Christians: do you acknowledge that many of your holidays and traditions and even imagery were originally Pagan?

Question

So I've been wondering if Christians are aware of the fact that many of their holidays were originally Pagan. Here are the Pagan counterparts for Christian holidays:

Yule- Christians adapted it into Christmas. Tree decorating was originally a Pagan tradition.
Imbolc- This was turned into Candlemas. It was originally a celebration of the beginning of spring.
Ostara- Contrary to popular belief, the origins of Easter had nothing to do with Jesus. On the contrary, Easter was originally a celebration of fertility, hence the egg decorating.
Beltane- Turned into May Day by Christians, Beltane was originally a holiday celebrating the first day of summer.
Litha- This one was turned into the Nativity of John the Baptist, but it was originally celebrated by Pagans as the longest day of the year.
Samhain- The most sacred day to Pagans, Samhain is the celebration of the deaths of nature as well as those before us. It is similar to the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead, in it's reverence for those past. It is also known as the New year for Neo-Pagans today. And yet, people have taken it and turned it into a time for children to be given candy and dress up in costumes.

One example of imagery taken from us is the devil. The devil's origins are the Horned God, or Pan, a nature god.

So you see, with Christianization, as they raped and pillaged, the religions of our ancestors have been desecrated. Do you, as Christians, accept this, or do you deny it?

Answer 1

Wait, so Jesus didn't decorate a tree every December?

Answer 2

Well for one Christmas actually was around before Germanics converted to Christianity however the likes of the Yule log were later incorporated after the Anglo-Saxons converted. And actually Easter is the Anglicization of the Jewish פֶּסַח aka passover. And no Bealtaine is still the same to us oul Irish though the days of fearing that the sídhe are going to get us are long gone, though the oul Bonfires still go ahead even if it's pissing rain out. Now as far as Oíche Shamhna goes well it was not the most sacred day to "Pagans" because last time I checked only the Gaels celebrated it. And Oíche Shamhna was also Warrior festival that celebrated the anniversary of An Táin Bó Cúailnge & Cath Maighe Tuireadh. Oíche Shamhna was also a time when the fụcked up cult of Crom Cruach used to sacrifice the first-born for good harvest. And I can honestly thank Dagda those days are over. And actually the whole trick or treat tradition originated in Ireland back around the 15th century. Now I know Neo-Pagans think that by being Pagan gives them the right to these traditions but in reality they have none unless they are descendants of the tribes that practiced them. And realistically Neo-Pagans attack Christians for apparently bạstardizing old European traditions when yet they do a better job at that than Christians.

Answer 3

Your general facts are correct, but your interpretation is a bit skewed. Here is what happened:



Since early cultures were based primarily on agriculture, virtually all cultures had seasonal celebrations commemorating the change of seasons (the solstices & equinoctes) or some aspect of a season, such as Spring fertility or Autumn harvest festivals.



These festivals tended to share similar celebrations and symbols, but the religious meaning (or lack of same) differed from community to community, based on the local folklore.



When Christianity began to spread throughout Europe, they found that many people were willing to convert to Christianity, but they were understandably reticent to give up the beloved holiday celebrations and seasonal traditions, to which they had become accustomed.



Imagine, for instance, if an American christian were to become a Buddhist, he might well be reticent to give up having a Christmas tree in his living room, or putting out Easter eggs for his kids. Holiday traditions run deep.



Rather than attempt to force new converts into giving up these harmless, and sometimes beautiful, seasonal celebrations, Christian missionaries instead allowed the secular aspects of the celebrations to continue, while redirecting the religious focus of the celebrations to a new, Christian perspective.



For instance, since no one really knew the date when Jesus was born, and they had to more or less pick a date at random to celebrate his birthday each year, it made perfect sense to set the date of Christmas at a time when people were already accustomed to holding a large celebration, namely, the winter solstice. By doing so, they preserved the good aspects of the local celebrations, while changing the religious focus of the new converts to the birth of Christ.



Easter, on the other hand, fell naturally on the Spring equinox. The first Easter (the resurrection) took place around the Jewish festival of Passover (the time when Jesus was crucified), which was, in its own way, a Spring seasonal festival, complete with the lamb as a symbol.



The strategy was both wise and effective. It made conversions far easier, it preserved the positive aspects of the local celebrations, and it eventually eliminated what Christians considered to be the original false religious beliefs behind the customs. Had early missionaries attempted to completely block these local celebrations, odds are people would still associate them with Thor, Zeus, Kali, or whatever god they once believed to be real. Instead, we have people singing songs about the birth of Jesus around those beautiful trees.

Answer 4

I don't really celebrate the holidays you speak of but so what? There is nothing original under the sun any symbolism is what the individual gives it. The differences between some of the Exxon Tiger images and Tony the Tiger associated with Frosted Flakes are virtually non-existent. but you don't expect to get gasoline in your Frosted Flakes do you?

Answer 5

That's the other way round.

Answer 6

Have you maybe thought that the Pagans adapted their holidays from Christianity? Maybe you're the one who's mistaken.

Answer 7

That is a myth Adam walked with the one true God.