Please see the updated version of this post here: https://isiopolis.com/2022/11/27/isis-horus-the-holy-day-of-december-25th-updated/
It doesn’t take much of an internet search to discover the “fact” that the Goddess Isis bore the Holy Child Horus on December 25th. Frequently, the statement is used to dismiss the Christian tradition of the birth of the Christ on that day (and by inference, Christian tradition in general) as “mere Pagan superstition.” Frankly, this has been driving me a little crazy for years—for a variety of reasons.
First, there is absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the bringer of the light of Christianity to its believers, at that time of year when the light of the sun begins its return to the world. It is the perfect symbol and early Christians would have been silly to ignore it.
The other thing that bothered me was that I thought that the December 25th date was stretching the truth to make a point; the point being that the “real meaning of Christmas” was, in fact, the celebration of a Pagan Deity. Why—when there are so very many legitimate connections between the Deities of all the world’s pantheons—should we have to distort the truth to make that point? (Please see my previous posts, Mary Christmas and Happy Easter for some of those Isiac-Christian connections.)
Well, it finally bothered me enough that I decided to find out where that whole Horus-born-on-December-25th thing came from.
I first checked in with my pal Plutarch since I know he mentions a couple of Egyptian winter solstice traditions—and since Horus-born-on-the-25th seemed likely to have been a late Pagan tradition. Writing in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries CE, Plutarch tells us that Harpocrates (from Hor-pa-khered, Horus the Child) is born on the winter solstice (I quote it here at length because I like the lead-in):
Thus we shall attack the many boring people who find pleasure in associating the activities of these gods with the seasonal changes of the atmosphere or with the growths, sowing, and plowing of crops, and who say that Osiris is being buried when the corn is sown and hidden in the earth, and that he lives again and reappears when it begins to sprout. For this reason it is said that Isis, when she was aware of her being pregnant, put on a protective amulet on the sixth day of Phaophi, and at the winter solstice gave birth to Harpocrates, imperfect and prematurely born, amid plants that burgeoned and sprouted before their season . . . and they are said to celebrate the days of her confinement after the spring equinox. (Plutarch, On Isis and Osiris, 65B-c)
Since Horus is a solar God, His birth at the winter solstice—even to the extent that He is “imperfect and prematurely born” at that time—makes symbolic sense. This tradition was still going strong by the 4th and 5th centuries CE, for another writer, Macrobius, famous for his book about the Saturnalia, notes that:
…at the winter solstice, the sun would seem to be a little child like that which the Egyptians bring forth from a shrine on the apponted day, since the day is then at its shortest and the god is accordingly shown as a tiny infant. (Macrobius, Saturnalia, 1.18:10
So this was an Egyptian tradition at least from the time of Plutarch. But was it so earlier? Well, I’m still looking into that. (Please see the Addendum at the end of this post.) But at least one author has noted that in the time of Pharaoh Amenemhet I (approx. 1991-1962 BCE), the pharaoh took a new title as the sun approached winter solstice in the 17th year of his reign. The title was Nem-mestu, Repeater of Births, a title also given to the dead and which may refer to daily solar rebirth or even to reincarnation. In addition to the normal pharaoh-sun connection, the king is even more strongly associating himself with the sun by taking the title, and it would seem from the timing that he is particularly associating himself with the winter solstice sun. At the very least, this points to the importance of the winter solstice to Egyptian tradition.
