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Christmas Myths & Ledgends

No celebration is more intertwined in myth than is Christmas. Some Christmas "myths" turn out to be true and some "truths" turn out to be myths!

 

Jesus was born on December 25th
The custom of celebrating the birth of Christ on December 25 first occurred in the 4th century. This was a clever move on the part of Church fathers, who wished to have it forgotten that the December 25 festivities were of a rival pagan religion. The celebration of Christmas became a permanent fixture in the Western world in the year 337 under the rule of the Roman emperor Constantine.

 

Christmas Tree Myth
Nimrod, the grandson of Noah's son Ham, promoted nature worship in ancient Sumeria and Babylon.
Myth links the Christmas Tree to Nimrod who was "cut down" like a tree by his uncle. The tree stump as well as the new evergreen tree sprouting out from the seed or stump have become a symbol of his supposed resurrection as a deity. 

The Myth that the Poinsettia Plant is poisonous to humans.
This myth came about when the child of an army officer died of poisoning in Hawaii when it was incorrectly thought that the child had eaten a poinsettia leaf. The only symptoms of eating poinsettia leaves is vomiting !

 

“Xmas” Disrespectful - Myth
The myth that the word “Xmas” is an abbreviated form for Christmas. This is not true. X is a substitute for the Greek Chi which is an early church representation of Christ. There is no intention of disrespect.

Some consider this a myth!

When it comes to Christmas gifts they always say it's the thought that counts. That is, until you notice a couple of your gifts came from The 99 Cent Store. It is the thought that counts. And when they buy you something cheap, that's what they're saying --- you're not worth much!

 

Christ was born 2001 years ago!

This error can also be traced to Dionysius Exiguus, who calculated that Christ was born 753 years after the supposed date of the foundation of Rome by Romulus. We know that Herod died in 4 BC. Therefore the Jesus of the Gospels must have been born before that date.

 

Christians invented Christmas
This is considered a myth by many. Christians hijacked a pagan festival and tried to turn it into their own. It was originally a celebration of the return of the sun god on earth. The ancient Romans, for example, exchanged gifts at Saturnalia.

 

The Original Father Christmas was Christian
Woden was the god of magic and healing and he rode across the sky on Sleipnir, his eight-legged horse. At midwinter, Woden came to earth and down the smoke-hole in the form of Father Christmas to dispense goodwill, peace, plenty and presents. Christians stole this myth when they turned a 4th century Turkish bishop called Nicholas into a saint. Subsequently, the Americans corrupted his name into 'Santa Claus'.