Most, if not all, of these feasts are of man-made pagan or occult origins, dedicated to elusive imaginative heathen gods. Should these feasts be celebrated at all?
Let's delve into two of these feasts: Hanukkah and Christmas. As we explore, let's also consider what Jesus said about feasting, light, and how, when and what to celebrate.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah (khanuká) or חֲנֻכָּה is a Jewish feast also known as the Festival of Lights or Feast of Dedication. It commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabees Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BC.
In 167 BC, the Roman emperor Antiochus Epiphanes IV ordered an altar for Zeus to be erected in the Jerusalem temple. He banned the circumcision of Jewish boys and ordered pigs to be sacrificed on the altar.
Antiochus's actions provoked a large-scale Jewish revolt led by Yehuda HaMakabi ("Judah the Hammer"). By 165 BC, the Jewish Maccabees liberated the Jerusalem temple and rededicated it.
The festival of Hanukkah was subsequently instituted to celebrate this event. Yehuda HaMakabi ordered the temple to be ritually cleansed and a new altar built to replace the befouled one. Only pure olive oil with the high priest's seal could be used for the Temple menorah chandelier, which was to burn continuously.
Due to a shortage of oil, the menorah miraculously burned for eight days, allowing for the sourcing of a fresh supply. This led to the proclamation of the eight-day Hanukkah festival.
Hanukkah is observed from day 25 of Kislev to day 2 of Tevet on the Hebrew calendar. It occurs from late November to late December in the Western Gregorian calendar.
The festival involves lighting candles in the menorah, preparing special foods, singing specific songs, and praying. Hanukkah was further popularised by the American Jewish community in the 19th century as a way to adapt their Hebrew-American life.
Christmas
The origin of December 25th (Gregorian-Roman calendar) lies in ancient pagan worship. It was a holiday celebrating Roman-Babylonian gods and the end of the winter solstice.
The day was celebrated for centuries before Roman emperor Constantine declared the birth of Christ should be celebrated on this date in AD 313. The Roman world was already accustomed to celebrating December 25th as a sacred holiday, honouring Saturn, the god of agriculture, with feasting, merriment, and gift-giving.
When Rome proclaimed Christianity as the state religion in the fourth century, the Roman-Catholic church incorporated Christmas into Saturnalia, claiming the Lord Jesus was born on this day.
It's interesting to note that Western culture, with its Babylonian roots, celebrates the birth of an individual, a foreign concept in Middle Eastern culture. The Bible doesn't record any examples of ancient Hebrew birthday celebrations.
Constantine, as the Emperor of the Roman Empire, sought to unify and stabilise his empire through religious harmony. He strategically constructed a new publicly acceptable religion by merging pagan practices and Christian traditions, resulting in the Catholic church.
To establish his new world order, Constantine promulgated the Edict of Toleration in AD 313. The first mention of December 25th as Christmas day is found in AD 324.
European cultures embraced and expanded upon this Babylonian heritage mixture, adding their own Northern European pagan idols, inventions, and beliefs.
Today, Christmas is celebrated worldwide with various pagan-concocted traditions, including figures like Santa Claus (Norwegian-Scandinavian paganism), Zwarte Piet (Germanic-Dutch), lights, streamers, candy, the yule log, eggnog, Christmas crackers, lucky puddings, trees, and more.
The fusion of pagan and corrupted traditions with religion has created a potent mixture that justifies the festivities we observe as Christmas. Parents often manipulate their children, holding them captive with threats of punishment unless they behave.
Adults indulge in excessive drinking and eating at Christmas parties, exchanging gifts randomly drawn from a hat. The holiday spirit is characterised by alcohol, food, and gift-giving. Some even dress up in costumes or wear a Christmas party hat to emulate their favourite demonic character.
Families gather under the pretence that this is the best time of the year to spend together, expressing care and love, which otherwise is left aside. They exchange the traditional Christmas gift, a practice reminiscent of the ancient Babylonian exchange celebrating the birth of the pagan sun-god. Over the Christmas pudding they also plan ahead for the new year.
This is the modern-day Christmas!
What are we to make of these feasts?
In relation to both Hanukkah and Christmas, let's consider what Jesus said:
About light:
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:5).
"If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world" (John 11:9).
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid" (Matthew 5:14).
About celebration:
"And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:24-25).
About when to celebrate:
"For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26).
Conclusion
There is only one true feast: the finished work of Christ. We are to remember Him through the Lord's Supper, not through pagan-derived celebrations. Let us focus on the light of Christ and the true meaning of His sacrifice.