Winter Holiday Blend

Have you ever wondered why so many holidays fall on December? Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and finally New Year. What is it about the end of year that makes people want to celebrate? As we ponder upon this question, let's go back in time to see where these winter holidays and traditions came from.

Before Kwanzaa was introduced as an alternative winter festival for the African-American community, the two main December holidays were Christmas and Hanukkah. As one of the Jewish holidays, Hanukkah is a much older holiday that came about in the 2nd century BC. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which happens to be between late November to late December. The historical narrative describing the story behind Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Dedication, as it's also called, is rather fascinating. 

What is also very interesting is how Christmas became a December holiday as well. If you know your Bible and/or your history, you would be well aware that there is no record of Jesus' actual birth date (or even month). The fact that we are celebrating his birthday on December 25th is an act of man, not God, although it's not random.

The early church had many disputes over when to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, including whether or not it's appropriate to celebrate it at all. After much debate and deliberation, it was decided to put it on December 25th. But why? 

ChristianityToday.com gives the following explanation:

"The eventual choice of December 25, made perhaps as early as 273, reflects a convergence of Origen's concern about pagan gods and the church's identification of God's son with the celestial sun. December 25 already hosted two other related festivals: natalis solis invicti (the Roman "birth of the unconquered sun"), and the birthday of Mithras, the Iranian "Sun of Righteousness" whose worship was popular with Roman soldiers. The winter solstice, another celebration of the sun, fell just a few days earlier. Seeing that pagans were already exalting deities with some parallels to the true deity, church leaders decided to commandeer the date and introduce a new festival.

Western Christians first celebrated Christmas on December 25 in 336, after Emperor Constantine had declared Christianity the empire's favored religion. Eastern churches, however, held on to January 6 as the date for Christ's birth and his baptism."

This is fascinating because of the connection between the earlier traditions around the celebrations of the sun and the birth of the Son of God. After reading this historical excursus, no wonder why so many pagan traditions migrated into Christianity and merged with Christmas festivities.
Decorating an evergreen tree is one of those traditions. In the US, it is most commonly known as Christmas tree, but in many other countries the lavishly decorated fir trees are called New Year Trees and are a main New Year symbol and decoration in the house. In my home country, Russia, and in many places throughout Eurasia, for example, the New Year Tree is associated with celebrating the the New Year and has no connection to Christmas (even where Christmas is also observed). But the New Year Tree is essentially the same exact beautifully decorated evergreen as the Christmas Tree. 

Russian New Year Tree (left) and US Christmas Tree (right)

On History.com you can read about the origins of the Christmas/New Year Tree tradition. It is proven that people were using evergreens in their pagan celebrations many centuries before the establishment of the Christian faith, particularly around the time of winter solstice.


"Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.

In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return."

New Year Tree by the Red Square in Moscow (left) and Christmas Tree on the National Mall in Washington, DC (right)

It is easy to see now that some of the modern holiday traditions, like decorating a Christmas Tree or a New Year Tree, take their root in the ancient customs. As we celebrate our winter holidays and admire marvelous fir trees decorated with ornaments and lights, it is astonishing to think about where and when these traditions originated. We ponder on the early times and ancient civilizations that used the green plants to mark the circle of life that nature has programed to restart every year at the same exact time when the sun turns back around to give us longer days and prosperity once again. And while looking into the future, we shall not forget the past and how old traditions are not lost through the times but mix with new traditions to form a truly universal celebration.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year!

P.S. If you have or know of any unusual New Year/Christmas tree traditions, please share with us. You can leave a comment below :)