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b'\\u201cThe Church was anxious to draw the attention of its members away from the old pagan feast days, and the December date did this very well, for it coincided with the birthday of the invincible son of Mithraism\\u2026\\u201d\\nIs Christmas as we know it merely an invention, created by plagiarising from rival cults, such as the worship of Mithra, the Iranian sun god, during the days of the Roman Empire? Is Christmas in fact based on a pagan festival, that\\xa0Christians have made\\xa0their own? Or has Christmas always been an authentically Christian celebration, born of its tradition and rituals? Join Tom and Dominic as they delve into the roots of Christmas, the importance of the Roman festival of Saturnalia, the cult of Sol Invictus, and much more.\\n\\n\\U0001f4f1Protect your tech valuables with our exclusive 20% off discount at http://uk.mous.co/RestHistory\\U0001f392\\n\\nTwitter:\\n@TheRestHistory\\n@holland_tom\\n@dcsandbrook\\nProducer: Theo Young-Smith\\nAssistant Producer: Tabby Syrett\\nExecutive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices'