Growing up, most of us have fond memories of waking up early Christmas mornings and gathering under the lit tree opening gifts, going door to door filling your bag with sweets, running through fields and forests hunting for eggs, hoping to find more than the kid next to you. Then you get older and pass the tradition on to your children, and they pass it on to theirs. But were did these holidays originate? We are told they are “Christian”, but are they truly. WE are going to share with you the information we have found regarding each of the main holidays celebrated here in the U.S.
Christmas
the date of Jesus Christ’s birth has been a topic of controversy for centuries. Various theories place the year of His birth in a range from 6 BC to 1 AD. As to the season of the year, most believe that He was born in the winter. Some claim that He was born in the spring, while others feel that He was born in the fall. Still others are inclined to shrug their shoulders, declaring that they don’t know and, it really doesn’t matter. While some theologians claim that it is not possible to know when Jesus was born, they readily accept December 25 as the day to celebrate His birth. They reason that the date or season is not as important as remembering the event.
Although an abundance of scriptural and historical evidence proves Jesus was not born on December 25, the majority of professing Christians still observe this date as His birthday. Few realize that this observance is based on ancient pagan tradition that predates Jesus Christ’s birth by thousands of years. Age-old customs of pagan origin entered the Christian churches many centuries ago and are now viewed as an essential part of Christian worship. Most churches today encourage their members to freely participate in the popular customs of the Christmas season.
While supposedly honoring the birth of Jesus Christ, the traditional observance of Christmas actually distorts the scriptural story of His birth and ignores the revealed purpose of His coming to earth in the flesh. His birth is, in fact, the chief cornerstone and foundation of true Christianity. The birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled a number of significant prophecies that are recorded in the Old Testament. A proper understanding of the true circumstances of His birth will provide deeper insight into the meaning of His life and the ultimate purpose of His coming.
The scriptural and historical facts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ are readily available to all who are willing to examine them. These combined records clearly reveal the year, season and the approximate day of Jesus Christ’s birth.
SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE OF THE SEASON OF JESUS CHRIST’S BIRTH
In his account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Luke records a major historical event of that time. Luke writes, “Now it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. (This registration first occurred when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) Then all went to be registered, each to his own city” (Luke 2:1-3).
The taxation and census decree by Caesar Augustus was carried out according to the Jewish custom, which required that such taxes be collected after the fall harvest (See Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Chronology, New Testament, pp. 199-200). Luke’s record of this taxation reveals that the birth of Jesus took place during the autumn. When we combine Luke’s record with Matthew’s account of Herod’s death, it is evident that Jesus was born in the fall of 5 BC.
Luke gives us additional evidence that Jesus was born during the fall festival season by recording that there were no guest rooms available at the inn when Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem. The scarcity of room was due not only to the taxation but also to the festival days that followed the fall harvest. Many thousands of people were already in the Jerusalem area to observe the fall festival season. Bethlehem was extremely crowded because of its proximity to Jerusalem. Since there was no room at the inn, Joseph and Mary were forced to lodge in a barn. Jesus was born there and was laid in a manger.
In addition, Luke makes it clear that Jesus was not born in the winter by recording that shepherds were tending their flocks in the fields that night (Luke 2:8). The shepherds in that region of Palestine always brought their flocks out of the fields before the onset of winter. The flocks were never left to graze in the pastures during the winter months because the cold weather prevented the grass from growing. There is much discussion in Bible commentaries for those who desire to study these points further.
https://youtube.com/shorts/GfJatFdKvFI?si=YLE8KcXChMETSmA8
Halloween
Easter