appeasing the sun gods
Alissa points out not only that primitive man invented sun gods and elaborate rituals to appease them (because they feared that the sun would one day disappear for good and all life would cease to exist) but also that the God in Heaven and all of the rituals of the Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity and, to some extent, Islam – are based on the sun worship of early civilizations."The Northern Winter Solstice was celebrated in many pagan cultures with a gift bringer,” says Alissa. “Julemanden, with elves as helpers, was an ancient Danish gift-bringer who used a sleigh drawn by reindeer and carried a sack of presents on his back.”
“In the Netherlands, he was called Sinter Klaas and was dressed in a traditional red, black and white costume – colors representing life, death and rebirth,” says Alissa. “These gift-bringers came on Winter Solstice night leaving coins or gifts in stockings or shoes."
"The Church tried hard to rationalize that Jesus is also a Santa-like character who knows if people have been good or bad and can give or withhold gifts accordingly,” says Alissa, “but whereas Sinter Klaas’s gifts were used by pagan families to manipulate their children into being good through the dark winter days, the Church used Jesus to bestow the gift of heaven if you are good, or hell if you are bad.”
“No wonder the Winter Solstice and Christmas remain more a continuation of the traditions of Sinter Klaas and the old Roman Saturnalia - a drunken feast – than a celebration of the birth of Jesus,” says Alissa. “Imposing Jesus as the modern equivalent of a sun god – or the son of a sun god – and pretending he was born December 25th - the Roman calendar's Winter Solstice - when he quite clearly was not, if at all he ever existed, fooled many people but obviously not everybody."
“Pagans believed that children born immediately after the Winter Solstice are especially blessed,” says Alissa. “I’m a Pisces myself but I have noted that Capricorns do tend to be incredibly successful in life, so whereas the whole notion of sun gods is a bit ridiculous, the idea that the sun’s warmth during pregnancy can bless a child born at the Winter Solstice does make sense.”
Read more by Alissa on this issue:
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