Pagan?

I was reading and found some claims made about Christmas being actually originated from celebration during the pagan days.

I googled "origins of Christmas" and the like to find out more.

It seemed the history of Christmas is a varied story. Early Europeans marked the year's longest night -- the winter solstice -- as the beginning of longer days and the rebirth of the sun. They slaughtered livestock that could not be kept through the winter and feasted from late December through January.

In ancient Rome, people celebrated rowdy festival from Dec. 17 to Dec. 24 in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The celebration consisted of a carnival-like period of feasting, carousing and gambling.

Later the church decided that Christians needed a December holiday to rival solstice celebrations. Church leaders selected Dec. 25 for the celebration. Christmas gained ground over the next several hundred years.

Early Christmas absorbed some of the Roman festival's excesses which featured feasting, drinking and riotous behavior. In fact in 1647 the English Parliament had banned the celebration of Christmas entirely, considering it a festival with no biblical justification and a time of wasteful and immoral behavior.

Charles Dickens with his novel 'A Christmas Carol' helped revive the 'spirit' of Christmas and seasonal merriment. The novel played a major role in portraying (his secular view of) Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion.

Hmm.. there's a lot more to tell - about the Christmas tree and its baubles and mistletoe and the log and etc etc. But I dont want to bore you.

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