What Are Pagan Holidays According To The Bible

Are you wondering if some popular holidays have pagan origins according to the Bible? Many cherished celebrations today actually have roots in ancient pagan rituals and traditions rather than Scripture.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: According to some Bible scholars, holidays like Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and even birthdays have pagan origins and are not technically endorsed in Scripture.

In this comprehensive article, we will analyze the historical origins of 5 major holidays – Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Birthdays. We will examine what the Bible says about pagan festivals, assess evidence on the roots of each holiday, and provide clarity for those seeking a Biblical perspective.

What Does the Bible Say About Pagan Festivals?

God’s Warning Against Pagan Ways

The Bible contains clear warnings from God against adopting pagan practices and festivals. In Deuteronomy 12:29-31, God specifically instructed the Israelites not to inquire into the ways that other nations served their gods and then do the same, as this would be evil in His sight.

The passage goes on to talk about pagan practices like child sacrifice that displeased God.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 10:2, God urges His people not to learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens that pagans used to guide their festivals. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God made it clear that pagan customs like cutting a tree from the forest to decorate with silver and gold are futile practices tied to man-made gods.

Other Biblical authors like Paul also weigh in on this topic. In Galatians 4:8-11, Paul scolds the Galatians for turning back to observing pagan special days and seasons after they had come to know God.

He emphasizes that by relying again on pagan calendars, they were effectively turning back from freedom in Christ to bondage under the basic principles of the world.

Paganism in Disguise

Based on these Bible verses, we can conclude that most modern holiday traditions have pagan origins. For example, many Christmas customs like the Yule log, mistletoe, gift giving, and even the choice of December 25 owe more to Roman pagan festivals like Saturnalia than actual Biblical history.

Early Catholic leaders likely incorporated aspects of these popular Roman pagan festivals into Christmas to aid the spread of Christianity.

Likewise, modern Easter traditions like the Easter Bunny and decorated eggs seem to have roots in pagan festivals celebrating spring and fertility gods. Many scholars tie these to festivals like Ostara in Germanic paganism observed around the Spring Equinox.

So while Easter itself celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus in the Bible, many secular Easter customs clearly have pagan syncretic elements.

Ultimately, passages like 1 Corinthians 10:20-22 suggest that Christians should flee from any practices tied to pagan worship or idolatry. So while secular culture has absorbed and adapted pagan festivals into holiday traditions, Christians seeking to follow the Bible should avoid any custom with ritual pagan roots.

Finding alternative ways to celebrate that focus on Bible teachings rather than folk customs can keep modern holidays rooted in Christian truth instead of pagan tradition.

Holiday #1 – Christmas

Winter Solstice Festivals

Christmas has its roots in ancient winter solstice festivals that were celebrated around the time of the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, which occurs in late December.

These festivals marked the gradual return of longer days and the corresponding new year in many early cultures. Some examples include:

• Yule – an ancient Germanic midwinter festival honoring gods like Odin and celebrating with feasts and sacrifices.
• Saturnalia – a Roman festival involving feasting, drinking, and revelry in honor of the god Saturn.
• Dies Natalis Solis Invicti – the “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun” was a late Roman festival marking the return of longer days.

Early Christians likely incorporated aspects of these festivals into the celebration of Jesus’ birth to make Christianity more relatable to new converts from pagan religions. So while Christmas celebrates Jesus’ birth, many of its customs and symbology echo these earlier winter solstice festivals.

When Was Jesus Born?

The exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown. The Gospels do not specify a date, and different early Christian traditions proposed dates ranging from March to November. Around the year 320 AD, the church settled on December 25, possibly to correspond with existing winter solstice festivities.

This allowed the church to provide a Christian reinterpretation and observance of popular celebrations rather than banning them.

Some modern analysis suggests Jesus was actually born in the spring. Biblical details and astronomical conditions point to a March-April timeframe for the birth:

• Shepherds were tending their flocks in the fields near Bethlehem, which typically occurred in spring lambing season.
• Census records suggest Jesus was born when Quirinius was governor of Syria between 6-4 BC, too early for a December birth.

