Did You Know Christmas is Based Around The Winter Solstice Festival?

Today is the shortest day of the year and is known as the winter Solstice, midwinter or Yule.

It is the first of the eight sections of the Wheel of the Year and one of the four ‘lesser sabbats’, or festivals.

It is celebrated because darkness has reached its peak and sunlight is now in the ascendancy.

Celtic peoples have celebrated the winter solstice in the British Isles since before the arrival of Christianity though many Yule traditions flowed into Christmas and there are obvious parallels between the two traditions, such as the exchanging of gifts.

It is yet another example of the Catholic Church adopting a Pagan festival in order convert Pagan’s to Christianity.