Steven Brittain
10 minute read time
In many parts of the world, the early months of the year are marked by a “winter cycle” of celebrations: Christmas, the New Year, and the explosive revelry of Carnival. While these are often defended as “Christian” traditions, a critical look at the Bible and historical records reveals a different story. Nowhere in the Bible does God command these celebrations; they are products of syncretism—the blending of pagan rituals with Christian beliefs. This practice continues in various forms today.
Christmas and the New Year
The Catholic Encyclopedia (entry: “Christmas”) admits that the date of December 25th was chosen to overlap with the Roman Saturnalia and the birthday of the Sun God (Sol Invictus). This violates God’s statute which warns believers not to use pagan methods to worship the True God: “Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods…” (Deuteronomy 12:30-31).
Even the New Year on January 1st is dedicated to Janus, the two-faced Roman god of gates. The Online Etymology Dictionary confirms that “January” is named after this deity. While the biblical new year begins in the spring (Exodus 12:2, Deuteronomy 16:1), modern tradition follows a Roman calendar that honors a pagan idol and promotes a culture of excess. This is a lifestyle that we should have left in the past when we came to Christ. The apostle Peter told us, “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries” (1 Peter 4:3).
Carnival: The Ritual of the Flesh
The centerpiece of this seasonal cycle is Carnival, the climax of a season built on non-biblical foundations. As documented in the Online Etymology Dictionary, the name is derived from the Latin carne vale, meaning “farewell to meat.” It was historically designed as a final, sanctioned “binge” of the flesh before the fasting of Lent—an extrabiblical tradition replacing the biblical call to sincere, daily repentance with a man-made season of ritualistic legalism.
A central feature of Carnival—from the Busójárás in Hungary to the masks of Venice—is the idea of hiding one’s identity. Historian Mikhail Bakhtin, in his work Rabelais and His World, describes this “carnivalesque” atmosphere as a time when social rules are suspended and people indulge in “grotesque” behaviors (Rabelais and His World, translated by Hélène Iswolsky, Indiana University Press, 1984). This anonymity allows participants to engage in “rioting and drunkenness” without reflecting on their public reputation.
From a biblical standpoint, this logic is deeply flawed. The Bible teaches that repentance is a daily sacrifice and transformation of the heart (see Joel 2:13, Luke 9:23), not a scheduled ritual preceded by a week of “getting the sin out of your system.” The apostle Paul lists “revelries”—referring to wild street parties—among “the works of the flesh.” He warns explicitly against those who practice such things. Carnival is, by definition, a celebration of the very “flesh” that the Bible tells us to crucify: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
Regional Paganism and Sympathetic Magic
Throughout Europe, these festivities openly preserve ancient ceremonies that the Bible classifies as “the way of the nations” (Jeremiah 10:2). Anthropologist Sir James Frazer explains in The Golden Bough that these customs were originally forms of “sympathetic magic” intended to manipulate the weather and ensure fertility through ritual (The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion, Macmillan & Co., 1890).
• Greece (Apokries): During these festivities, the “Dionysian Goat Dance” features men dressed in goat skins and heavy bells. These are direct links to the ancient cult of Dionysus, the god of wine and madness—a far cry from the biblical “fruit of the Spirit.” As the apostle Paul continues to remind us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
• Bulgaria (Kukeri): According to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage records, the Kukeri wear massive, frightening wooden masks to “scare away” evil spirits. This relies on animism—the belief that physical objects can control the spirit world—which contradicts the biblical command to trust in God’s protection alone: “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’” (Psalms 91:2). And again: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
• Eastern Europe & The Baltics (Maslenitsa/Meteņi): These festivals involve burning straw effigies, such as the figure of Morana (the goddess of winter), and eating sun-shaped pancakes (blini) intended to honor ancient solar deities like Yarilo. As documented by folklorist Alexander Afanasiev (Slavic Poetic Views of Nature), these rituals are vestiges of ancient solar cults designed to “coax” the sun into returning. However, the Bible tells us in Genesis that God alone sustains the seasons: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). Seeking to influence the harvest through fire and dolls is a form of idolatry.
