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==History==

==History==

Christmas has had a long and complex history. Christmas is a relatively unimportant holiday in the Christian liturgy (less important, for example, than the Feast of the Epiphany). It is usually assumed that the historical Jesus was born in the Spring. The Catholic Church may have set a date near the date of the Winter Solstice in order to draw parishioners away from licentious pagan festivals occuring at about the same time of year, [[Saturnalia]]. Early Protestants, including the Puritans who settled in Plymouth, did not celebrate Christmas, which they denounced as Papist.  

Christmas has had a long and complex history.  

 

Festivals have always been celebrated around the time of the solstice. Two thousand years before Christ, the early Mesopotamians celebrated a 12 day new year around that time, which is still reflected in our custom of the 12 Days of Christmas. Their chief god, Marduk, was supposed to battle annually against the forces of chaos, which the Mesopotamians assumed were making the sunlight dwindle. The Mesopotamian King was supposed to be killed to go fight at Marduk's side. However, the king usually substituted a condemned prisoner and let him spend a day as the king. He was treated like the king for a day, then at the end of the day he was stripped and killed in the king's stead.

 

It is usually assumed that the historical Jesus was born in the Spring. It wasn't until around 350 AD that Caesar appointed 25 December to be The Mass of Christ, probably to coincide with the date of the Winter Solstice. The early Catholic Church concurred, probably in order to draw parishioners away from licentious pagan festivals occuring at about the same time of year. The Romans decked their halls with green laurels and trees decorated with candles. This feast, called [[Saturnalia]], was a time for masquerades and feasts and the trading of presents, including "lucky fruits," the ancestor of today's fruitcake.

 

Christmas is a relatively unimportant holiday in the Christian liturgy (less important, for example, than the Feast of the Epiphany). Early Protestants, including the Puritans who settled in Plymouth, did not celebrate Christmas, which they denounced as Papist.  

Many of the customs we have come to associate with Christmas developed in Victorian England, notably the Christmas Tree (which originated in Germany and was introduced in England by Prince Albert). The concept of Christmas as a family-centered celebration and a time of generosity, good will, and friendliness to neighbors, was promoted and codified by Charles Dickens in ''A Christmas Carol.''  

Many of the customs we have come to associate with Christmas developed in Victorian England, notably the Christmas Tree (which originated in Germany and was introduced in England by Prince Albert). The concept of Christmas as a family-centered celebration and a time of generosity, good will, and friendliness to neighbors, was promoted and codified by Charles Dickens in ''A Christmas Carol.''