They have been incorporated into the Christian and secular celebrations of Christmas. Many of these customs are still followed today. The Celts thought that the sun stood still for twelve days in the middle of winter and during this time a log was lit to conquer the darkness, banish evil spirits and bring luck for the coming year. The Saturnalia Festival is an ancient Roman holiday that mainly celebrated the Winter sowing season, as well as honored the god Saturn. It was also the Druids who began the tradition of the yule log. Oaks were seen as sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months. The Druids (Celtic priests) would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. The date has been connected with the winter. For that hemisphere, the winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, when the. Originally celebrated on December 17, Saturnalia was extended first to three and eventually to seven days. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern ). This made it easier for the Romans to call their pagan December 25th winter solstice festival, in which they had celebrated the birth of the sun god. The Winter Solstice falls on the shortest day of the year (21st December) and was celebrated in Britain long before the arrival of Christianity. The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth 's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. And Christians were celebrating Jesus birth on December 25 long before their. The festival also involved decorating houses with greenery, lighting candles, holding processions and giving presents. Saturnalia ran from December 17 to December 23, so it ended before December 25. Men dressed as women and masters dressed as servants. It was a time when the ordinary rules were turned upside down. The winter solstice, the longest night of the year, falls on December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 20 or 21 in the Southern. Saturnalia ran for seven days from the 17th of December. The ancient Romans also held a festival to celebrate the rebirth of the year. At mid-winter the Norsemen lit bonfires, told stories and drank sweet ale. It was from the word for this wheel, houl, that the word yule is thought to have come. The Norsemen of Northern Europe saw the sun as a wheel that changed the seasons. Because of this many ancient people had a great reverence for, and even worshipped the sun. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives. The Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice (also known as Yule) is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world.Īncient people were hunters and spent most of their time outdoors. Find this year's date in the multifaith calendar
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