does christmas gift giving predate saint nick?
i have a sister who is a fundamentalist christian, it is my neices second christmas and i just got an email with the quote below
//First off we would like you to know that our family doesn't do Santa Claus. We ask that you refrain from purchasing things with him on them. If you are unsure, please just ask us. Jesus is the only reason for Christmas and we celebrate the greatest gift, that being His birth. We want ***** to grow up with the true meaning of Christmas and not the commercialized version that the world tries to push on us.Secondly, we understand the want to have a "list" so you know the size that people are , but isn't it more enjoyable finding things that people will like by putting a lot of thought into what we give as gifts? Will the gift be the highest thing on their "want" list? Maybe not, but it will come with love and the knowledge that they were being thought of. We don't want our list to take away from the meaning of Christmas that we are trying to instill in *****. Christmas isn't about how much we can get from people, but about celebrating Jesus birth and spending time with family. We want our Christmas to be filled with memories not gifts.//
so basically i am wondering the practice of gift giving, is it rooted in saint nick or does it have some other erlier origin i am not aware of?
i could see an explanation being about the 3 wise men but they gave to jesus and not to family and friends. so by giving gifts to a child is that not like suggesting that the child is equal to Jesus???
Update:i guess what i am asking is is there a judeo christian non secular reason, that is not tide to other religions that predate jesus
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Straight case of attempted theft of someone elses festival!
Christmas is nothing to do with either Christianity or Islam but it does have it's origins in the midwinter festival and many other basically pagan rites but since much of it is a celebration of nature rather than religion everyone should be able to enjoy it and be happy together despite religion!
The ancient European pagans celebrated the midwinter festival and a number of other festivals long before Christianity ever existed!
Babylonians celebrated the feast of the Son of Isis with gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift giving and the goddess of fertility, love, and war.
The Romans held a festival on 25 December called “Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, celebrating their own god Sol Invictas – PAGAN!
The Persian god Mithras, the Syrian sun god Elah Gabal, the German Sol, the Greek Helios and the Mesopotamian Shamash. But also Saturnalia, honouring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. The law courts and schools were closed. No public business could be transacted an this is where the holidays originated - ALL PAGAN!
Wax tapers were given by the more humble to their superiors. The origin of the Christmas candle - PAGAN!
In Rome groups of costumed went from house to house entertaining their people. And this was where the carolling Christmas tradition originated PAGAN!
Statues of the Mother and lover or Mother and son were paraded through the streets not only in Italy but also in Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Bulgaria. Thus, the symbolism of the Heavenly Virgin and the infant child paraded on a yearly basis are not of Christian origin. They stem from the Mother-goddess religion, which is very ancient ENTIRELY PAGAN!
Scandinavian countries celebrated Yule honouring Thor – PAGAN!
In Germania (not Germany) they celebrated midwinter night followed by 12 wild nights of eating and drinking. The 12 days of Christmas PAGAN!
The church under Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25 in 350 AD in order to try to hijack the PAGAN festivals but it was largely ignored. Christians did not really celebrate Christmas until 378 but it was then dropped in 381 and not resurrected until 400.
The Christmas tree stems from pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of holly boughs ivy and other foliage as an adaptation of pagan tree worship. Holly and ivy represented male and female. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual - all PAGAN!
Santa Claus came from the Dutch “Sinterklaas” and was a tall figure riding a white horse through the air and usually accompanied by Black Peter, an elf who punished disobedient children. Also the origin of the reindeer, sleigh and the elves ALL PAGAN!
The modern red coated Santa was brought about by coca cola!
AMERICA ACTUALLY BANNED CHRISTMAS several times and is the originator of the expression “Happy Holidays” which came about because of the pagan origins of Christmas to include all religions and traditions!
The Venerable Bede, an early Christian writer pointed out that the Christian church absorbed Pagan practices when it found the population unwilling to give up the festivals. Thus a lot of what Christians now see as Christians practices are in fact pagan!
Christmas is the time of year christians strive to prove just how pagan they have become
Not only does it predate Santa Claus. It predates JESUS. It comes from the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, which celebrated their god Saturn. Quite possibly winter festivals from even earlier religions as well.
The Ancient Romans gave gives during the Saturnalia holiday.
Gift giving has been common at holidays as far back as we have history.