• Scandinavia (Fastelavn, Laskiainen, and Fettisdagen): In Northern Europe, the pre-Lenten season known as Fastelavn preserves ancient rituals that historians identify as remnants of superstitious magic. Traditions such as “hitting the cat in the barrel” and the use of birch twigs (fastelavnsris) were originally forms of “sympathetic magic” intended to coax the fertility of nature into crops and livestock. The Swedish Fettisdagen (“Fat Tuesday”) and the Finnish Laskiainen involve similar rituals of indulgence and symbolic acts, practices that are rooted in the “vanity” of believing that human actions can influence nature. The Bible warns against such hollow traditions: “For the idols speak delusion; the diviners envisage lies, and tell false dreams; they comfort in vain” (Zechariah 10:2).
By turning these days into sanctioned periods of indulgence and “grotesque” behavior before a man-made religious fast, the “carnivalesque” atmosphere serves only to distract from the biblical call to consistent, daily sobriety. The apostle Paul admonishes us: “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy” (Romans 13:13). Believers are called to “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7) and to have an “unveiled face” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The Lent Myth: Ritual vs. Repentance
Carnival exists because of Lent, yet this 40-day fast is an extrabiblical system that promotes legalism. Historical records, such as those in the Catholic Encyclopedia (entry: “Lent”), confirm that Lent was not standardized until the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325).
While Lent focuses on a temporary ritual, the Bible calls for a permanent transformation. Like Carnival, Lent is a man-made tradition attempting to replace true spiritual renewal with outward, legalistic displays.While Lent is presented as a period of spiritual discipline, it lacks any foundation in the New Testament. Like Carnival, it is a ritualized tradition that attempts to replace true spiritual transformation with legalistic, outward shows.
A calendar that permits “revelry” (Carnival) followed by “ritual fasting” (Lent) creates a cycle of sin and religious performance, contrary to Scripture, which calls for daily, consistent sobriety. As the apostle Paul wrote: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11–12).
The Pagan Roots of the Lenten Fast
The transition from the “carnivalesque” revelry to the forty-day fast is a pattern found in the ancient world long before the birth of the Church. Historians and theologians note that the forty-day abstinence period is a holdover of the Babylonian and Egyptian mourning rituals for Tammuz (god of vegetation and fertility) and Osiris. As documented by Alexander Hislop in The Two Babylons, the forty days of Lent were borrowed from Babylonian worshippers who fasted in preparation for the spring festival of Ishtar. Similarly, the ancient Egyptians observed a forty-day period of fasting and discipline to commemorate the “Loss of Osiris” and the mourning of Isis. This ritual mourning for a dying-and-rising god was specifically condemned by the Creator as an “abomination” when practiced by His people: “Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house… and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz” (Ezekiel 8:14).
The “Traditions of Men”
Alongside God’s prohibition against adopting pagan worship rituals, the primary reason these holidays are considered unbiblical is the “silence of Scripture.” The Bible provides detailed instructions for God’s holy days (see Leviticus 23), but it is completely silent on the birth of Jesus or any pre-Lenten festival. Lent itself is a tradition not grounded in Scripture, established by church councils centuries after the Apostles, replacing the biblical call for sincere, daily repentance with a man-made season of ritualistic legalism. When we create our own religious holidays, we risk falling into the trap Jesus warned about when He condemned those who made up their own rules: “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men… All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:7-9).
Flee From Such Practices and Pursue Righteousness
Historical, cultural, and biblical evidence leads to a clear conclusion: Carnival and Lent do not originate from Scripture. They were adapted from ancient pagan practices that were later given a Christian appearance. Carnival, Lent and other related holidays are not “harmless traditions”; they stem from a period in which an already compromising church of the 4th century adopted pagan customs in an effort to gain followers. This blending of beliefs, known as syncretism, continues in various forms today. Whether through the “carnivalesque” anonymity of the mask, the “sympathetic magic” of the Scandinavian fastelavnsris used to coax the land, or the forty-day mourning period for Tammuz, these are all grounded in human tradition rather than the Word of God.
For believers who desire to follow Scripture faithfully, there is no room for celebrations that promote sinful desires, use “magic” to influence the seasons, or honor deities like Janus and Dionysus. The Bible does not permit pagan practices to be reshaped for holy use. Instead, it clearly warns against such deception: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). God’s instruction remains consistent: “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God… Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you’” (2 Corinthians 6:16-17).
Ultimately, genuine repentance and self-discipline are not seasonal practices, nor are they meant to follow a time of moral excess. They are meant to characterize the daily life of the true Christian. Holding on to festivals rooted in the pagan rituals of Saturnalia, Lupercalia, or the mourning for Tammuz is to remain ensnared by human tradition rather than obedience to God’s truth. The call is to abandon these traditions and return fully to the pure Word of God, worshiping Him as He commanded—“in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).