Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1949-12-23
Christmas Sources

Christmas Sources
Catholic priest recently quoted to the effect that
children nowadays worship Santa Claus than Jesus
Christ This sad state of affairs may to be valid from
the point that children worship anyone who par
ticuary cheerful On the other hand the Riddles worship
what give them The priests argument which is really
quite interesting poses another question What other
bo personages customs traditions have been attached
to Christmas festival during the centures rough
study reveals that only Santa Claus but also number
other Influences of them in effect long before the
Christian era, have entered into the picture
The word Christmas means Mass of Christ it
later became shortened Christ Mass" 1t to
a Roman Catholic Mass AS there is not word in the
New Testament anywhere in the Bible telling us to OBJ
Christmas the Catholic Encyclopedia published by
Church. says christmas not among the earliest
festivals of the Church the first evidence of the feast
is from Egypt pagan customs centering around the
January caends, gravtated to Christmas The Encyclo
pedia Britannica says: christmas not among the
earliest festivals of the church. The Encyclopedia Amer
Gamma states christmas according to many author
ties celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian
church. the Christian usage in general to celebrate
the death of remarkable persons rather than their BIRTH
feast established memory of Chrss birth in the
fourth century In the fifth century the Western Church
ordered to be celebrated forever the day of the old
feast of the birth of SOL certain knowledge
of the day of Christs birth existed
The Catholic Encyclopedia frankly states that Christ
not born December 25 and historians generally
agree that birth occurred sometimes during September
and November.
According Henry w. Armstrong, the real origin of
Christmas goes back to the ancient Babylon In ancient
Babylon he says the chief objects of worship the
Mother and Child (Semramis and Nmrod) and he be-
eves this worship spread the world The he
says varied in different countries and languages In Egypt
it Isis and Osiris In Asia Cybee and Deous In Pagan
Rome, Fortuna and Jupterpuer. Even in Greece, China
Japan Tibet be found the counterpart of the Ma
donna long before the birth of Christ.
The Santa Claus from the name st. Mich
olas Roman Catholic bishop who lived in the 9Th century,
Concerning this the Encyclopedia Britannica says St
Nicholas bishop of Myra saint honored by the Greeks
and Latins the sixth of December legend of his
surreptous besowa of doweres the three daughters
of impoverished citizen is said to have originated
the old custom of giving presents in secret the of ST.
Nicholas dec 81 subsequently transferred to Christmas
hence the association of Christmas and Santa Claus.
The Americana says "the holly the mistletoe, the
Yuelog ETC. relics of preChrstan times According
to Frederick Haskns in book called Answers to Cues
tons found in public libraries "he of Christmas
wreaths believed by authorities to be taceabe the
pagan customs of decorating buildings and places of
ship at the feast which took place at the time
Christmas The Christmas tree is from Egypt and its
gin dates from period long anterior to the Christmas
era
The origin of the Christmas is highly debateable
and many explanations have been given Another is that
it ancient Babylon Nimrod who built the
of Babel evil it said he married his mother
whose name was Semiramis. After Nmrod's untimey
death his motherwfe Semiran1is propagated the evil
doctrine of the survival of Nmrod spirit being She
claimed fullgrown evergreen tree sprang over night