> From: Alberto Monteiro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > The Fool wrote: > > > >Ignoring any x-BC etc. birth scenerio data gives a range that is from > >late september to october, probably early october. > > > Interesting. I've read several times that JC's birthday was > around _March_
Not if The Book is right and Zachariah (sp) was a priest, etc. http://members.aol.com/santalie/ashort.htm Why the Pilgrims Outlawed Christmas ...and other fascinating facts about trees, cookies, and Santa For millions of people around the world, Christmas is a favorite holiday. To some it is merely an occasion to give and receive gifts. For Christians it honors the birth of Jesus Christ. But did you know that for many years Christmas was not observed? At times celebrations were discouraged and evenoutlawed? Here is a brief history of Christmas and some of the traditions connected to it. During the first two centuries after Christ's death, Christmas was not celebrated. In A.D. 245, when a group of scholars attempted to determine the exact date of Christ's birth, a church council denounced the endeavor, declaring it would be wrong to celebrate the birthday of Christ "as though he were a King Pharaoh." Still, attempts were made to pinpoint Jesus' birthday. The result was multiple dates: January 1, January 6, March 25, and May 20. Initially, the May date was favored because the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:8) reports that the shepherds who received the announcement of Christ's birth were watching their sheep by night. Shepherds guarded their flocks day and night only during lambing time, which was in the spring. In winter, the animals were generally enclosed in corrals, unwatched. In A.D. 349, Pope Julius formally selected December 25 as the DAY for Christmas. This date was already widely celebrated in the Roman world as citizens observed the Natalis Solis Invicti (the Birthday of the Inconquerable Sun) in honor of the sun god, Mithras. The festival took place just after the winter solstice, when the days become longer. Many modern Christmas customs such as decorating a house with greenery, exchanging gifts, and enjoying festive meals originated with this pagan celebration. Scholars believe that Pope Julius selected December 25 as the date of the Nativity to win over followers of Mithras as well as to give Christians an opportunity to honor Christ's birth. OUTLAWED FESTS In seventeenth century England, the Puritans objected to Christian celebrations that had no clear biblical basis (the Bible does not tell us to celebrate Jesus' birthday). As a result, the English Parliament in 1643 outlawed Christmas, Easter, and other Christian holidays. However, December 25 as a festive day was so popular that by 1660 the citizens reclaimed it. When the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620 they also brought with them a distrust of Christmas. A 1659 Massachusetts law fined people for celebrating on December 25. But again, the day was so popular thatthe law was repealed in 1681, although strong religious opposition lasted into the next century. Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, Catholic, and Anglican churches were most responsible for establishing Christmas traditions in the United States. Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers, and Puritans voiced opposition to the day because of the pagan origins of most of the Christmas festivities.
