Christmas is commemorated to remember the birth of of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God.
The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians keep in mind that Jesus died for us and then returned to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was permitted to occur after sunset (and before dawn the next day), so individuals had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.
Desktop Christmas Wallpapers
Download
Christmas is now celebrated by people around the globe, whether they are Christians or not. It's a time when friends and family come together and remember the advantages they have. Individuals, and particularly kids, likewise like Christmas as it's a time when you offer and receive presents!
The Date of Christmas
No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given up the Bible, so why do we commemorate it on the 25th December? The early Christians definitely had many arguments as to when it need to be celebrated! Likewise, the birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 1 however somewhat earlier, someplace in between 2 BCE/BC and 7 BCE/BC, perhaps in 4 BCE/BC (there isn't a 0 - the years go from 1 BC/BCE to 1!).
Winter Christmas Wallpapers Desktop Background in 2019 Christmas 
Download
The first documented date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th remained in 336, throughout the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the very first Christian Roman Emperor). But it was not a main Roman state festival at this time.
However, there are many different traditions and theories regarding why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th.
A really early Christian custom stated that the day when Mary was informed that she would have a really special baby, Jesus (called the Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated today on the 25th March. Nine months after the 25th March is the 25th December! March 25th was likewise the day some early Christians believed the world had been made, and also the day that Jesus passed away on when he was an adult. The date of March 25th was picked because individuals had calculated that was the day on which Jesus died as an adult (the 14th of Nisan in the Jewish calendar) and they thought that Jesus was born and had passed away on the very same day of the year.
60 Beautiful Christmas Wallpapers for your Desktop
Download
Some people likewise believe that December 25th may have also been chosen due to the fact that the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter celebrations called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' took place in December around this date - so it was a time when individuals already celebrated things.
The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the fastest time between the sun rising and the sun setting. It takes place on December 21st or 22nd. To pagans this indicated that the winter was over and spring was coming and they had a festival to commemorate it and worshipped the sun for winning over the darkness of winter. In Scandinavia, and some other parts of northern Europe, the Winter Solstice is referred to as Yule and is where we get Yule Logs from. In Eastern Europe the mid-winter festival is called Koleda.
3D Moving Wallpaper Desktop Wallpapers: Christmas Tree 
Download
The Roman Celebration of Saturnalia took place in between December 17th and 23rd and honoured the Roman god Saturn. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti suggests 'birthday of the unconquered sun' and was hung on December 25th (when the Romans believed the Winter Solstice happened) and was the 'birthday' of the Pagan Sun god Mithra. In the pagan religious beliefs of Mithraism, the holy day was Sunday and is where get that word from!
The Roman emperor Aurelian developed 'Sol Invictus' in 274. However there are records of early Christians connecting 14th Nisan to 25th March therefore the 25th December go back to around 200!
The Jewish festival of Lights, Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev (the month in the Jewish calendar that takes place at about the same time as December). Hanukkah celebrates when the Jewish individuals had the ability to re-dedicate and praise in their Temple, in Jerusalem, once again following several years of not being enabled to practice their religion.
Christmas Wallpapers 1920x1080 - Wallpaper Cave
Download
Jesus was a Jew, so this could be another reason that helped the early Church choose December the 25th for the date of Christmas!
Christmas had also been commemorated by the early Church on January sixth, when they also commemorated the Epiphany (which indicates the revelation that Jesus was God's kid) and the Baptism of Jesus. Now Epiphany primarily commemorates the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus, however at that time it commemorated both things! Jesus's Baptism was initially seen as more important than his birth, as this was when he started his ministry. But soon individuals desired a different day to celebrate his birth.
The majority of the world utilizes the 'Gregorian Calendar' carried out by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Before that the 'Roman' or Julian Calendar was utilized (called after Julius Caesar). The Gregorian calendar is more precise that the Roman calendar which had too many days in a year! When the switch was made 10 days were lost, so that the day that followed the fourth October 1582 was 15th October 1582. In the UK the change of calendars was made in 1752. The day after 2nd September 1752 was 14th September 1752.
73+ Desktop Christmas Wallpapers on WallpaperPlay
Download
Lots Of Orthodox and Coptic Churches still utilize the Julian Calendar and so commemorate Christmas on the 7th January (which is when December 25th would have been on the Julian calendar). And the Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates it on the sixth January! In some part of the UK, January 6th is still called 'Old Christmas' as this would have been the day that Christmas would have celebrated on, if the calendar hadn't been altered. Some people didn't want to use the new calendar as they believed it 'cheated' them out of 11 days!
Christians believe that Jesus is the light of the world, so the early Christians thought that this was the correct time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They also took over some of the custom-mades from the Winter Solstice and gave them Christian significances, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols!
St Augustine of Canterbury was the individual who probably began the prevalent event of Christmas in big parts of England by presenting Christianity to the regions run by the Anglo-Saxons in the 6th century (other Celtic parts of Britain were already Christian however there aren't numerous files about if or how they celebrated the birth of Jesus). St Augustine of Canterbury was sent out by Pope Gregory the Great in Rome which church used the Roman Calendar, so western nations celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. Then individuals from Britain and Western Europe took Christmas on the 25th December all over the world!
Christmas Desktop Wallpapers - Top Free Christmas Desktop 
Download
More Christmas Wallpapers
Christmas Wallpaper Desktop (64+ images)
Download
Christmas Desktop Wallpapers - Top Free Christmas Desktop 
Download
91 HD Christmas Wallpapers Christmas HD Wallpapers Download 
Download
