Thom's article points out that it was no accident that the Vatican chose Dec 25 as the date Christ was born in Bethlehem as it too was supposedly the start of not just a new year, but a new era. It also nicely coincided with a lot of diverse pagan lore which surely did not hurt recruiting efforts to encourage religious conversion.
Thom's article points out that it was no accident that the Vatican chose Dec 25 as the date Christ was born in Bethlehem as it too was supposedly the start of not just a new year, but a new era. It also nicely coincided with a lot of diverse pagan lore which surely did not hurt recruiting efforts to encourage religious conversion.
It is curious that Christianity did not migrate south or East. However, that might attest to the influence of the Roman Empire at the time. Merging Christian morality with Roman rule likely helped to sustain order throughout the empire. The historical influence of the Vatican on legitimizing monarchs is testament to that as is the re-embrace of Christianity as Putin worked to rebuild the atheistic collapsed Soviet empire.
The reindeer lore was both educational and amusing - and I thought modern hippies discovered hallucinogens. It also explains why the stockings were hung by the chimney with care in the hope that St. Nicholas soon would be there. Let's all get high on New Years Day! LOL
Thom's article points out that it was no accident that the Vatican chose Dec 25 as the date Christ was born in Bethlehem as it too was supposedly the start of not just a new year, but a new era. It also nicely coincided with a lot of diverse pagan lore which surely did not hurt recruiting efforts to encourage religious conversion.
It is curious that Christianity did not migrate south or East. However, that might attest to the influence of the Roman Empire at the time. Merging Christian morality with Roman rule likely helped to sustain order throughout the empire. The historical influence of the Vatican on legitimizing monarchs is testament to that as is the re-embrace of Christianity as Putin worked to rebuild the atheistic collapsed Soviet empire.
The reindeer lore was both educational and amusing - and I thought modern hippies discovered hallucinogens. It also explains why the stockings were hung by the chimney with care in the hope that St. Nicholas soon would be there. Let's all get high on New Years Day! LOL