How Christmas Has Changed Throughout The Years
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
It’s the source of hundreds of cheery songs and thousands of hours of stressed parents. When the snow is flying and the days are dark early, many families gather together and celebrate, and they have been for centuries. But Christmas didn't always look like it does today. In fact, it used to be much different. Let's take a look.
It Wasn’t Always Christmas
The holiday we know as Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ, hence the name. But the tradition of celebrating a mid-winter festival predates the birth of Christ by many centuries. In fact, our modern conception of the holiday really only came about in the mid-to-late 1800s.
Ancient Rome
Christianity was just getting started during the time of the ancient Romans. As the religion gained popularity and power, many Roman Emperors converted to Christianity. But before this, Roman citizens first experienced quite a different "Christmas" celebration.
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Saturnalia
One pagan Christmas precursor was a festival called Saturnalia. This week-long festival celebrated Saturn, ruler of the Roman gods, and took place between the 17th and 23rd of December. The festival dates back to about 500 years before the birth of Christ.
Themadchopper, Antoine-François Callet, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
“The Best Of Times”
Roman poet Catullus called Saturnalia “the best of times”. The festival celebrated Saturn’s rule during a time that many felt was a prosperous and happy time for the empire. Both the Winter Solstice and Saturn’s characterization as an agricultural god played a role in the celebrations.