Holiday #2 – Easter

Origins of Easter’s Traditions

Easter is a Christian holiday that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. However, many of the traditions associated with Easter actually have pagan origins and were later incorporated into the Christian celebration.

One example is the Easter bunny. In pagan times, rabbits were symbols of fertility and new life due to their reputation for rapid reproduction. German immigrants brought the tradition of an egg-laying Easter bunny to America in the 1700s.

The bunny was a symbol of the goddess Ēostre, namesake of Easter in some languages.

Decorating eggs is another ancient pagan custom appropriated by Christianity. Eggs were a symbol of new life in many ancient cultures, and decorating them for spring festivals was common. The Christian meaning attached to eggs relates to Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection.

The timing of Easter also has roots in pagan traditions. Early Christians wanted Easter to coincide with pagan spring festivals, so Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. This sometimes places Easter in April but occasionally as late as May.

A Biblical Perspective on Easter

While Easter absorbed some pagan rituals and symbols, there is a solid biblical basis for remembering Christ’s death and resurrection during this season. The gospels record the arrest, trial, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus after the Passover in Jerusalem.

The New Testament ties Easter to the Jewish Passover. Christ was crucified at the time of the Passover feast. Just as the blood of the Passover lamb spared the Israelites from death, Christ’s blood saves believers from judgment. His resurrection gives new life to those who trust in Him.

While non-biblical traditions have become part of Easter celebrations, the essential message remains Jesus’ victory over death. His resurrection is the bedrock of the Christian faith and the hope believers have in life beyond the grave.

Remembering Jesus’ sacrifice for sin and His glorious resurrection is appropriate any time of year.

Holiday #3 – Valentine’s Day

Pagan Roman Festival of Lupercalia

The origins of Valentine’s Day have connections to the ancient pagan Roman festival known as Lupercalia. This ancient festival was held on February 15th as a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture.

During Lupercalia, Romans would sacrifice goats and dogs and use the hides from the animals to make lashes called februa. Young women would line up to be playfully whipped with the februa as it was thought this would make them more fertile in the coming year.

There was also a matchmaking lottery during Lupercalia in which young men would draw a woman’s name from an urn and the couple would be partnered for the remainder of the festival or even longer if the match was right.

While Lupercalia was a lively festival celebrated with great merriment by the Romans, when Christianity spread throughout Rome around the 5th century, the new church sought to end what it saw as such pagan rituals.

At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius officially declared February 14th as St. Valentine’s Day, establishing it as a Christian feast day that would be forever associated with love and romance while ending the pagan practices of Lupercalia.

So while the church sought to celebrate love and romance in a more Christian context, the origins of Valentine’s Day can still be traced back to the pagan practices that came long before.

Saint Valentine and Chaucer’s Poetry

Legend has it that Saint Valentine was a priest around the 3rd century AD who would perform secret marriage ceremonies for young lovers when marriage was forbidden by Emperor Claudius II, who believed single young men made better soldiers.

Another legend suggests Saint Valentine was killed for helping Christians escape harsh Roman prisons in the 3rd century AD. While not much is concretely known about Saint Valentine, by the Middle Ages his name had become associated with the idea of romance and courtly love.

This connection was reinforced by 14th century English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who made reference to St. Valentine’s Day as being connected to love in his famous work Parliament of Foules, possibly being the first to make this association that now defines the holiday.

While the full origins and legends of Valentine’s Day are uncertain, it has certainly become a beloved holiday celebrating love, with its roots stretching back over 2,000 years. The stories from ancient pagan rituals to Saint Valentine to Chaucer’s poetry remind us of humanity’s timeless affinity for finding love and connection.

So as you celebrate on February 14th, contemplate how past generations also delighted in romance on this day!

Holiday #4 – Halloween

Celtic Festival of Samhain

Halloween originates from the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The festival was celebrated on October 31 – November 1 and marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter. The Celts believed that on this day, the boundary between the world of the living and the dead became blurred.

