![]() ![]() Temples were not dismantled or destroyed but stripped of pagan symbols and adapted to the new religion, in which many old customs just took place, albeit in a new religious context. To switch to another religion, in this case to facilitate Christianity, many ' pagan ' customs were not prohibited or eliminated, but implemented with a Christian sauce into the new faith. How could so many ' pagan ' traditions enter our Christmas experience? And than we haven't talked about the influences of the topic we like to discuss in this article, the Saturnalia. The Isis culture was extremely popular in the Roman world. The image of Maria with child is clearly retrieved from the Egyptian goddess Isis with her child the god Horus. The Christmas tree would come from the pagan Mid-winter-festival. The date, December the 25th, would among other things be borrowed from the birthday of the god Mithras, originally from Persian and also born out of a virgin, who, at the time of the birth of Christ was immensely popular in the Roman Empire for already many years (see ' the last Mithras shrine ' ). The corresponding expressions of this feast often go much further back and seem based on religions and traditions that even remotely had nothing to do with today's Christianity, not even with the birth of Jesus. Our current Christmas of course has everything to do with the birth of Christ 1. Honorthegods proudly signed and fully supports the Xenia Declaration.Īll who seek wisdom, praise virtue, and strive to be just are welcome here, regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, or thinking style.Ĭlick here for The Monster Compilation of Free Online Resources for Classical StudiesĪ compendium of information about the ancient Mediterranean world, including archaeology, art, culture, history, language, literature, magic, mythology, philosophy, religion.Photo 1: Nativity scene from Napels (photo Howard Hudson) ![]() I am proud to announce that honorthegods has been vetted by the Valkyrie Squad as a safe space within the Pagan and Heathen community. There’s probably a few more you get the idea. ![]() I am utterly opposed to racism, identitarianism, nationalism, misogyny, misandry, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, ageism, antisemitism, and xenophobia. ![]() This blog focuses on modern Hellenic and Roman reconstructionist polytheisms and academic study of ancient Mediterranean religions, mythology, philosophy, archaeology, history, literature, and art. Io Saturnalia! May harmony prevail over the Earth! The holiday was known for games and public entertainment, colorful clothing and masks, gatherings of friends and family, giving gifts, and acts of charity. This was recalled in the Saturnalia celebration with the reversal of normal societal roles: bosses gave bonuses to their employees, masters served meals to slaves and servants, the wealthy paid the rent of the poor, children were permitted to attend theatrical performances and to gamble. Homes and businesses were decorated with garlands and wreaths of evergreens, candles, stars and sparkly, metallic ornaments. The mythical Age of Saturn was an era when crops grew without human toil, and humanity lived in harmony with nature and each other. The history of Saturnalia began with the dedication of the Temple of Saturn in around 498 BCE, one of the oldest religious sanctuaries to have been built in Rome. The dies natalis (anniversary) of the dedication of the temple was celebrated on December 17, but became such a popular celebration that it was extended to three days, then to an entire week, from December 17 to 23. ![]()
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