Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are here yet again and one cannot help but notice the usual hype associated with this holiday. These holidays mark the culmination of the Gregorian calendar year and everybody is keen on ending the year in style. Adults and children alike are hopeful that they will get time to visit their relatives across the world and get time to indulge in fun activities. This hype not only affects Christians who wait in anticipation for Thanksgiving and Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus and pilgrims’ festival but also pagans. At this point one cannot help but wonder why the celebrations that have religious connotations are associated with paganism. There is no way of telling apart whether Thanksgiving and Christmas are purely religious or pagan as they are an infusion of both religious and pagan aspects and elements. An analysis of these holidays with a special interest in the aspect of Santa Claus opens a debate as to the real meaning and origins of Christmas and Thanksgiving. Do these holidays exist to advance Christianity or are they mere extensions of pagan worship that cannot be wished away at all?
Thanksgiving as a Christian Holiday
Thanksgiving is definitely one of the most popular religious holidays in the US dating back to the seventeenth century. This holiday which marks celebration of harvest is associated with Puritan colonies that originated from England and settled in America. Plymouth Pilgrims celebrated this holiday by sharing their harvest with their Native American neighbors thus marking a tradition of celebrations, coming together and thanksgiving (McKenzie, 2013). These early Puritans were keen on seeking God's intervention when they faced difficult situations and they would engage in fasting. In the same manner, the Puritans recognized that God was the one behind their success and for this reason, they engaged in festivals to celebrate God's providence. For the Puritans secularity was not part of the equation for they rejoiced in the Lord and their celebrations indicated that they acknowledged God’s kindness. Thanksgiving came to be as a result of these Puritans realizing that God had made them prosperous in a foreign land. Looking at these Puritan celebrations, one cannot help but conclude that Thanksgiving is a Christian holiday that is founded on biblical aspects of being grateful for what God as done. Today, Thanksgiving carries on the religious aspect as it allows families to come together to celebrate the goodness of God throughout the year.
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Thanksgiving as a Pagan Holiday
Thanksgiving just like many other holidays is not devoid of pagan aspects which are evidenced by the secularity practices that have crept in overtime. One school of thought contends on the fact that Thanksgiving has religious origins and refutes the story that Puritan Pilgrims shared a meal to mark the beginning of Thanksgiving. Instead, the view is that the European Pilgrims indeed killed the Native Americans and then shared a meal to celebrate this victory. Prior to having Thanksgiving ancient nations used to have fall harvest festivals where they would come together to eat the last part of their harvest. During this festival, each of these nations would honor its god for the great harvest. For instance, the Israelites celebrated Sukkoth or the Feast of Tabernacles where they honored Yahweh while the Egyptians worshipped Min during the festival (McKenzie, 2013). Over time, even the godly harvest festivals became secularized as nations interacted and exchanged cultures and customs. In particular, the Romans encountered Nazarenes in the 3 rd century and the Nazarenes adopted Cerelia, a Roman harvest festival dedicated to Ceres, the Roman Goddess of harvest. Considering that by then, Rome was a world power, their influence spread quickly and it was impossible to believe that there would be a harvest festival that is devoid of Roman influence. By the time, the Puritan Pilgrims were introducing Thanksgiving, it was already adulterated with pagan practices. Perhaps it is for this reason that the Puritans did not find it out of the normal to go into war with the Native Indians to control their territory. During the Pequot War, the Puritans invaded the Indian villages and burnt to death more than 700 natives (Kirkpatrick, 2016). This victory called for celebrations on the part of the Puritans with Governor John Winthrop declaring it a thanksgiving ceremony to commemorate their victory over the Pequot tribe. The culture of celebrating Thanksgiving continually gained momentum and it is a global sensation that will last forever.
