Every Catholic Holiday and Their Pagan Origins
We all know about Christmas but what about the others?
Orginally, I wanted to write about Christian celebrations but when I saw that the Orthodox celebrated the Epiphany differently, I focused on the Catholics only.
And well I did. As it turns out, there are many celebrations charged with symbolism and historical roots.
This article is a bit long but I have simplified it as much as I could so that it gives you a broad overview of the Catholic calendar…and its origins.
Enjoy!
1. Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: 1st of January (8th day after Christmas)
In 7th century Rome, the first day of the year celebrated Mary as the mother of Christ circumcising her newborn eight days after his birth, according to the Jewish tradition.
The celebration spread later on and was officially adopted during the Vatican II Council with, however, the disappearance of the mention of the circumcision (Catholics are not circumcised, a practice heavily associated with other beliefs).
