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From: Karen Mercedes
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Subject: Re: X in Christmas?
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

On Mon, 27 Dec 1999, Casey Lance wrote:

> December 25th was the feast of Saturnallia (sp?) . When the romans
> converted to christianity, rather than give up one of their beloved feasts,
> they celebrate the birth of Christ on their pagan holiday.
> Also, Easter is named after a norse god
>


Actually, Saturnalia was originally a one-day holiday celebrated on the
14th day before the kalends of January - which would make it December
17th. However, due to its popularity, by the end of the Republican era in
Rome, it had been extended to a seven-day holiday, which put its ending on
December 24th, i.e., what we consider Christmas Eve today. Saturnalia
began as a winter solstice ritual, and included the delightful practise of
the masters acting as servants to the slaves at a big feast - a tradition
that was carried over in various ways into different countries' Christmas
celebrations.

Karen Mercedes

=====
There is delight in singing,
tho' none hear Beside the singer.
- Walter Savage Landor
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http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html