our zeal, for their home is not all full of pagan ritual trash. Have a singing time, and sing hymns about the Blood of Jesus and his resurrection. There is nothing to be BLUE about, my friend. You belong to Jesus, and he is not now a wee babe in the arms of Mary. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. Mary is resting in Jesus and totally unapiano coverse of all the Satan worship going on down here as a devil named Mary and a demon named Jesus are exalted. Your Jesus is not their Jesus. Your Mary is not their Mary. Your zeal is not their zeal. Just relax, and kneel down and talk to the Advocate now sitting at the Father's right hand, your brother, Jesus Christ.
Matthew
12:48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and
who are my brethren?
49 And he stretched forth his hand topiano coversd his disciples, and said, Behold my
mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same
is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Baby Jesus is history, Brother Jesus is standing right there next to you. Which one do you want to worship? THINK!
Now, do you still feel a bit blue? You cannot explain it, but you cannot get the air cleared around you? That is devils hanging around. They hate your zeal for the biblical Jesus. Please feel free to send mail, and I will just visit a bit with you over the web. God bless as you stay on the narrow way with Him.
The date
of December 25th for celebrating Christ's Mass supposedly in honor of
his birth is well known now for what it really was -- the feast of
Saturnalia, an extremely vile festival.
"December 25th was the date of Saturnalia, a celebration in honor of the Roman god, Saturn, which day coincided with the winter solstice. To ancient pagan civilizations this was the birthday of the gods -- the time of year when the days began to lengthen and man was blessed with a regeneration of nature.
"December 25th was indicated on the old Roman Calendar as Dies Natalis Invicti Solis -- the Day of the Birth of the Unconquered Sun. The Roman church adopted that date as the birthday of Christ, blending their culture's pagan traditions with [so-called] Christianity as a way of 'converting' souls to Christ.
"Such celebrations were not peculiar to the Romans, however. The ancient Egyptians, perhaps the most advanced initiates into the mysteries of Babylon, had long before instituted festivals and even laws which commemorated the birth of the sun.
"Nearly 1400 years before the birth of Christ, a pharoah-mystic by the name of Akenaten made a symbol of the sun with each of its rays ending in a human hand. He called this the Aton: the light of the world. Akenaten declared that Aton gave its light to all nations, to all races, and to creatures of every kind. It did not judge or condemn; it simply gave life and light forever. Today's religious humanists (e.g., universalists) present a similar picture of God." (1) This is in keeping with the "gentle Jesus, meek and mild" image that is given to our mighty King at this time of year.
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(1) The Origins of Christmas
Traditions; http://www.hhs.net/evangout/origins.htm
Revelation 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus...
While many
of our readers by now are probably apiano coverse of where the name "Christmas" comes
from, we put the information here for those who may not and for research
purposes.
"The name "Christmas" is a contraction of "Christ's Mass," a special Roman Catholic mass performed in celebration of Christ's birth.
In the Roman Catholic mass Jesus is considered both the priest and the victim, represented by the Catholic priest who offers Him as a sacrifice each time the mass is performed. In offering this "sacrifice" the priest believes he has the power to change the bread and wine of the Communion into Jesus' literal flesh and blood, requiring the people to worship these elements as they do God Himself:
'There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that all the faithful ought to show to this most holy sacrament [the communion wafer] the worship which is due to the true God, as has always been the custom of the Catholic Church. Nor is it to be adored any the less because it was instituted by Christ to be eaten." (Vatican II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents [Northport NY: Costello Printing Co., 1975], EM ef, reaffirming the Council of Trent, Session 13: Decree on the Eucharist, ch 5; Denz. 878, 1648.)'" (1)
The whore church of Rome has been filling herself with the blood of our brothers and sisters in Christ for centuries now. No truely born again person should want to celebrate a Roman Catholic Mass. Once they are apiano coverse that is what Christmass is, there should be no question about what to do.
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(1) The Origins of Christmas
Traditions; http://www.hhs.net/evangout/origins.htm
"The Yule Log tradition comes to us from Scandinavia, where the pagan sex and fertility god Jul, or Jule (pronounced 'yule'), was honored in a twelve-day celebration in December. A large, single log (generally considered to have been a phallic idol) was kept with a fire against it for twelve days, a different sacrifice to Jul being offered in the fire on each of the twelve days."(1) "The Yule log was originally an entire tree, carefully chosen, and brought into the house with great ceremony. The butt end would be placed into the hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room. The tree would be slowly fed into the fire and the entire process was carefully timed to last the entire Yule season." (2)
This is where the Twelve Days of Christmas originated, which are now counted as the twelve days between "Christmas" and Epiphany (January 12th).
