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Christmas: Difference between revisions
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==The Origin of Christmas== | ==The Origin of Christmas== | ||
December 25 is the birthday of the sun god Mithra, which is the shortest day of the year on the Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, Mithra was called ''Sol Invictus'', which means the ''Unconquered Sun''.<ref>Minou Reeves, [https://www.amazon.com/Deus-Sol-Invictus-Persian-Conquering/dp/1902932838 ''Mithras: The Invincible Sun God of Persia and the Conquering God of Rome''], ''Garnet Publishing'', 2023</ref> ''Sol Invictus'' was regarded as a patron deity of the emperor in 274 by the Roman Emperor Lucius Domitius Aureliauns, who was a former army officer. That year, he built a temple dedicated to ''Sol Invictus'' in Rome and proclaimed December 25 as the Day of the Sun. | December 25 is the birthday of the sun god Mithra, which is the shortest day of the year on the Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, Mithra was called ''Sol Invictus'', which means the ''Unconquered Sun''.<ref>Minou Reeves, [https://www.amazon.com/Deus-Sol-Invictus-Persian-Conquering/dp/1902932838 ''Mithras: The Invincible Sun God of Persia and the Conquering God of Rome''], ''Garnet Publishing'', 2023</ref> ''Sol Invictus'' was regarded as a patron deity of the emperor in 274 by the Roman Emperor [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aurelian Lucius Domitius Aureliauns], who was a former army officer. That year, he built a temple dedicated to ''Sol Invictus'' in Rome and proclaimed December 25 as the Day of the Sun. | ||
[[File:Musei_Vaticani_-_Mithra_-_Sol_invictus_01136.JPG |thumb|Vatican Museums in Rome, Italy: Mithra portrayed as ''Sol Invictus'' in ancient Rome]] | [[File:Musei_Vaticani_-_Mithra_-_Sol_invictus_01136.JPG |thumb|Vatican Museums in Rome, Italy: Mithra portrayed as ''Sol Invictus'' in ancient Rome]] | ||