Dullradiance: The difference between all of those customs and this is that those were mentioned in Jewish sources long before the pagans did it, or at least long enough ago that we can assume that our custom predated theirs. This has not been a Jewish custom for thousands of years. If it was, some Rishon, Acharon, or Kabbalistic work would have mentioned this. The custom doesn’t show up anywhere until the year 1800. The Christian custom, on the other hand (same custom, same time of year, same stated effect-Parnassah), predates that by well over a millenium. There are cases where other religions co-opted our customs. This, Rachmana Litzlan, is a case of the reverse.
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