"Yuletide, meaning the turning of the sun or the winter solstice, has traditionally been a time of extreme importance in Scandinavia - a time when fortunes for the coming year were determined and when the dead were thought to walk the earth. For a long time, it was considered dangerous to sleep alone on Christmas Eve. The extended family, master and servant alike, would sleep together on a freshly spread bed of straw. "(2)
In France the Yule log is still held in present use in the form of a log shaped cake called "buche de Noel." This cake has found its way into other countries, among them the Blip.
Using logs to decorate or shape cakes after, giving yuletide greetings, and any recognition of the Twelve Days of Christmas or Twelfth night; is giving credit to this vile phallic worship of Scandinavia's past. Yuletide is also observed by witches today as one of their main high days, so if you are "celebrating" you are doing so with witches.
The Norse also sacrificed a boar to their god Freyr during yuletide. It is thought that this is probably where the English tradition of serving boar's head at "Christmas" came from.
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(1) Holidays and Holy Days, by Tom C. McKenney
(2) The History of Christmas; http://www.ridgenet.org/Szaflik/history.htm
The excuse for giving gifts to each other at Christmass is generally that the wisemen gave gifts to Jesus. Despite the self-implied hypocrisy of this, there are other reasons that it is wrong. "... the custom has many superstitious origins besides that it is associated with the Egyptian god Bes..."(1) [See article on Santa Claus.]
"Among the Romans it was customary to exchange food, trinkets, candles, or statues of gods during the mid-winter Kalends (the first day of the month in the ancient Roman calendar). This custom was transferred to December 25th by the Roman Church in keeping with the Saturnalian festival.
"In old England there was a custom known as "letting in Christmas." This superstition centered on the first person to enter a house on Christmas Day. It was believed that no one should leave the house on that morning until "the lucky bird" (the first person entering) was let in. He would enter through the front door and proceed through the house, leaving at the rear. Along the way he was given gifts to insure that he would bestow good luck on the household. To have a dark-haired man "let in Christmas" was believed to bring good luck. Red-haired persons were shunned as purveyors of evil. To have a woman "let in Christmas" was believed to bring extremely bad luck."
While the custom of "first footing" has been altered and may have been moved to New Year's Eve, or Hogmanay in Scotland, it is of note that in Anglo-Saxon England, New Year's Day was December 25th!
Giving of gifts accompanied the pagan rituals of Rome and other Babylonian affected cultures. Woden and Odin were thought to give special gifts in the north, while in Rome branches from the grove of the goddess, Sternia were given. Later the Romans started giving more expensive gifts on New Years. (Sending of Christmas and New Years cards is probably an extension of this ancient custom that was brought about by the invention of the printing press.)
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(1) The Origins of Christmas
Traditions; http://www.hhs.net/evangout/origins.htm
Santa Claus (or Satan Claus)
While many
are apiano coverse that children should not be allowed to believe in Santa Claus and
some are apiano coverse that he was a ploy of the Roman Catholic Church, not many
realize that the origins of the legend come so thoroughly from paganism!
He is an anti-christ image through and through. [See article
COMPARISON OF SANTA CLAUS WITH JESUS CHRIST]
"The name 'Santa Claus' is believed to be a corruption of the Dutch 'Sant Nikolaas' (Sant-Ni-Klaus). St. Nicholas (as he was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church) was made bishop of Myra because of his reputed piety. He was believed to have venerated the Christ-child and practiced the child-like virtues of meekness and humility. Legend has it that he gave aid to the poor, always providing his gifts anonymously. In memory of his generosity mothers would hide gifts for their children and tell them they were left by St. Nicholas.
"Because of his alleged piety, and legends attributing 'miracles' to him which centered on children and the bestowing of fertility upon childless couples, St. Nicholas is revered by the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of children.
"The legends of St. Nicholas bear many similarities to those of the ancient
Egyptian god Bes, a rotund,
gnome-like personage
who was the patron of little children."(1) Bes was the god of piano covers,
slaughter, music and dance and childbirth, but was also supposed to be the
protector of children. Among other things, his symbols included bells
and drums. Bes was usually "Depicted as a bearded savage-looking
yet comical dpiano coversf, shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egpytian
artistic conventions). Revered as a deity of household pleasures such as
music, good food, and relaxtion. Also a protector and entertainer of children.
However, many texts point to the idea that Bes was a terrible avenging deity,
who was as swift to punish the wicked as he was to amuse and delight the
righteous." One source claimed that Bes was Babylionian in origin.
