Fun Facts: Sun Worship is religious devotion give to the sun. The sun is seen as a deity or as the symbol of a deity. Sun worship has been a part of most religions thoughout the world at least at some point, and was practiced by the Iroquois, Plains Indian, and Tsimshian peoples of North America and among the Native Americans of Mexico and Peru.

The sun was also worshipped by the Hindus, regarded as maleficent by the Dravidians of southern India and as benevolent by the Munda of the central parts. The Babylonians were also sun worshipers, and in ancient Persia worship of the sun was an integral part of the cult of Mithras (a sun deity). The ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun god Ra.

In ancient Greece the deities of the sun were Helios and Apollo. The worship of Helios was widespread; temples were built in Corinth, Árgos, Troezen and many other cities, but the principal seat was on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, where four white horses were sacrificed annually to the god.

Sun worship persisted in Europe even after the introduction of Christianity, as is evidenced by its disguised survival in such traditional Christian practices as the Easter bonfire and the Yule log on Christmas.