Reader Neil Bourgoin (Dec. 24) has his history backward.

Long before Christians began spreading out from their Jewish homeland, pagans (from “pagano” or “country dweller”) in eastern and western Europe, the Scandinavian countries and North America were celebrating the winter solstice with evergreens and bonfires.

The fertility goddess Oestre (which morphed into “Easter”) was celebrated in the spring in the Mediterranean countries.

Samhein and the Day of the Dead were traditional autumn holidays long before Christians came up with “All Soul’s Day.”

All of these traditional native holidays were usurped by the invading Christians in their attempt to convert the pagans.

Yes, “Christmas” is a Christian holiday — “Christ’s Mass” — and it is commercialism and capitalism that has made people forget the true meaning of “ Christmas.”

Pagans are just trying to reclaim what was stolen from them.

It is likely that Jesus was born in late winter (making him a Pisces), probably in February, when Greek, Roman and Egyptian astronomers recorded a supernova, which “burned bright as the sun, even in daylight”; shepherds were out in the fields watching over the lambing; and the annual census was underway.

It is stated in the Treaty of Tripoli, ratified by Congress and signed by John Adams: “As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion…”, and it is written into our Constitution that the state shall not impose religion on the people.

Jesus embraced all people. He would probably find our pluralist society to be quite interesting.

Joanne D’Unger, Leeds