It's this time of year again...

...when the anti Christmas brigade are out and about preaching that Christmas is pagan! Well what about the names of the months of the year and the days of the week? We use those, well, daily/monthly! Should Christians change those names?

Months of the year:

January - named after the Roman god Janus
February - named after the Roman festival of purification - Februa
March - named after the Roman god of war - Mars
April - taken from the Latin word for open (as flowers do in spring) - aperire
May - named after the Greek goddess Maia
June - named after the Roman goddess Juno
July - named after Julius Caesar
August - named after Caesar Augustus
September - 7th month (in Roman calendar)
October - 8th month (in Roman calendar)
November - 9th month (in Roman calendar)
December - 10th month (in Roman calendar)

The days of the week:

Monday - Moon's Day
Tuesday - Tyr's Day (Tyr was a Germanic/Norse god of war and sky)
Wednesday - Wodin's Day (the Norse all-father god and master of runes)
Thursday - Thor's Day (Thor was the Norse god of battle and strength)
Friday - Frigg's Day (Odin's wife and goddess of fertility)
Saturday - Saturn's Day
Sunday - Sun Day

The above have pagan origins yet I don't hear any Christians kicking up a stink about those! 

I celebrate the incarnation of Christ - not His birthday, just the fact He came from heaven (we don't know when He was born, but personally, I think a dank, dark, dreary time of year is a great time to celebrate The Light of the World bursting onto the scene to forgive our sins).

Hebrew Days of the week and their meanings

Sunday	Yom Reeshone יום רשון	First day
Monday	Yom Shaynee יום שיני	Second day
Tuesday	Yom Shlee´shee יום שלישי	Third day
Wednesday	Yom Revee´ee יום רביעי	Fourth day
Thursday	Yom Khah´mee´shee יום חמישי	Fifth day
Friday	Yom Shee´shee יום ששי	Sixth day
Saturday	Shabbat שבת	Rest

source [above and below]: http://www.yashanet.com/library/hebrew-days-and-months.html

Babylonian vs. Biblical Calendars

This table is divided into two sections because of the changes made in the calendar as a result of the Babylonian exile.  After the Jews were exiled from Judah to Babylonia in 586 B.C.E., they adopted Babylonian names for the months of the year. Nevertheless, they still have important meanings in whole scheme of things.  Not only do most of the names of the Babylonian months have appropriate meanings, but there is also an important theme that applies to these months (Babylonian or Biblical).

Mo. # Babylonian Calendar Meaning of Babylonian Months Theme of Month (Babylonian & Biblical) Biblical Calendar Meaning of Biblical Months (Harvesting Schedule) Biblical Feasts 1 Nisan ניסן Their flight Redemption, Miracles Abibאביב Ripening of grain[Barley, Wheat] Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits 2 Iyyar אייר (natural) healing Introspection, Self improvement Zivזו Splendor or Radiance [Flowers] (Barley harvest)    3 Sivan סיון Bright - their covering Giving of Torah 3rd (Wheat harvest) Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) 4 Tammuz תמוז Hidden - giver of the vine (A Phoenician deity) Sin of the Golden Calf, guarding of the eyes 4th       5 Av אב Father Av the Comforter 5th       6 Elul אלול A vain thing - nothingness Repentance 6th (Fruit harvest)    7 Tishri תשרי Beginning (from reishit) Month of the Strong or Month of the Ancients Ethanimאיתנים Ever-flowing streams Rosh HaShannah, Yom Kippur, Succot 8 Kheshvan חשון Eighth The Flood (of Noach) Bulבול Produce (in the sense of rain)    9 Kislev כסלן Security, trust (Restful) Sleep 9th       10 Tevet טבמ Good (from "Tov") Divine Grace 10th       11 Shevat שבט meaning unknown Tree of Life 11th       12 Adar אדר Strength Good Fortune 12th       13 * Adar II אדר ב  13th

* Additional month added during Leap Years.  About every 2nd or 3rd year.
There are 7 leap years in a 19 year cycle.

Christmas - symbols

Reading people's opinions about Christmas - it was originally a pagan festival hijacked by Christians, but could each symbol be seen in the light of Christ's incarnation?

Tree - and it can remind us that Jesus came to die on a 'tree' for our sins.

Each branch could be a picture of the church, with Christ being the trunk (vine) and His people, the branches.

Red baubles could be symbolic of His blood,

Gold for His kingship,

Purple for royalty too,

Silver for the price paid at Calvary.

Green is a peaceful colour so could remind us that He is the Prince of Peace,

Blue, the colour of the heavens, where He resides!

Star on top, symbolises the star from the east or even the Bright and Morning Star*!

 

Ok maybe it might be spiritualising it somewhat, but it doesn't have to be pagan! 

 

*Jesus is called the Bright and Morning Star so maybe the star the wise men followed, was visible during the day and that's what made it unusual!

 

Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

I wrote the above post before ChatGPT was a thing. I've asked the AI platform to generate a picture representing what I had written above. Here's what it produced: 

I don't know what I think about it! What do you think?