Just as there are today, there were other winter holy days around the time of the winter solstice. You’re probably familiar with the Roman Saturnalia (Greek Kronia) which took place from December 17th through the 23rd (at its most developed stage). It was a carnivalesque festival with plenty of partying and gift-giving on the last day, just a day or two from the astronomical solstice. The 4th century CE Christian polemicist, Epiphanius, notes two very interesting Pagan festivals that took place “on the very night of Epiphany,” which is Epiphanius’ preferred date for the birth of the Christos. He grouches that “many places deceitfully celebrate a very great festival on the very night of the Epiphany, to deceive the idolaters who believe them into hoping in the imposture and not seeking the truth.” (Epiphanius, Panarion, 22,8) Of the celebration in Alexandria, he writes:
First, at Alexandria, in the Koreum, as they call it; it is a very large temple, the shrine of Kore. They stay up all night singing hymns to the idol with a flute accompaniment. And when they have concluded their nightlong vigil, torchbearers descend into an underground shrine after cockcrow and bring up a wooden image which is seated naked on a litter. It has a sign of the cross inlaid with gold on its forehead, two other such signs, one on each hand and two other signs, one actually on each of its two knees—altogether five signs with a gold impress. And they carry the image itself seven times around the innermost shrine with flutes, tambourines and hymns, hold a feast, and take it back down to its place underground. And when you ask them what this mystery means, they reply that today, at this hour Kore—that is, the Virgin—gave birth to Aion. (Epiphanius, Panarion, 22,9)
Some scholars believe that the Alexandrian Virgin was Isis (some ancient Egyptian Hymns call Isis “virgin;” in the Hermetic text, Kore Kosmou, Isis is likely the “Cosmic Virgin” of the title) and that the “crosses” on Her limbs may have been ankhs. Could be, but doesn’t have to be; Alexandria was, after all, a polytheistic city. Epiphanius goes on to mention other identical and, in his mind, deceitful festivals in Petra and in Elusa celebrating the birth of the “only son of the Lord” of a Virgin Goddess. In Petra, the Holy Child is Dusares, an Arabian God identified with Dionysos, Who was, in turn, identified with Helios, the sun. (Epiphanius, Panarion, 22,11)
Okay, so we have the solar Holy Child’s birth at or around the winter solstice. Makes perfect sense. But what about that December 25th date?
Well, you see, the Roman calendar went through a certain amount of upheaval and—bottom line—December 25th was considered the “traditional” date of the winter solstice, even if that was off from astronomical solstice. (If you want to calendar geek on that, check this out or this.) We have from a number of sources, including Epiphanius, that “the eighth before the Kalends of January” was considered to be the winter solstice. (Epiphanius, Panarion, 22,3) Because of the inclusive way the Romans counted, this “eighth before the Kalends” was December 25th.
What’s more, the early Christians who chose that date, chose it precisely because it was the winter solstice and was connected to the return of the light. In a work attributed, perhaps falsely, to the 4th century Christian church father John Chrysostom, the writer connects the birth of Jesus with the birth of Sol Invictus, the Unconquerable Sun, which was celebrated on Rome’s traditional winter solstice, December 25th:
But Our Lord, too, is born in the month of December . . . the eighth before the calends of January [25 December] . . ., But they call it the “Birthday of the Unconquered.” Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord? Or, if they say that it is the birthday of the sun, He is the Sun of Justice. (Chrysostom, De Solstitia et Aequinoctia Conceptionis et Nativitatis Nostri Iesu Christi et Iohannis Baptistae; “On the conceptions and births of our Jesus Christ and John the Baptist on the solstices and equinoxes.”)
Another interesting thing about the choice of December 25th is that—even just those few days after the astronomical solstice—you can begin to see that the light is indeed returning. Some scholars have suggested that the December 25th date for the solstice reflects this perceivable change, so that even though the exact moment of astronomical solstice is prior to the 25th, it becomes noticeable about the 25th.
So there we have it. There actually IS reason to connect the winter solstice birth date of Isis’ Holy Child, Horus, with the traditional December 25th birth date of Mary’s Holy Child, Jesus. Yet, I don’t think early Christians “stole” the date from Horus (or any of the other solar Gods Who always were and always will be born on the winter solstice). Nor do I think the fact that the date has Pagan antecedents means Christianity was built on a lie or in any way denigrates Christianity, nor should we think that Christians merely copied their religion from the Pagans around them. For early Christians, as for ancient Egyptians—and indeed for both ancient and modern worlds—the return of the light at winter solstice is at once an uplifting environmental fact and a hopeful spiritual symbol.
