People would also decorate their homes with evergreen boughs and sprigs of mistletoe, a symbol of eternal life but also love and peace many consider these customs a predecessor of Christmas wreaths, mistletoe decorations and even the tradition of the Christmas tree. The Saturnalia was also a public holiday, associated with merry drinking and the exchanging of small gifts, such as candles, wax models of fruit, and waxen statuettes in this case too the slaves were spared from their usual tasks and took part in the lively feast. It also included offerings, especially of fruit and bread. The Athenian Kronia was a public holiday which only lasted one day, but was even observed by the slaves, who would sit on the same table as their masters to enjoy the fruit of their hard labour. Instead of harvest time, the Roman version of the celebration was in fact linked with the winter sowing season. The festival of Saturnalia was initially celebrated on 17 December, but was later extended to three and eventually to seven days (until 23 December). Although it was celebrated in the summer, it was a major influence on the most popular Roman festival, the famous Saturnalia, dedicated to Saturn, Cronus’s Roman equivalent. It coincided with the middle of summer, and honoured the father god Kronos ( Cronus), considered a patron of the harvest. The ancient Athenian festival of Kroniaused to take place on the 12th day of Hekatombaion, the first month of the Attic calendar. Saturnalia by Antoine-François Callet (detail) Other festivals which are believed to have had a direct influence upon the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year are the Greek Kronia and the Roman Saturnalia. It is worth noting that, in the Gospels, Christ’s figure is often likened to the sun, for example in the hymn of Zechariah (Luke 1:78, 79) and as the “light that shines in the darkness” (John 1:5).

Sol Invictus was the official sun god of the later Roman Empire his cult was made an official religion by the Roman emperor Aurelian on 25 December AD 274.

There have in fact been speculations that the exact date was chosen because it coincided with a previous Roman festival called Die Natalis Solis Invicti, meaning the birthday of the Unconquered Sun. It is thus believed that the date of 25 December was chosen to coincide the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. Christmas, in particular, is believed by most researchers to have originated as a Christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the winter solstice the birth of Christ is not given an exact date in the Bible and, based on the Nativity’s descriptions, it would in fact be highly unlikely that it took place in the middle of winter. It is widely accepted that Christianity incorporated pagan festivals, having first remodeled their content so that it fit the new religious context. This is evidenced in many ritual practices, including Christmas customs. But, many of these traditions can trace their roots back to Ancient Greece and Rome. In the Western world, calendars and festive days have for many centuries been based on Christian chronology and observance. Holidays and rituals seem to have always been a universal aspect of the human experience, almost inextricably linked to being part of a community, an organised society and, eventually, a culture.

Saturnalia and christmas