Nick:
Long before there were calendars, people knew only a few things about their environment. The sunrise and sunset moved north and south over time. Days became longer, nights shorter, then seemed to stand still for a while, then reversed.
These observations were used by the smarter people to control the not-so-smart. How powerful is the chieftan who can tell his people, "The sun is going further and further north every morning. If it keeps going we will all die. BUT behold. I can stop that and make the sun come back. And to prove it, I will tell you when that is going to happen. Obey ME! I am not a crook. And I don't have anthrax either."
Then a few months later, the chief could tell the people when to start planting. And after that he could tell his people that the sun was going to go away, probably because they had done something not so good. Then he could tell them when it was time to harvest.
All of these events became rituals which people today call pagan (but which word has a bit too much baggage and I prefer pre-historical in this context.) The winter ritual became known as Saturnalia (though I don't remember why it got that name.) When the Christians looked around for a time to celebrate the birth of the Christ they selected Saturnalia because they could celebrate when others were celebrating Saturnalia and they wouldn't be noticed.
Easter is similar. The fertility rites during the springtime of the year were perfect camouflage for the beleaguered and secretive early Christians.
And to this day some Christians practice some rituals that are not strictly Christian. I happened to be on the Aran Islands some years ago when there was a spring fertility rite, which involved large bonfires and (apparently) some otherwise unacceptable extramarital rustlings in the bushes far removed from the light of the bonfires. I was told at the time that the two or three priests on the island simply left for the night.
Consuelo will probably be able to confirm that many Mexicans who are mainly Catholic also hedge their bets by paying homage to the old ways.
