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→Relationship to pagan festivals: add quote
==Relationship to pagan festivals==
==Relationship to pagan festivals==
It is sometimes suggested that Christmas is an "appropriation" of a pagan festival, a view that can be traced back to the Puritans. According to this view, the Church placed Christmas on December 25 as a marketing strategy to absorb pagan solstice festivals into Christianity. The cycle of solstice and equinox is a natural phenomena significant to religions of widely varying character. Pagan Rome had many holidays and the fact that Christmas is on the same date as a pagan holiday is not necessarily significant.
It is sometimes suggested that Christmas is an "appropriation" of a pagan festival, a view that can be traced back to the Puritans. According to this view, the Church placed Christmas on December 25 as a marketing strategy to absorb pagan solstice festivals into Christianity. The cycle of solstice and equinox is a natural phenomena significant to religions of widely varying character. Pagan Rome had many holidays and the fact that Christmas is on the same date as a pagan holiday is not necessarily significant.
The end of the year was a time of celebration in pagan Rome. Saturnalia began on December 17 and lasted for several days. It was followed by ''Dies Natalis Solis Invicti'' on December 25 and Kalends on January 1 to January 4. Saturnalia was exclusive to Italy while ''Natalis Solis Invicti'' was prominent only under Aurelian. Both were overshadowed by Kalends, a new year celebration. While there is no trace of either Saturalia or ''Natalis Solis Invicti'' persisting into Christian times, various churchmen noted how difficult it was to suppress Kalends.<ref>"In 578 CE a church Council at Auxerre, Burgundy, forbade disguisings, and another Council, in the year 614, stated it was “unlawful to make any indecent plays upon the Kalends of January, according to the profane practices of the pagans.” (Pennick, Nigel, ''[https://books.google.ca/books?isbn=1620553902 Pagan Magic of the Northern Tradition: Customs, Rites, and Ceremonies]'', 2015.)</ref> The Roman end-of-year celebrations transferred to Epiphany in the Early Middle Ages and later to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
The end of the year was a time of varied celebration in pagan Rome, and remains so in modern times. Saturnalia began on December 17 and lasted for several days. It was followed by ''Dies Natalis Solis Invicti'' on December 25 and Kalends on January 1 to January 4. Saturnalia was exclusive to Italy while ''Natalis Solis Invicti'' was prominent only under Aurelian.
"It is cosmic symbolism ... which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the southern solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the northern solstice as that of John the Baptist, supplemented by the equinoxes as their respective dates of conception. While they were aware that pagans called this day the “birthday” of Sol Invictus, this did not concern them and it did not play any role in their choice of date for Christmas," as Steven Hijmans wrote in ''Sol, the sun in the art and religions of Rome.''<ref name="Hijmans">Hijmans, S.E., ''Sol, the sun in the art and religions of Rome,'' 2009, p. 595.</ref>
Both Saturnalia and Sol Invictus were overshadowed by Kalends, a new year celebration. While there is no trace of either Saturalia or ''Natalis Solis Invicti'' persisting into Christian times, various churchmen noted how difficult it was to suppress Kalends.<ref>"In 578 CE a church Council at Auxerre, Burgundy, forbade disguisings, and another Council, in the year 614, stated it was “unlawful to make any indecent plays upon the Kalends of January, according to the profane practices of the pagans.” (Pennick, Nigel, ''[https://books.google.ca/books?isbn=1620553902 Pagan Magic of the Northern Tradition: Customs, Rites, and Ceremonies]'', 2015.)</ref> The Roman end-of-year celebrations transferred to Epiphany in the Early Middle Ages and later to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
==Modern-day cultural significance==
==Modern-day cultural significance==