{"id":1225,"date":"2025-12-26T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/?p=1225"},"modified":"2026-02-16T10:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T10:00:05","slug":"december-24-25th-birthday-of-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/december-24-25th-birthday-of-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Birthday Of The Sun December 25th"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The First Day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a Partridge in a Pear Tree<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nebra Sun disc. Photo from Stonehenge Exhibition British Museum (photo Kevin Flude) The Disc shows the Sun, the Moon, the Pleides, and illustrates the Summer and Winter Solstice movements of the Sun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

On the 25th December were born Jesus, Mithras, Attis, Saturn, Apollo, and the Invincible Sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sun Gods have quite a complicated interrelationship. Zeus, and Apollo are both also considered to be Sun Gods. Apollo is particularly interrelated to Helios, the Greek God who drives the Chariot that carries the Sun across the skies every day. The Romans had a God called Sol who some say was a deity but who declined to be of minor importance. Then Sol was championed by the transexual Emperor Elagabalas. Aurelian revived the cult in 274 AD. Sol Invictus was the focus of Constantine the Great. Sol has been suggested as a response of the Romans to a trend towards monotheism in the later Roman period. Sol for Constantine was a gateway God to Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also notable that early worship of Jesus is full of solar metaphors, Jesus being, for example, the light of the world. Churches are also virtually all orientated East West, aligned with the rising and setting suns. The Altar is always at the East End, and effigies on tombs face the rising sun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Christmas?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first recorded Christmas Day is in AD336. It was in an almanac that lists Roman Holidays, officials and martyrs. The entry for December 25th says: ‘natus Christus in Betleem Judeae’. For more early Christian Dates have a look here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celtic Sun Gods?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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The Golden Wheel from Haute Marne in France, (Public Domain, Wikipedia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Did the Celts have a sun-god? Belenos is a contender, but linguists are proposing his name does not come from words meaning bright but from strong. The God Lugh’s name is suggested to mean ‘shining’ but his attributes are more of a warrior than a sun god. Taranis is probably the best candidate, but he is more of a sky or thunder god than specifically a sun god. However, his symbol is a 8 spoked wheel is said to be symbolic of the Sun. It also represents the division of the year by the 4 quarterly sun festivals (Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox) and the 4 cross-quarter festivals, (Samhain or Halloween, Imbolc or Candlemas, Beltane or May Day, Lughnasa or Harvest Festival).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

December 25th is a few days after our reckoning of the Solstice. But, as we have previously seen, Christians believed the world was created on the Spring Equinox, and humans on the 4th day, so Adam was created on March 25th. Mary conceived on the same day, and therefore Jesus, after a perfect labour was born 9 Months later on December 25th. (See my post on March 25th and the Creation<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Cake<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today, you might be tucking into a Christmas Cake (originally eaten on Twelfth Night). Now, I know many Americans have a bizarre belief that fruit cake is the cake of the devil. Something you receive as a gift and give away to someone else, as most Americans hate it. More fool them for missing out on one of the delights of the Christmas period, that and cold turkey sandwiches. Christmas Cake is made on stir up Sunday, the last Sunday in November, to let the ingredients develop their flavour. They are then covered with marzipan and decorative icing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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19th Century Christmas Cake, generally now the icing continues down the side of the cake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Germany, they also eat a fruit bread called Stollen or Weihnachtsstollen. The tradition is said to have been started in the 15th Century, when the Pope gave dispensation to allow the use of butter in the fasting period of Advent. Previously, the Germans had to use oil to replace the banned butter, but they could only make oil from turnips, so eventually the Pope allowed the use of butter, with which they made bread with added dried fruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stollen By G\u00fcrgi – Own work, Public Domain, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=3720379<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Italy, they eat Panettone, a fruit bread\/cake. It is a sourdough, and a cross between a brioche and a cake. It often comes in a beautiful decorative tin, and is delicious. The centre of panettone production is Milan. Last year was the 200th Anniversary of Milan’s famous Marchesi 1824 which makes artisanal Panettone. It used ‘fine ingredients such as six-crown sultan as, naturally candied fruit, Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar, Italian honey and eggs from free-range hens, blended in a slow-rising dough with the exclusive use of Marchesi 1824 sourdough starter<\/em>‘. Thank you, Mara from Milan, for the heads-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Screen shot from website – does not click through to sales!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Which is best? The only way to find out is to eat several slices of each. America, you don’t know what you are missing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For stir up sunday see the second half of this post of mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stir Up Sunday! Late November<\/a><\/blockquote>