Today is the day. Or rather the night. The angel announces it. The son of God will be born in Bethlehem. Millions of homes around the world are ready to commemorate this event that happened 2023 years ago. But not. Surely neither Jesus was born on December 25, nor was he born in the so-called city of King David, nor 2023 years ago. In the absence of his birth certificate or the evangelists being more specific, Julius I, the 35th Pope of the Church whose pontificate coincided with the government of Emperor Constantine (who legalized the practice of Christianity), established in the 4th century the day of the nativity of Jesus of Nazareth: it would be December 25.
The date, totally arbitrary, is not coincidental. It coincides with a deep-rooted pagan tradition among the Romans that was celebrated that day: the Unconquered Sun, which celebrated the winter solstice (a little late, true, but when a little more light was already beginning to be perceived). And not only this. A few days before, from December 17 to 23, the descendants of Romulus had fun at the Saturnalia; a festival in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture and harvest (represented as an older man with a long white beard). It was tradition that during that period, family and friends visited each other, shared abundant banquets, decorated their trees and exchanged gifts.
Actually, it all sounds quite familiar to us. Because despite the changes in religions, we have not stopped celebrating more or less the same thing since almost immemorial times. Syncretism continues to be a model of success. Before the Romans, Persians or Egyptians, for example, they already paid their honors to the Sun with massive celebrations. Even the representation of that child who will be symbolically born tonight with her mother, is surprisingly reminiscent of the thousands of figures that have come down to us from ancient Egypt that represent Isis sitting on the throne with her son Horus in the lap. Isis, the mother. Mary, the mother. Horus, the divine king of men. Jesus, the divine king of men. True, everything changes so that the essence remains. And at Christmas we celebrate, whether or not we are Christians or believers, the love we feel for our loved ones, life and light. Too bad it's not Christmas or the Undefeated Sun every day.
