The Paganism and Witchcraft behind Christmas
Every year millions of people across the world celebrate Christmas and it's easily one of the most popular holidays. For many people the history of Christmas is directly associated with the birth of Christ and that's how far back as it goes. However, many of the traditions practiced during Christmas time have origins dating back much further than the beginnings of Christianity. In nearly all religions, there are celebrations for the changing of the season. Many meteorologists consider the first day of winter to be December 1st. However, for most everyone else it's December 21st .
December 21st is the shortest day and longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere and marks the first day of the winter solstice which lasts until December 25th, Christmas day. The solstice is celebrated in various ways across most religions. Early Europeans celebrated it as the rebirth of the sun and the return to longer days, while German pagans had yule which is basically their own Santa, in Odin, who brought good to some and to others brought ill but who bore a striking resemblance to Santa Claus.
So previous observances of the solstice, that inspired Christmas, includes the roman Saturnalia, lasting from December 17th to the 23rd, celebrating the agricultural god Saturn. Gift giving was an essential staple of saturnalia. It was likewise a celebration of light ,later known as the birthday of the “unconquerable sun” - in reference to Invictus another sun-based deity. During Saturnalia, wreaths were used to symbolize never-ending life. It's difficult to tell exactly where the idea of keeping trees came from, but it's obvious that the modern day invention of the Christmas Tree during the renaissance era was hardly the beginning of the custom which is believed to date back as far as ancient Egypt.The reformer Martin Luther is believed to have been the first person to add candles to the Christmas tree ,which is terrifying because during that time there was no fire extinguishers or smoke alarms. Regardless, it began the custom of lighting up Christmas trees. However, the celebration of light and the use of candles is common across many religions. Caroling is common as well. The popularity of mass-produced Christmas music books led to a resurgence of the interest in Caroling. Some people that celebrate Christmas that are just stuck in their ways and don't want to look into the story of Christmas -or rather the traditions of Christmas -that made Christmas what it is today. But remember the biggest misconception is not understanding the symbolism of things.
Reference:
1. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/merry-witchmas-paganism-witchcraft-and-the-holidays