The Origins and zodiacal significance of Christmas

New Moon in Sagittarius, December 1st 2005, 15h00

Well, it looks like the Christmas season is well and truly upon us, what with the “buy more presents” advertising campaigns reaching a crescendo and most of us trying desperately to plan ahead before it’s too late to get organised. Whilst we battle to make sure Christmas retains at least some of the spirit of “peace on earth and goodwill to all men”, it’s worth remembering that the roots of what we now celebrate as Christmas stretch back thousands of years. Here are a couple of historical titbits which give us insight into the festival’s origins:

Ancient people feared the fading of the light as winter nights set in, and this shaped a striking legend that continued into Greek culture when the Greeks became Christian. It's the story of the Kallikantzaroi, ugly monsters of chaos who, during most of the year, are forced underground. During the 12 days of Christmas, the demons are said to roam freely on the earth's surface. They are known more for malicious practical joking than any real harm: braiding horse's tails, souring milk, putting out the home fire in a particularly indelicate manner. To scare them away, the Greeks kept their Christmas log burning, a tradition which is still a feature of Christmas today.

A fascinating book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" (Michael Baignet, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. New York, Delacorte Press, 1982) discusses the less than impartial political motives of the fourth-century Roman emperor Constantine, who first moved the celebration of Christmas to December 25. The authors claim that Constantine followed the cult of Sol Invictus, a form of sun worship that originated in Syria and was imposed by Roman emperors on their subjects. That's why Constantine decreed that Sunday, "the venerable day of the sun" would be the official day of rest. (Early Christians before then celebrated their holy day on the Jewish Sabbath, Saturday.) That's also why, by his edict, the book claims, the celebration of Jesus' birthday was moved from January 6th (Epiphany today) to December 25th, celebrated by the cult of Sol Invictus as Natilis Invictus, the rebirth of the sun.

And what about the concept of the 12 Days of Christmas? The midwinter festival of the ancient Egyptians celebrated the birth of Horus (the Egyptian forerunner of the earthly king) son of Isis (the divine mother-goddess). It was 12 days long, reflecting their 12-month calendar. This concept took firm root in many other cultures. In 567 AD, Christians adopted it. Church leaders proclaimed the 12 days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season.
December 21st 2005 this year will be the day of the Winter Solstice. The Solstice points happen on the longest (June) and shortest (December) days of the year, or: “the times when the Sun reaches its greatest declination north or south of the celestial equator each year” according to my Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy! In simple terms, the Winter Solstice occurs because of the tilt of the earth and the fact that our hemisphere is at its farthest distance from the sun, making the day the shortest in the year.
Many cultures the world over still perform solstice ceremonies. At their root is an ancient fear that the failing light would never return unless they made offerings to their gods and goddesses. Our ancient ancestors watched the movement of the sun as well as the moon and marked this with fertility rites, fire festivals, prayers and celebrations. Our impulse to hold onto certain traditions today - candles, evergreens, feasting and generosity - echoes a past that reaches back thousands of years.
For more fascinating facts about the origins of Christmas and other traditional festivals, visit www.candlegrove.com

In terms of astrology, the fun party atmosphere of the run up to Christmas and the following sobering up period which takes us into the New Year is also interesting to consider.

From as early as the 22nd of November each year the Christmas parties and celebrations start. This is when the Sun moves into the zodiac sign of Sagittarius*. Typical Sagittarian characteristics include a lust for life, an optimistic and generous disposition, being very sociable and wanting to mix with all kinds of people, as well as being flamboyant and ready to party at the drop of a hat! So during December with all the parties and present buying, that’s the influence we’re feeling as the centre of our Universe, AKA the Sun, is moving through this optimistic sign. Eating, drinking and being merry is all very well, but I think we’d all agree we wouldn’t want to do it to the extent we do over the festive season every day of the year …

So, around December 21st at the Winter Solstice, the Sun enters the Zodiac sign of Capricorn. Capricorn and its ruler the planet Saturn are very much associated with hard work, frugality and responsibility. In modern tradition we have a bit of a Sagittarian hangover, so to speak, until January 1st, when the partying generally comes to an end. Then it’s time to get back to work and the grind of the real world. At this time of year we start to decide what we’d like to accomplish in 2006 (New Year’s Diet to get rid of those festive pounds, anyone?!). For more on suggested New Years Resolutions for each sign look out for January’s edition of New Moon Messenger. But for now, suffice it so say that we’ll all feel a certain sense of relief as we sober up and settle back down to work and the more mundane aspects of our daily lives once the Sun begins to make its way through Saturn’s grounded sign.

*The Sun goes into and leaves each zodiac sign at slightly different times each year, even different dates in some cases. As a general convention, Sun sign columns use the approximate date range for each sign, calling the crossover point “the cusp” for ease of reference. If you are unsure which sign your Sun is in, drop me a line with your date, time and place of birth and I’ll let you know!

May you all have a happy and peaceful Christmas and may the universe bring you joy and prosperity during 2006.

Back to Articles Home