Pagan Origins

It may come as a surprise to some of you, but many of our holidays, and celebrated customs have Pagan origins. First, it would be good to define how the word 'pagan' came about.

In the early days of Christianity, its beliefs competed with the beliefs of other religions which had existed for many centuries before Christianity came about. Many churches contained altars to several various religious deities and the Christian altar was just one in a a line of many. Sometimes people would make offerings to several deities with the hope of increasing their odds of getting their wishes and perhaps covering their bases by appealing to many different gods. It was in this competitive atmosphere where Christians were outnumbered by other religious beliefs that the new ideology of 'Christianity' started to catch hold in the cities first. Perhaps it is because they were more on the communication lines to the rest of the world, but city folk converted more rapidly than those in the country. Those in the country continued to believe in the older religions, and the city folk to thumb their noses at them, and referred to the non-Christians, and non-converted in derogatory terms. The original meaning of 'pagan' was thus mere something like 'country person', but it began to take on connotations like 'country bumpkin', 'hick', or 'rustic'. The further converted meaning was then anyone who didn't believe in the new Christian religion.

It was later down the track that 'satanic' attributes were assigned to pagans. But this is quite impossible because the concept of a Satan in a demonic sense was only invented in the 4th Century
by the Church, and the pagan religions were around long before that. They dubbed these religions as a cult of Wicca, or witchcraft. That Wicca existed long before the mention of an Anti-Christ like personage is demonstrated by the reference in the Old Testament of witchs, such as in the King Saul consulting the Witch of Endor. Also, as far back as Genesis, mention is made of women using talismans and having special powers. So the 'pagans' and Wicca was rooted far back into the history of the peoples of the Bible.

The major differences in the pagan religions and the Christian religion was that the older religions of Wicca embraced many gods. For example, the Wiccans hold The Goddess, the female deity, in as high or of higher position as the The God, the male deity. They consider there are two aspects of divinity. These often correspond to the Moon and the Sun. Often times the male God is considered to have different aspects also, and is called by different names. In many European areas, there is an Oak King symbolized by a robin, and a Holly King symbolized by a wren. The Oak King, aka Robin Redman or Robin Redbreast had the title of Lord of the Greenwood and was often represented with antlers, and thus also known as the 'horned one'. The Holly King was considered of elfin origin and is the source of what is known today as Father Christmas. Each of these Kings reigned for 6 months and then the other took over.

The birth date of Christ was not actually mentioned in the Bible, and no one ever celebrated it as a holiday for over 300 years. Then in the 4th Century, Constantine the Great created the event, Christ's Mass Day, to coincide with the Yuletide pagan celebration of Sol Invictus (the birth of the unconquered Sun) held four days after Winter Solstice (December 21st) . The Roman empire having recently adopted Christianity as the state religion, seemed to want to use force and decrees to stamp out what they considered competition to their newly adopted religion. One of the methods was to establish Christian Holidays over the top of 'Pagan' days of celebration, apparently, in the hopes of sort of overshadowing them.

Easter is probably next biggest usurped Holiday. Although the origins of the date may have been related to the Jewish Passover, the method of calculating the Christian date was not settled until the Synod of Whitby in 664 A.D. The Christian Bishops at this Council insisted that the Holiday always be on a Sunday, rather than a particular date. So Easter is on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox, or March 21st. The name Easter itself was taken from the 'Pagan' festival of Eostre, the Goddess of Spring.

Although on the surface it would seem that the original 'Pagan' holidays and celebrations were overshadowed by the newer Christian ones, there are many customs and artifacts that still persist from the earlier religions. Bunnies at Easter, for example, have nothing to do with Christianity, but relate to the celebration of Eostre, as due Eostre eggs. Ivy, holly, mistletoe, fir trees, Yule logs, fruit puddings and hot-cross buns have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, but relate to earlier traditions.

Most older calendars were lunar calendars and thus the word month derived from moon. The word 'Sabbath' (from Shabbat) is now meant to be Saturday, the seventh day of rest, in the Jewish tradition. However, in older Mesopotamia the word "Shabbatu' was the monthly feast celebrating the full moon.

On October 31st there used to be a celebration called the 'Sabbat of Samhain'. 'Samhain' in the old language meant "Summer's End". In the Wiccan tradition, this was the end of the year, and the start of the New Year on their calendar was November 1st. So the Eve of All Hallows was like their New Year's Eve. It was the time of year when the last harvest was gathered in and they prepared for the winter to come. Also, it was a time for honoring ancestors, and the dead. They lit ritual fires and candles, and warded off evil spirits with the Jack o'Latern. Another custom was to offer food, and other supplies, to the needy during this time. They felt that the recently departed might feel slighted, so they also offered food and supplies them. They feared retribution from these departed spirits, afraid they might be angered if they were not satisfied, and hence came the custom of Trick or Treat. The Christian Church tried to eclipse this celebration by declaring All Saints Day to be November 1st.

So as you may surmise, there are many 'Pagan' customs still with us today. It is interesting that the Wiccans felt a close connection to nature and had different ideas and beliefs about their deities, but never seemed to be hostile about other peoples beliefs. They seemed content to mind their own business and let others believe what they wanted, while they practiced their own beliefs. However, the Roman Catholic Church seemed to feel threatened by this 'competitor' and was determined to stamp them out. They invented the concept of an Anti-Christ demonic Satan in the 4th Century (did not appear in the Bible earlier as such) and attributed these ideals to their rival Wiccans. The Wiccans had no such concept in their beliefs. No, I am not a Wiccan, nor do I necessarily believe in what they believe in. But from a historical perspective it is good to know what really went on, as it more often than not will relate to what is going on now.

Happy Holly Days