Christmas as a Christian Holiday
Christmas just like Thanksgiving has religious connotations as it marks the birth of Jesus who is the most iconic Christian figure. Christians all over the world cannot get over this holiday sensation, which still marks the end of a Gregorian calendar. During this time, Christians make time to be with their families where they eat together and exchange pleasantries and presents. Christmas brings about a sacred experience as people are involved more in religious activities to promote their own and other well-being (Mutz, 2015). Children are perhaps the most excited as Christmas is associated with receiving presents from Santa Claus. Santa Claus, otherwise known as Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, or just Santa is legendary figure drawn from western Christianity. He is thought to visit the families of all the well-behaved children on Christmas Eve and leave them presents which the children opening in the morning. According to Batinga, Pinto, and Resende, (2017). Christians believe that Santa Claus is a religious figure who represents Saint Nicholas, a 4 th -century bishop who stood up against anti-Christianity campaigns. Christmas celebrations are held dearly by most Christians who thank god for sending Jesus to earth in a human form for the redemption of their sins. Although the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown, 25 December as fixed by the early church serves the purpose of reminding Christians of their faith. Its celebration brings out deeper religious connections as Christians rethink their hope and redemption.
Christmas as a Pagan Holiday
Christmas is one of the most famous world festivals that are celebrated by Christians and no-Christians alike as part of an extended holiday season. A faction of thinkers tends to believe that Christmas is not a Christian holiday as most people think but rather a pagan festival. For these thinkers it is funny how celebrants focus more on Santa as the central figure in this holiday while the holiday celebrates Jesus. It would have been better if anything that is related to Jesus such as manger or baby Jesus would have the symbol for Christmas. More so, the celebrant seems to be obsessed with the presents and making merry, which at times seems to go to the extremes. Batinga, Pinto, and Resende (2017) feel that Christmas has become a secular holiday that encourages partying ad destructive behaviors owing to high commercialization. It is for these reasons, that Christmas is considered more of a pagan holiday with pagan traditions. The early Christian had a soft spot for pagans and upon evangelizing to them, they allowed them to continue with traditions that infiltrated into Christianity, For instance, the Christmas tree in which a major element of Christmas is associated with pagan practices of bringing indoors and decorating greenery during midwinter. Santa Claus is a reinvention of Europe’s pagan traditions about some spirits who travel in the sky during the winter (Miller, 2017). Christians reinvented this pagan idea and came up with a figure who gave presents during the winter. Looking at all the aspects one can conclude that Christmas though having religious connotations it is grounded upon pagan practices and traditions.
Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays as the most celebrated holidays in modern times draw parallel views as to whether they are purely religious or they have pagan elements. For Christians, they believe that these holidays are crucial in their walk with God as they promote a heart of gratitude. Christmas marks an important period in the Christian holiday as it reminds them of how Jesus came to earth in human form and in turn assured Christians of their redemption from sin. On the other hand, Thanksgiving reminds Christians of the favors that God has bestowed on them and the need to be grateful. In spite of these religious connotations, these two holidays are largely secular considering that they are awash with pagan practices and customs. The early Christians in their quest to evangelize to the nations allowed the new followers to continue with their pagan practices. With time, aspects such as Christmas tree and Santa were embedded into the celebrations. The same can be said about Thanksgiving which is associated with Puritan pilgrims and the Roman Empire who promoted Cerelia a thanksgiving dedicated to Ceres the Goddess of Harvest. Another school of thought is of the idea that the earliest Puritans wiped entire native communities and instituted Thanksgiving as a day to celebrate this victory. Looking at these different perspectives one cannot help but question whether these holidays are religious, secular, or pagan.
References
Batinga, G. L., Pinto, M. R., & Reseende, S. P. (2017). Christmas, consumption, and materialism: a discourse analysis of children’s Christmas letters. Review of Business Management , 19(66), 1-18.
McKenzie, R. T. (2013). The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us About Loving God and Learning from History . Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
Miller, D. (2017). Christmas: An anthropological lens. HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory , 7 (3), 409–442/
Mutz, M. (2015). Christmas and subjective well-being: A research note. Applied Research in Quality of Life , 11(4), 1341-1356
Kirkpatrick, M. (2016). Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience. New York: Encounter Books.