They celebrated Samhain to honor the dead and ward off any evil spirits.

During Samhain, the Celts wore costumes, lit bonfires, and made offerings of food and drink to their deities. Their priests, known as Druids, would make predictions about the future based on animal sacrifices.

It was believed that the souls of those who died in the past year crossed over into the afterlife during Samhain. The Celts would leave food offerings on their doorsteps to appease spirits and ensure the protection of their homes.

When Christianity spread through the Celtic lands around the 9th century, the church tried to replace this pagan festival with All Saints’ Day on November 1. However, the pagan traditions associated with Samhain continued to blend with Christian practices over time.

Christian Attempts to Redeem Halloween

Despite attempts by the Christian church to banish pagan rituals associated with Halloween, many of its occult themes remained through the centuries. By the 19th century, popular Halloween games focused on telling the future, especially regarding death, marriage, and travel.

The supernatural was a main focus with telling ghost stories and fortune-telling.

Modern symbols of Halloween such as jack-o-lanterns, black cats, and witches on broomsticks originate from Celtic folklore. The scary costumes were thought to frighten away malevolent spirits roaming that night.

Carving demonic faces into pumpkins stems from the Celtic custom of hollowing out gourds and turnips to hold candles that would ward off evil spirits.

Over time, Christians tried to bring redemption to the holiday by tying it to All Saints Day and All Souls Day. On All Hallows Eve, church bells were rung to guide lost souls. While the scary and occult themes persisted, Halloween became more of a family event centered around innocent fun, especially in North America.

Today, many Christians take advantage of Halloween to evangelize, providing wholesome alternatives focused on Bible principles. Still, Halloween remains a controversial holiday for many believers who feel its occult roots are too pagan.

Christians must decide for themselves how to approach Halloween based on their conscience and convictions.

Holiday #5 – Birthdays

Only Two Birthday Mentions in Scripture

The Bible only mentions two birthdays specifically – those of Pharaoh (Genesis 40:20) and Herod (Matthew 14:6, Mark 6:21). Both of these pagan kings celebrated their birthdays with feasting and partying. The Bible neither commands nor forbids the celebration of birthdays.

For some Christians, this silence indicates that birthdays are permissible to celebrate. However, other Christians view the silence as a warning sign of potential pagan practices associated with birthday celebrations.

In contrast to just two mentions of birthdays, the Bible repeatedly warns against adopting pagan practices and worshipping false idols (Jeremiah 10:2-3, Deuteronomy 12:29-31). Since many common birthday customs have pagan origins and involve glorifying oneself instead of God, some Christians refrain from observing birthdays.

They point to Scriptures that discuss boastful pride and self-glorification as sinful (Proverbs 27:1, Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Pagan Roots of Birthday Rituals and Symbols

Many traditions linked to modern birthday celebrations can be traced back to pagan roots:

• Lighting candles on a birthday cake is thought to originate from ancient Greeks lighting candles for Artemis, goddess of the moon.
• Making a wish before blowing out birthday candles may come from ancient belief in spirits being present on one’s birthday.
• Singing the birthday song and having a party is meant to protect the birthday person from evil spirits. Noise would scare spirits away.
• Giving gifts may have started with tribute gifts offered to pagan gods on their birthdays, such as Mithras.

Additional pagan symbols associated with birthdays include:

While birthdays are commonly celebrated today, many of the rituals and symbols have origins in pagan idols and superstitions. This causes some Christians to prayerfully abstain from observing birthdays due to concerns about potential idolatry.

Conclusion

As we have explored, many cherished modern holidays have origins in pagan seasonal rituals and traditions rather than being endorsed in Scripture. However, opinions differ on whether participating in these holidays is inherently sinful for Christians.

In the end, each believer must pray and decide for his or herself. The main thing is glorifying God in all we do, fleeing from false idols, and celebrating Christ – the very reason we can have eternal life.