Origins of Christmas

Nowadays, people have to look at the calendar to know when the moon will be new, full or on its first and last quarter. So very few people realize that today is the December solstice, the time the sun reaches its extreme southern point. Three days from now, the sun will begin to rise higher in the sky, a great event that in the ancient Roman calendar was called Natalis Solis Invicti, the birthday of the Unconquered Sun. That was the pagan feast that was Christianized as the Feast of the Nativity after the introduction of Christianity.

During Roman times, the pagan festival started on December 19 and the feast was called Saturnalia, after the Roman deity Saturn. The feast lasted for seven days and was highlighted by freedom from restraint to the extent that slaves took the place of their masters and often ended with riots and debauchery as no crime was punished. The holiday culminated on December 25 with a great feast known as Brumalia and was the occasion when presents were exchanged. So, as we can see, Christmas has come a long way and although it is the feast that commemorates the birth of Christ, its roots extend way back to pagan times.

"What’s past," Shakespeare said, "is prologue." Long before him, Agathon, who lived six centuries before Christ, expressed it more precisely. He said, "Of one power even God is deprived, and that is the power of making what is past never to have been." So even the Almighty has limited powers."

Unquestionably, Christmas is our most-loved festival. But it is not true that we have the longest Christmas celebration in the world – from Dec. 16 to the Epiphany. The distribution of the longest Christmas celebration goes to Mexico. Their Christmas celebration also starts on December 16 but extends to Candlemas, which takes place February 2nd. Incidentally, all our Christmas customs originated from Mexico. It is one of our living Mexican heritages from the galleon trade.

Only Mexico and the Philippines start their Christmastide celebration with dawn Masses known as Misa de Aguinaldo on December 16. This custom began in Mexico way back in 1587, when Fray Diego de Soria, friar of the Convent of San Agustin Acolman, petitioned the Pope in Rome for permission to hold Christmas Masses outdoors because the church could not contain the crowd of Christmas churchgoers. The Pope granted the permission and the novena Masses were called Gift Masses. It was also Mexico that gave us the panunuluyan and the star lantern which was a Philippine interpretation of the Mexican luminaria.

Let us secure our past.