recognised and thus other varied days already in existence alongside it, continued to be used to mark the birth of the Messiah.
It wasn’t until 354 AD. When a decree was passed declaring December 25 the official birth of Christ that this date began to establish its dominance over the other dates. Eighty-six years later, the then pontiff of Rome declared the festival of Christ’s birth be celebrated on the same day – Christmas was thus officially inaugurated.
Despite this papal decree, January 6 and March 25 were persistently observed as the days of Nativity (feast of Christ). By as late as the 5th century the church of Constantinople, for one, maintained this celebration on the 6th of January for long.
The reason for choosing December, 25 which comes a few days after the winter solstice (December, 22), the shortest day in the northern hemisphere, was to supersede the existing pagan cult festivals of Natalis Solis Invicti and the Saturnalia held during the solstice.
The former made an imperial cult of Rome by the emperor Commodus (180-192) was a cultural importation from the Mithraists celebrated in honour of Mithrais, a Persian and Indian sun god.
Mithrais, it is said, after slaying and sacrificing a bull from which all manner of creatures sprang, ascended to heaven where he guaranteed a blessed immortality to all who had been initiated into his mysteries.
This heathen festival commemorated the ‘Birthday of the Sun of Righteousness’ or the ‘Unconquered Sun’ and marked the beginning of a New Year in nature.
Christmas on replacing this festival kept the same symbolism – The birthday of Christ corresponded to