Changes

==Relationship to pagan festivals==

==Relationship to pagan festivals==

That pagans and Christians both celebrated solstice festivals should not be understand to mean that Christmas is derived from a pagan holiday. The cycle of solstice and equinox is a natural phenomena significant to religions of widely varying character. As Hijmans writes:

That pagans and Christians both celebrated on the date of the solstice should not be understand to mean that Christmas is derived from a pagan holiday. The cycle of solstice and equinox is a natural phenomena significant to religions of widely varying character. As Hijmans writes:

{{cquote|It is cosmic symbolism ... which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the winter solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the summer solstice [June 24] 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.<ref name="Hijmans">Hijmans, p. 595.</ref>}}

{{cquote|It is cosmic symbolism ... which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the winter solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the summer solstice [June 24] 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.<ref name="Hijmans">Hijmans, p. 595.</ref>}}