And so I wish you all Many Happy Returns of the Light on this holy day of December 25th.
Addendum: I’ve reviewed my materials and confirmed that, yes—as you might expect from a sun-focused culture—the winter solstice was quite important in Egyptian culture and religion. There are plenty of inscriptions and texts to support that, and a number of temples and monuments are oriented toward the winter solstice sunrise, especially those dedicated to Re-Hor-Akhty, Re-Horus of the Horizon.
Isiopolis 
Thanks Isadora for this insightful article.
Ockham’s Razor says that the simplest solution is usually the best solution. Given the similarities between the myth of Horus and Jesus it seems to me that explaining both myths as manifestations of the natural phenomena of the winter solstice is the most reasonable.
But you are correct, there is no problem with celebrating the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day however there does exist evidence to support the belief that the mythology behind Jesus was constructed by his followers to attribute mythological powers upon him.
I have read that Horus’ birthday (others say conception) was originally recognised on the 15th of November, so it is possible that they changed it to the winter solstice for the symbolism it would have.
I’m not familiar with the Nov 15 date right off the bat, but I wonder whether it might be connected to the late Nov-early Dec festival during which Osiris is “lost” and “found” and if so, then Horus would have been conceived after His finding.
LOL “boring people”! I also heard that Horus was born at dawn….just like how Nut gives birth to the sun at dawn….hehehe that’s just like the movie father of the bride II except Nut and Isis aren’t annoying and Thoth isn’t camper than the village people at a boy scout meeting (if you haven’t seen it, I’m referring to the wedding planner) 😛
And yes, we should respect all religions including Christianity just as we want to be respected 🙂
You’re right that the early Christians didn’t choose the date of the 25th December. It was the Roman Emperor and the Catholic Priests in the 4th century AD. About the same time they were making up alot of other bull and throwing out parts of the Bible that didn’t suit their agenda.
Hippolytus of Rome mentions December 25th
I think Hippolytus mentions “8 days before the calends of January” as the birth of the Christos. Do you have a reference for it as the birth of Horus? Would love to have a look if so! Thanks so much.
January 6 on his Calander is December 25th on ours. He mentions it in his Daniel commentary. http://midseventiethweekrapture.blogspot.com/2015/02/i-think-jesus-was-born-near-december-25.html
Your right
Thank you so much for this post. It was fascinating to learn about Egyptian tradition from the later periods.
There is only one slight problem… on the six day of phaophi is about the begging of October…. and the text should read “about the time of the winter solstice” not “on the winter solstice”… It is also recorded right after this, in the same writing, that the days of his birth where celebrated around the spring equinox.
Thanks for the comment. I was using the Griffiths translations of Plutarch, which is usually pretty trustworthy, and he has “at the winter solstice.” The sacredtexts.com online version (William Charles King, 1908) has “about the time of the winter solstice.” Looking at the original Greek, the modifying word is “peri,” which is “about” or “around” the winter solstice. Any of these translations works to make the point of this post since we’re not talking about astronomical solstice, but when it was celebrated, which was about or around the solstice—when the lengthening days were just starting to be noticed.
That said, there are definitely contradictions in what Plutarch recorded, no doubt because he collected information from various sources at various times and locations. The ones you point out are decidedly among them. Plutarch may have been mixing traditions from various places, one in which Harpokrates is born at the winter solstice, one in which He is born at the spring equinox. (A woman’s “confinement” is usually after she gives birth, so the Child would have been born at the equinox. The Phaophi amulet could possibly be part of the latter tradition. From October to spring equinox would be 6 months and Harpokrates could be born prematurely at 6 months.) Scholars have been puzzled by this section, too, so we are not alone 😉 My best guess is that Plutarch had collected 2 or 3 traditions in this section and didn’t try to sort them out for his readers. To my mind, that doesn’t negate the tradition of His birth at or around the winter solstice. (And we have the Macrobius as supporting testimony for the tradition of the winter solstice sun as a new-born child, most likely to be Isis’ child in his day.)
