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It may not be a surprise, then, that christmas probably originated in Italy. One widely held theory is that the holiday was an intentional christianization of saturnalia and other pagan festivals. In the third and fourth centuries, the church in rome found itself in fierce competition with popular pagan religions and mystery cults, most of them involving sun worship.
From the middle of december through the first of january, romans would engage in feasts and drunken revelry, paying homage to their gods and marking the winter solstice, when days began to lengthen.
They also were able to invoke rich biblical symbolism that described Jesus as the sun of righteousness and gods true light, sent to dispel darkness in the world. Over the centuries the holiday continued to be celebrated with many and varied customs created to mark the event.
What is ironic, of course, is that while without christ was once the norm, nowadays religious songs, nativity scenes, and church events all play a critical role in many cultures and religions when celebrating the holiday.
In modern day italy, the celebration has its own unique flavor, combining pastoral traditions, traditional cultural rites, influences from northern europe, and a strong spiritual context to mark the important event. Whether it is a solemn hymn, a victorian era melody, or a modern rock version of jingle, music is an integral part of the holiday celebration.
Get in the holiday mood by dreaming of a white of your own wysiwyg.
