[Nyerges is the author of several books, including
“Whose Child Is This” (about the meaning of the symbols of Christmas). He can be reached at www.ChristopherNyerges.com or Box
41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.]
In 1976, I
was asked to conduct a Christmas event for the non-profit I’d been a part
of. My job: “Find the real meaning of
Christmas.” Even after I agreed to do
this, I wondered: How can I do
that? How can I be sure that I’ve
really got the “real” meaning? How will
I know whether or not I’m right?
I was told
by Ms. Hall, the then-president of the non-profit WTI, to make a plan, and that
I should write out the overall reasons and purposes for the event. I was to start collecting all the facts I’d
need for my study into the meaning of Christmas. Sounded good, so far. I needed
to discover what all the symbols of Christmas meant, symbolically, to each of
us.
“So you
need to focus your thinking on all the important details that pertain to
Christmas. Your job is to find, and
then to convey, that real meaning to the others at the event,” I was told. OK.
I felt even more overwhelmed. I
was not sure I could actually do this and get meaningful results. So, I did the best that I was able to.
Finally, the Christmas Eve event took place. It was half the day of music, movies, and
delicious food. Once it was underway,
everyone seemed to fill their role rather professionally. And then there was my presentation on the
meaning of Christmas. I had toiled over
my research notes, and done considerable “thinking-into” the subject. Still, even as I stood there in front of 20
or so people, I had my doubts about whether or not I knew what I was talking
about.
I explained how I grew up in a Catholic family, and
was taught that Jesus was born on December 25, which is obviously why we
celebrate his birthday on that date. But by age 14, I began reading literature
from non-Catholic, and non-Christian sources, that pointed out that most of the
Christian Holy Days – including Christmas – were pre-Christian, as hard as that
was to believe. Those first revelations
had the effect of making me even more depressed at Christmastime, since not
only did I perceive it as time when the merchants induced us all to buy, it now
appeared that Christmas had so-called “pagan” roots.
I had a few encyclopedias with me, and read passages
from them as appropriate. I also had
The Golden Bough, and Manly Hall’s Secret Teachings of All Ages. I told the small group that was gathered
there that day that I was amazed to discover that Jesus was not the only god or
savior of world history who birth was commemorated on December 25, or a few
days earlier on the solstice. Mithra,
for example, was born of a virgin mother in a cave. His birthday was
commemorated on December 25. Mithraism
was the dominant religion of the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus. Nimrod from Babylon was also said to be born
on December 25, as was Osiris, Quetzalcoatl, and others.
“I was very influenced in my early teens by certain
religious groups who taught that we should not observe Christmas because it is
pagan,” I told the small group. I
explained that it was not until the 4th Century when Constantine was
attempting to unite his empire that he made Christianity the official religion,
and he “Christianized” all the so-called pagan commemorations. As a result, the birth of the Sun that was
already commemorated by the Mithra-followers was now going to commemorate the
Birth of the Son.
It turned out that nearly all of the Christmas
symbols pre-dated Christianity, and were called “pagan” by some.
“But what is a pagan?” I asked the group. “It turned out that the pagani originally referred to anyone who lived in the
countryside. Only later did the term
take on the somewhat derogatory “non-Christian” meaning, since it was harder to
convert the people who did not live close to the cities of the day.”
During the next 45 minutes, I discussed the meanings of
the wreath, evergreens, lights and candles, the giving of gifts, the virgin
birth, and birth in a stable. I pointed
out that the winter solstice, that darkest day when the day’s light increases,
has been used ceremonial to commemorate the birth of saviors for four or five
millennia. We know Jesus wasn’t born
then, but we today use that day to commemorate the possibility of a new
beginning.
Timothy, who
was a guest that night, described the importance of the winter solstice to
ancient people. “That’s why there are
so many stone structures and shadows and drawings that tell people when it’s
the day of least light. Not only did
the farmers want to know when the days would get longer, but it was also highly
symbolic. There in the deep of winter, when
the days were darkest, suddenly the days started to get longer. That’s where
the birth of the sun idea came from.
It’s highly symbolic, as you’ve been saying, and just about everyone
throughout time has taken note of it.”
When it was over, I felt that I – and the guests –
had come just a bit closer to finding this real, inner meaning to this special
day. But I knew this was not a matter
of just collecting facts, like some college research project.
Can I even say that today I know the “real meaning”?
I’ve concluded that, despite all the outward signs
and parties and food, the “real meaning” of Christmas is that we should take
the time to allow a “new birth” to occur within our own mind and soul. Yes, that’s not easy, and it’s hard work,
though very rewarding. This real, inner meaning of this time of the year, is
something that anyone of any culture can choose to experience.
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