To complete the description of Santa Claus, we find that "Many pagan societies have worshipped a hearth god, clad in red, who came down the chimney to bless those who pleased him and to curse those who didn't. Food and drink offerings were left for him on hearth or mantel, an effort to please and appease him. There are such red-clad hearth gods worshipped in India and China today."(3) Tiawan's hearth god is said to return to heaven to report on the affairs of men on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month. This is reminiscent the scripture regarding blip's apostasy in these things: Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. This verse covers a multitude of evils from egg nog to Christmas cookies, but it also fits the sacrifices left out for the Old Nick, otherwise known as St. Nicholas or Santa Claus. Leaving these offering under the "Christmas tree" has even more significance when we read in Ezekiel 6:13 that they offered sweet savours to their idols under every green tree.
So, here again we have the fertility connection so prevalent in the "Christmas" tradition and again idolatry right down to the details.
Added to this is another horrible fact: "It would surprise many to learn that even the name 'Christ Child' has been given to this pagan deity under the name 'Kriss Kringle' (a corruption of the German 'Christ Kindl'). This has to be one of the most subtle of Satan's blasphemies, yet most Christians are unapiano coverse of it." (1) So, not only is the Egyptian god, Bes, being promoted as a saint; he is even given the name of Christ! Again the blasphemy is unavoidable!
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(1) The Origins of Christmas
Traditions; http://www.hhs.net/evangout/origins.htm
(2) http://www.tir.com/~lanata/kristi2.html
(3) Holidays and Holy Days, by Tom C. McKenney
Stocking hanging comes from an English legend: "Father Christmas once dropped some gold coins while coming down the chimney. The coins would have fallen through the ash grate and been lost if they hadn't landed in a stocking that had been hung out to dry. Since that time children have continued to hang out stockings in hopes of finding them filled with gifts." (1)
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(1) The History of Christmas; http://www.ridgenet.org/Szaflik/history.htm
- the song
When most people hear of "The 12 days of Christmas" they think of the song. This song had its origins as a teaching tool to instruct young people in the meaning and content of the [so-called] Christian faith.
From 1558 to 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not able to practice their faith openly so they had to find other ways to pass on their beliefs. The song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is one example of how they did it. "The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something of religious significance. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help young Christians learn their faith.
The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me..." The "true love" represents God and the "me" who receives these presents is the Christian.
The "partridge in a pear tree" was Jesus Christ who died on a tree as a gift from God. The "two turtle doves" were the Old and New Testaments - another gift from God. The "three French hens" were faith hope and love - the three gifts of the Spirit that abide(I Corinthians 13). The "four calling birds" were the four Gospels which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The "five golden rings" were the first five books of the Bible also called the "Books of Moses."
The "six geese a-laying" were the six days of creation.
The "seven swans a swimming" were "seven gifts of the Holy Spirit."(I Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11)
The "eight maids a milking" were the eight beatitudes.
The "nine ladies dancing" were nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.(Galatians 5:22-23)
The "ten lords a-leaping" were the Ten Commandments.
The "eleven pipers piping" were the eleven faithful disciples.
The "twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed.
So the next time you hear "The 12 Days of Christmas" consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in the Christian faith.
(primary source of this information was an articles in the Anderson Independant-Mail newspaper Anderson, SC Jan. 21, 1996 by Dr. William Hunter)
http://members.carol.net/~asmsmsks/12days.htm
"Christmas Caroling"
From:
The Legends and Traditions of Holiday Plants
Wassailing
Wassailing is the tradition of going from house to house caroling, eating, drinking, and socializing with friends and relatives. Wassailing, however, was originally an important part of a horticultural ritual. In England, it focused on the apple orchards. The purpose was to salute the trees in the dead of winter to insure a good crop for the coming year. The date varied across the 12 days of Christmas. If done formally, the wassail procession visited the principal orchards of the area, caroling as it went. In each orchard, major trees were selected and cider or liquor was sprinkled over their root systems. Incantations such as
Stand fast at root,
Bear well at top,
Every twig bear apple big,
Every bow bear apple now.
or
Here's to thee old apple tree,
Hats full, sacks full,
Great pianoel baskets full,
Hurrah!
were recited. To frighten evil spirits away, tatters were fired into the air. Before proceeding, the procession usually danced about the honored trees and then snaked its way out of the orchard. The care with which the ceremony had been executed was measured by the crop yield the following year.
---This article originally appeared in the December 8, 1995 issue, pp. 157-158. Prepared by Richard Jauron, Department of Horticulture Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/12-8-1995/trad.html
most graphics and background by mary van nattan