Actually, it began with pagan mid-winter festivals and the Roman festival of Saturnalia to honour the ‘god’ Saturn in the run up to what later became the Western Christmas. It was a time when gifts were given and a sacrifice was made to Saturn December 25th was the Roman festival of dies natalis solis invicti (‘day of the birth of the unconquered sun’). It was the winter solstice in the Roman Calendar and the sun was depicted flying through the sky in a magnificent chariot pulled by divine horses. The deity Sol Invictus (the ‘Unconquered Sun’) was worshipped by Roman emperor Constantine the Great who later made Christianity the state religion.

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3. Actually, it began with pagan mid-winter festivals and the Roman festival of Saturnalia to honour the ‘god’ Saturn in the run up to what later became the Western Christmas. It was a time when gifts were given and a sacrifice was made to Saturn December 25th was the Roman festival of dies natalis solis invicti (‘day of the birth of the unconquered sun’). It was the winter solstice in the Roman Calendar and the sun was depicted flying through the sky in a magnificent chariot pulled by divine horses. The deity Sol Invictus (the ‘Unconquered Sun’) was worshipped by Roman emperor Constantine the Great who later made Christianity the state religion.