Church Partnership Newsletter December 2014 | Page 2

History of Religious Holiday Traditions
This time of year, many of us follow tradition without knowing why. Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25?
Why are latkes eaten during Hanukah? What other spiritually significant celebrations take place in the month of
December? It is easy to follow tradition and not think about "why" and "how" they became engrained in
celebratory activities. Encourage those around you to remember why traditions many follow began, as well as the
ultimate reason these celebrations take place. Hopefully, by shedding a little light on how traditions and
celebrations originated will help spark conversations with your family to bridge the past with the present, and
appreciate other celebrations during this festive season.
Christmas
For the first 3 centuries of Christianity, Jesus' birth wasn't celebrated. The first mention of Jesus' birthday
appeared on a Roman calendar from 336 A.D. It is believed December 25 was chosen to coincide with the existing
pagan festival honoring Saturn, where observers burned yule logs, to ease pagans into Christianity.
In 1647, Puritans condemned Christmas due to how unruly some people's behavior during their celebrations had
become. Following the tradition from the Middle Ages to display
greenery to signify Christ's eternal life, those celebrating Christmas
would run around town placing ivy (the heart shaped symbolized
Jesus' coming to Earth) around people's doorways. Puritans would
get upset and rip them down. Sometimes this act would cause
riots. King Charles II ended the ban in 1660.
1833 saw the revival of Christmas carols, when William Sandy
released Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern, which had the
first appearance of The First Noel, Hark the Herald Angels Sing,
and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. But Christmas wasn’t about
seasonal food, drinks, dancing, games, and generosity until 1843 when Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was
released, putting the spirit back into Christmas. The term "Merry Christmas" became popular from that point
forward. That same year, the first commercial Christmas card was made by Sir Henry Cole.
Christmas trees didn't become popular in the States until 1870, when an image of the British Royal Family's
Christmas tree was published in 1850. By 1885, Christmas was declared a US Federal holiday.
The colors of Christmas hold their own significance; red – the blood of Jesus; green – eternal life; gold – one of the
3 gifts of the Magi, symbolizing royalty.
Hanukah
Known as the festival of lights, Hanukkah is an 8 day Jewish holiday,
starting on the 25th day of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (late
November – late December on Gregorian calendar) commemorating
the rededication of the Holy Temple.
In 168 BCE, Syria n-Greek soldiers took the Jewish Temple to worship
Zeus. The following year, the Emperor condemned all observances of
Judaism, making it punishable by death, and all Jews were to worship
Greek gods. Soldiers would gather Jews, force them to bow to an idol
and eat the flesh of a pig, both forbidden practices of their faith.
A Jewish Priest, Matthathias, and his five sons, led a large rebellion against the Syrian Greek Empire. This group
became known as the Maccabees, after the son of Matthathias, Judah Maccabee, who took over after his death.