Christmas is one of the most popular holidays of the year with all of its songs, cheesy movies, and customs such as decorating a Christmas tree. How did Christmas start? Many celebrate it as the birth of Jesus Nazareth, the son of the Virgin Mary and Joseph, when in actuality this holiday’s origins predate the birth of Jesus. The origins of this holiday began with the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. In addition to the Romans holding a celebration within the month of December. The first was Saturnalia to honor Saturn, the Roman Titan of Agriculture. This festival began on the 17th of December and lasted two weeks. During this time, the rules and regulations that the Roman empire prided themselves on were not in effect. This allowed the slaves of the empire to be served at meals with their masters and were given a conical cap of liberty representing their freedom. They were even able to criticize their masters this one time of the year. Other activities included wearing flashy party clothes instead of the standard white toga, public feasts which included the exchanging of gifts and singing of songs. Roman soldiers also bathed in this luxury with their officers presenting them extinguished foods they presented to the Britain’s like figs, pine nuts, and fattened up dormice. Another tradition the Romans followed was lighting bonfires and candles to drive away the darkness. This practice and that of Saturn originates from the Pagan. Another festivity to honor the Pagan’s sun God, Mithra, was practiced on December 25th. Christianity began to spread throughout Europe. The Catholic Church declared December 25th to be Jesus’s birthday due to the celebration the Roman’s had of Mithra.