As always, we have to remember we’re talking about Deities here—Isis, Horus/Harpokrates, Jesus. Their timetables are not necessarily human ones and we human beings are always likely to connect Their comings and goings with symbolically important times to us; for instance, the winter solstice and spring equinox. Either would work symbolically well for Horus…it’s just that, in this case, we’re talking about the winter solstice. Perhaps I’ll do a post on His spring birth for the equinox!
It is quiet possible that he was using different traditions, and even mixing the various Horus gods together (last I counted there was about 15 distinct gods know as Horus in which the Egyptians celebrated). I find it rather impossible to connect this to the date of Christs birth, and most reputable scholars and historians are with me. If Horus (one of the 15 or more gods that have this title, a title also given to many of the Pharaohs of Egypt, in which Egyptian tradition sees the god reborn in each pharaoh) was born on December 25th (which is not the date either the Romans at the time of Christ, nor the Egyptians celebrated as the date of the winter solstice) it is just a coincidence. In fact we have some very compelling evidence that Christ was actually born on this day. We have a bishop around mid second century state this to be the case. We have several of the early Christian writers point to the official Roman records in the libraries of Rome, holding paperwork on when the census was taken (The earliest Christians to mention this did not give a date, they seemed not to care much about the birthdate of Christ, because celebrating births was a pagan tradition) and saying anyone could check for themselves the date of Christs birth. We then have John Chrysostom looking at these papers and verifying that the date of the 25th was the correct date as the westerners where celebrating, telling everyone that doubted to go look for themselves in the Roman public libraries, where they held record of the census. And this is just one of the many evidences we have that the date is correct….I could go on with a few more but I don’t feel like leaving a whole page in the comment section
Your information on the birth of Horus markes sense. However, at the end noting you don’t think Christianity stole the date for the birth of Christ, you might be interested to do the same research on the accuracy of of that date as well. In fact, the Bible never mentions the date of his birth, so that date came from someplace else. Also, but what IS written is the fact that it was when shepherds were tending flocks in the fields at night, which they do in the fall, not December winter months. In addition, Christmas wasn’t even celebrated by early Christians, (the religion instituted by Jesus himself), not until the 3rd or 4th century, likely Church leaders chose that date to coincide with the pagan festivals already being held on or around the winter solstice. But no backing in the scriptures anyplace.
Thank you for your research and thoughtful article. I thought it worth mentioning that Eastern churches, such as the Coptic Church, celebrate Christmas on January 7th.
They use a different calendar; Julian instead of Gregorian.
Indeed… most everything important in my spiritual quest starts from the land we call ‘Egypt’. I’ve always been connected to Egypt, Peru, and India (the first two were in my earliest years) and while growing up Christian, I never felt connected to it–I was forced, in a way, to accept that religion, as most are.
Esoterically is the only way to view the Egyptian writings, carvings, temples, etc., for any other way will surely take you down the wrong path. Archaeologists are manipulators of history.
Don’t try to justify what the Christians have done. They stole ideas from other religions to more easily convert other people to their religion and burnt people at the stake or worse if they refused. They are the most corrupt, insane corporation this planet has ever seen. Cant eat pig on Friday, woman bleeding out of their vaginas…sounds pretty schizo to me. I could go on and on. Christianity is probably responsible for more deaths than the Spanish flu. They deserve to crumble, not be justified. Jesus, was horus first.
The date may not prove anything was stolen, but the whole story does. It takes a simple google search and a comparative map between Jesus’ and Horus’ story to tell that Christianity is just plagiarized Egyptian mythology. It’s a middle schooler’s homework, literally. We shouldn’t try to justify what Christians did. It’s a religion based off of lies. That’s the end of the matter.
You’re very correct. That’s why we strangely can’t find or trace our history as Africans.They stole everything, our traditions, belief systems,everything. And whitewashed them.And tried to wipe out our past completely so we’d never know.wow!