Where did these pagan celebrations originate?

Answer 1

Paganism is not a single religion or tradition. The three major religions originating from the Abrahamic tradition, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, have regarded all other religions, especially indigenous religions, as "pagan." The term was derogatory, meaning "rural," suggesting that uneducated peasants in the countryside practiced religions that were not sophisticated or respectable. Sadly, any one of the three major religions often consider the other two major religions "pagan" as well.

So there is no answer to your question. Paganism was and is everywhere.

Answer 2

They originated in Europe and the Middle East, long before the time of Christ, amongst the hunter/gatherers, and later the farmers, for whom the observation and understanding of the seasons was vital to their survival.

Answer 3

Paganism began all over the inhabited world, not in just one area.

Based upon a massive worldwide study of the most ancient inscriptions and the earliest levels of civilization, Dr. Wilhelm Schmidt (in his twelve-volume Der Ursprung Der Gottesidee) concluded that the original belief was monotheistic (see footnote 1, below). It was a simple belief in the Creator (Sky-Father) with no imagery of any kind. It gave way relatively quickly to polytheism and idolatry, but its traces could still be seen by the careful researcher, just as (for example) Proto-Indo European has left indelible marks within the later languages. Other traditions also are traceable worldwide, such as the religious significance of the number seven, and the immortality of the soul.

The process by which the awareness of One God gave way to a belief in many gods, has been described by Scandinavian researchers (see note 2) as splitting ("Gottespaltung"): the people gradually viewed God's attributes of truth, righteousness, fertility etc., as separate from Him, and afterwards personified and worshiped the attributes themselves, until God was largely forgotten.

Maimonides (see note 3) describes a comparable process (which probably happened alongside the aforementioned one), as follows: A couple of centuries after the Creation, mankind made a great mistake: They said that since God had created the stars and spheres and placed them on high, accordingly it is fitting for people to praise and glorify them and to treat them with honor. They perceived this to be the will of God, that people should magnify and honor the stars. They began to praise and glorify them with words, and prostrate themselves before them, because by doing so, they would - according to their false conception - be indirectly honoring God too.

Footnotes:

1) Albright, "From the Stone Age," p.170; and J.A. Wilson, "The Culture of ancient Egypt," p.129. Also Baron, "A Social and Religious History," vol. I, p.44 and 311. Also James Meek, "Hebrew Origins," p.188, quoting Langdon, Lagrange and John Ross. Also Martin Nilsson, Handbuch der Altertumswissenschaften, 2nd ed., p.61, 141, 220 and 394.

2) G. W. Anderson, in "The Old Testament and Modern Study," p.287. Also Friedrich Baethgen, in Beitraege zur Semitischen Religionsgeschichte, p.288. Also Pallotino, "The Etruscans," p. 158 and 167.

3) Maimonides' Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim ch.1).

Answer 4

Paganism is an umbrella term used to describe any number of non-Abrahamic religions.

Many practitioners of pagan paths claim decendancy from ancient spiritual practices. Unfortunately most of these practices come from a time before written history, so the sources are not absolute.

That said, many pagans will tell you that a written spiritual path can not evolve with the times and is therefore less "user friendly".

Modern Neo-pagans usually follow paths that have been reconstructed, or extrapolated from old writings, observations by historians, and family traditions.

Answer 5

Many Pagan beliefs and rituals began when man first gathered in groups thousands of years ago. Superstition and magic were part of everyday life as explanations of natural occurrences.