The townspeople gather as dusk falls, awaiting the beginning of the ceremony. As the December 25th sky darkens, the flaming log is brought forth from the mouth of the cave, symbolizing his birth. He came into the world accompanied by animals, three Magii, and a bright star in the heavens. In 600 B.C. Iran (Persia), the birth is not of Jesus, but of Mithra ( Mitra ), the Sun God , who was born in a cave, not a manger. December 25 is also recorded as the birthdate of the gods of numerous cultures long before Jesus, including Dionysus (Greek), Saturn (Roman), Quetzalcoatl ( Toltec/Aztec ), Frey ( Norse/Viking ), and many others. Yule on the Solstice

A few hundred years later and a fifth of the way across the world, in what is now Ireland and Scotland , the Celts began their 12-day festival, Yule, on the Solstice, December 21. The burning of a large log (yes, the "Yule log" was originally a tree, not a confection or a cheese concoction!) is of great significance here as well, and most likely is rooted in the Persian festival. Amid much feasting and the giving of gifts to friends and family, the 12 days celebrate the lengthening days, the return of the sun. Evergreens, evidence of continuing life despite the darkness and cold of an otherwise dead-seeming world, are particularly sacred.

Thus, traditional Celtic Yule is surprisingly similar to traditional Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The Roman invaders, unable to change the Celtic ways, made them their own, having already appropriated December 25 as the date of Jesus' birth (despite evidence in their own Bible that this was not the case), and ascribing to his birth in the manger the Mithran legend: the animals, the "3 Wise Men " (Maggii), and " The Star of Bethlehem ".