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3 Christmas traditions that may have pagan roots, and 4 that (probably) don't

Live Science
Summary
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74% Informative

It's often claimed that many of today 's Christmas traditions derive from the pre-Christian observances of pagan cults suppressed by Roman authorities.

But it seems that the pagan influence on some Christmas traditions may have been overstated.

Christmas trees may have begun with the medieval Christian tradition of decorating "Paradise trees".

The traditional date for the celebration of Christmas in the West is the 25th day of December .

Several pre- Christian religions marked the shortest day of the year with ceremonies, including the Imperial Roman cult of Sol Invictus .

Some researchers have proposed that the date of Christmas was deliberately chosen to supersede these pagan celebrations.

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formal

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English

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58

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long-living