The Ancient Roots of Christmas

Presented by visiting author
Harita Meenee

 

(audio recording not available)

Sunday,  4:00 PM,  December 9th,  2007
 

The roots of Christmas are deeply buried in ancient traditions rich in archetypal content.  The Christian holiday succeeded the celebrations of the Winter Solstice, which honored the rebirth of the Sun God, an older Savior.  The Roman Saturnalia and Bacchanalia, as well as the Greek fertility festivals in honor of Demeter and Dionysus, occurring during the same season, have added their own symbolic significance.  Exploring the figures of the Mother of God and her Son, which lie at the core of Christmas, we also discover the primordial image of the Great Goddess, who was at once Virgin and Mother, giving birth to all life.

 

Harita Meenee is a scholar and author of The Women's Olympics and the Great Goddess, written in English; The Sacred Feminine and Mary Magdalene, Neo-Paganism: The Rebirth of the Old Religion and On the Path of Aphrodite are written in Greek.  She studied classical literature and language as well as psychology and currently works as a freelance writer and facilitator of personal growth seminars.  She lives in Athens, Greece and regularly visits Southern California.  Her website is www.hmeenee.com .