Why is Christmas in December?
Origins of Christianity in Germany's historic cities
December 25th, the day of the winter solstice, used to be a particularly important day in many cultures. While the Middle East celebrated the birth of the Indian sun god on this day, the Egyptians celebrated the birth of Horus in the Isis cult. The Romans worshiped various gods for more than 1200 years, also foreign deities such as the Egyptian goddess Isis. Romans began their celebrations in honor of the invincible sun god Saturn also on December 25th. In addition, the Germanic peoples celebrated their midwinter festival which is still known today in Scandinavia as Yule.
In 217, Hyppolitus of Rome tried to eliminate these cults by moving the celebration of Christ's birth to December 25th. The meaning of Christmas was defined: It is the birth of Christ, the winter solstice in world history which gives us the certainty within all the ups and downs of history that the dark forces do not have the final power.
Trier is the oldest bishopric in Germany, bishops already existed in the city as early as in late antiquity. The “Trierer Dom” (Cathedral of Trier) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its interior holds the robe of Jesus Christ: The Holy Robe. In the Benedictine Abbey St Matthias, there are the tombs of the first bishops Eucharius and Valerius. In addition, there is the tomb of Saint Matthias the Apostle, the only burial of an apostle north of the Alps.
Even though the cathedrals of the former church leaders and sovereigns are no longer centers of power nowadays, what remains is the impressive appearance of the important monuments of Christianity, creating the atmospheric background for unique Christmas markets. To this day, people from all over the world with different religious backgrounds meet here at the end of each year, making the speed of time slow down abruptly.
A special attraction of 