How a Roman Orgy Became the Birthday of Jesus

Purists detest the festival at the end of the last month of the year. “It’s all just commerce, we’re celebrating our own enslavement to capitalism, shit, this Christmas Eve!” They mock themselves and without comment refuse the mug of mulled wine, which could be their gateway to pitiful exuberance.

Even seasoned Christians would probably agree that Christmas as we celebrate it today has little or nothing to do with celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Only this is not the point. The birth of the Christian Messiah was never really the reason we give each other gifts, eat decadent food, light candles, and decorate holly on Christmas Eve or December 25th.

Christmas is a cult that has been celebrated around the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere for thousands of years. From the Egyptians to the Babylonians to the Romans, the Germans and the Celts – they all celebrated the extension of the days with curious customs. Only the early Christians refused to surrender to the pagan feast.

The Roman Saturnalia traditionally took place on December 17. It was a noisy party that was initially extended from one to two and later even to ten days.

Men dressed as women, slaves as masters of the house, they ate till they dropped, sang naked and fucked as much as they could.

Windows and squares were decorated with plants. Usually with laurel bushes, whose red berries are reminiscent of the Christmas tree balls that are widespread today.

Judges, police officers and politicians also did not dare to work during the highest holidays of the year. They engaged in collective “immorality” so that days of anarchy broke out throughout Rome.

Slaves, children and students were allowed to insult their guards, throw them into cold pits or monkey in public.

The ancient chaos was justified by the god Saturn, lord of time and seed. For the Romans, it symbolized the golden age, a pre-civilization state in which perfect people lived without power and greed, in harmony with nature and morality.

However, enjoying the carefree state of nature came at a price: human sacrifice.

The Saturnalia festivities traditionally began with a human sacrifice in the Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum. It is said that there was a particularly beautiful Saturn Festival when the victim was a child.

In 274 AD, the Roman Emperor Aurelian brought the undefeated sun god Mithras home to the Roman Empire from his battles in Asia Minor.

He dedicated the pompous finale of the Saturnalia to him. December 25, the date of the winter solstice in the Julian calendar, henceforth became the birthday of the growing sun.

Everyone loved it or they didn’t care. Because the drinking bouts and the orgies were kept unchanged, if not even rougher (in the end, thanks must be given to the new god).

The winter solstice was cause for celebration for a number of cultures:

Only the first Christians did not feel like drinking in December.

In the open field. In the middle of winter. During the Palestinian rainy season. – «Mhm, exactly» thought the then Christians with rolling eyes and rejected the cult festival around the winter solstice.

Her sun was Jesus Christ, and only enough was known about his date of birth that December 25th was absolutely out of the question.

So while all of Rome gave up, the Christians remained faithful to their Savior – and eagerly awaited Easter in the spring.

“Stop, stop, stop!” may the voice in the Westerner’s head now protest, “Christians didn’t like Christmas, i.e. the Saturnalia, or the solstice celebrations — that is, Reverend Müller lied and I went to church all these years. vain?”

Those who haven’t missed their history lesson know: Emperor Constantine is the reason why the village image of every Central European community has a church steeple, why we are baptized, why we undergo religious instruction and why we celebrate Christmas.

The Roman Emperor reportedly encountered God during a battle, and so he completely “Christianized” his empire and banned all other religions.

He tried that first feria saturnalia remove, likely achieving a similar result to attempting to ban a teenager from going out.

But actually the feast around December 25 was very convenient for the Christian missionaries. Throughout the empire, from Constantinople to Scotland, the different ethnic groups had their own festivals at this time.

Telling everyone that the rising sun, which they have been celebrating for thousands of years, actually means that, from a political point of view, Jesus Christ was an ingenious strategy to convert.

In 354 AD. Pope Liberius finally announced December 25. as the Savior’s official birthday. Celebrating this day was obligatory from now on.

The different customs surrounding the holy night merged into the festival as we know it today.

The Romans put on their clothes and continued to eat, the lights of the Germans still burn in the form of colorful candles during Advent, and today Gritti-Bänze offer their heads as human sacrifices.

The religious background gradually disappeared between the Middle Ages and modern times, giving way to tired holiday menus (right, Baroni), kitschy blockbusters and over-the-top Christmas gifts.

Blaming the Christmas Festival on commercialism is about as ridiculous as accusing your grandma of wearing old-fashioned clothes.

So Christmas Eve and Christmas has always been about treating yourself and your loved ones to something special. It used to be a mass orgy – and today it’s just mulled wine.