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By Aimie Pizano

What does Christmas mean to you?

Is it (a) a time to be with your family, (b) a religious time, (c) a stressful time, (d) a time for parties and celebrations, (e) a time of blatant commercialism?

Whatever it means to you now, you may well wonder how it all started. What was Christmas originally like?

The ancient Romans celebrated a winter festival called Saturnalia, which commenced on Dec. 17 and lasted until Dec. 24. The birthday of the unconquered Sun was celebrated on Dec. 25, a principle feast day of Rome’s Mithraic religion. Mithra was the god of light.

In his book "Ancient Italy and Modern Religion, Dr. Conway describes Saturnalia: "Ordinary life was by common consent turned topsy-turvey; people gave up serious occupations, and when they were not feasting they roamed the streets calling one another ‘Io Saturnalia" just like our modern day ‘Merry Christmas.’ Romans were expected at this festival to make some present to your friends;…they were thought to be quite an unsociable person if they were sober all through Saturnalia!"

Many of today’s traditions are believed to be relatively modern. Christmas customs actually have origins in the winter solstice and Saturnalia.

For example, ancient northern peoples feared the long darkness of December would conquer the sun. As part of a magical rite, they decorated their homes with holly, ivy, mistletoe and other evergreens because they seemed to have a supernatural ability to survive. They symbolized life in a time of darkness. The most obvious is that of the Christmas tree.

John Mosley in "The Christmas Star," wrote: "The pagan Europeans celebrated the solstice in the forests; they worshipped trees. So, the Christmas tree is really a throwback to tree worship."

The first reported observance of Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ was more than 300 years after the event. In the fourth century, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. The date of Christmas was purposely fixed on Dec. 25 to coincide with existent celebrations by non-Christians.

The New Caxton Encyclopedia states: "the church seized the opportunity to Christianize these festivals."

So is Dec. 25 really Jesus’ birthday, what is, and should we celebrate it?

"The Religions of the Roman Empire" Professor Ferguson wrote the early Christians didn’t celebrate the birthday of Christ. The Bible doesn’t give the exact date of his birth, indicating only that he was born in a warmed month, not in the cold, rainy month of December.

This description certainly doesn’t fit Israel’s rainy month that corresponds to our December, a time in the Bethlehem area when temperatures can drop very low.

Around the time of Jesus’ birth, Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus decreed that all subject travel to the city of their birth and be registered. Luke 2:1-7 states: "All people went traveling to his own city."

Joseph and Mary, Jesus’ earthly parents, journeyed over 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. Would this be reasonable or possible in the cold, rainy season of December?

The Bible states: "There were also in that same country shepherds living out of door and keeping watches in the night over their flocks."

If Jesus wanted his followers to celebrate his birth, why did he not instruct them to do so? With respect to the day of his death, he outlined a simple celebration and told his followers: "Keep doing this in remembrance of me."