Christmas is celebrated to keep in mind the birth of of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God.
The name 'Christmas' originates from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is in some cases called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and after that returned to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was permitted to happen after sundown (and before sunrise the next day), so individuals had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.
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Christmas is now celebrated by people worldwide, whether they are Christians or not. It's a time when family and friends come together and keep in mind the advantages they have. People, and specifically children, likewise like Christmas as it's a time when you give and get presents!
The Date of Christmas
No one understands the genuine birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December? The early Christians certainly had lots of arguments as to when it ought to be commemorated! Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn't occur in the year 1 however slightly earlier, somewhere in between 2 BCE/BC and 7 BCE/BC, potentially in 4 BCE/BC (there isn't a 0 - the years go from 1 BC/BCE to 1!).
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The first documented date of Christmas being commemorated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the very first Christian Roman Emperor). But it was not a main Roman state celebration at this time.
However, there are various traditions and theories as to why Christmas is commemorated on December 25th.
A very early Christian custom stated that the day when Mary was informed that she would have a very special infant, Jesus (called the Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated today on the 25th March. 9 months after the 25th March is the 25th December! March 25th was likewise the day some early Christians thought the world had actually been made, and likewise the day that Jesus died on when he was an adult. The date of March 25th was selected since individuals had calculated that was the day on which Jesus passed away as an adult (the 14th of Nisan in the Jewish calendar) and they believed that Jesus was born and had passed away on the same day of the year.
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Some individuals also believe that December 25th may have likewise been chosen because the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter celebrations called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' happened in December around this date - so it was a time when people currently 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 season was over and spring was coming and they had a celebration to celebrate it and worshipped the sun for winning over the darkness of winter season. 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.
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The Roman Festival of Saturnalia happened 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 thought the Winter Solstice took place) and was the 'birthday' of the Pagan Sun god Mithra. In the pagan religion of Mithraism, the holy day was Sunday and is where get that word from!
The Roman emperor Aurelian developed 'Sol Invictus' in 274. But there are records of early Christians linking 14th Nisan to 25th March and so the 25th December return to around 200!
The Jewish festival of Lights, Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev (the month in the Jewish calendar that happens at about the exact same time as December). Hanukkah commemorates when the Jewish people had the ability to re-dedicate and worship in their Temple, in Jerusalem, again following several years of not being permitted to practice their religion.
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Jesus was a Jew, so this might be another reason that assisted 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 likewise commemorated the Epiphany (which suggests the revelation that Jesus was God's son) and the Baptism of Jesus. Now Epiphany primarily commemorates the go to of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus, however back then it commemorated both things! Jesus's Baptism was initially seen as more crucial than his birth, as this was when he began his ministry. But quickly people wanted a different day to celebrate his birth.
Most of the world utilizes the 'Gregorian Calendar' executed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Prior to that the 'Roman' or Julian Calendar was utilized (named 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 4th October 1582 was 15th October 1582. In the UK the change of calendars was made in 1752. The day after second September 1752 was 14th September 1752.
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Lots Of Orthodox and Coptic Churches still use the Julian Calendar therefore commemorate Christmas on the 7th January (which is when December 25th would have been on the Julian calendar). And the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates it on the 6th January! In some part of the UK, January sixth is still called 'Old Christmas' as this would have been the day that Christmas would have commemorated on, if the calendar hadn't been changed. Some individuals didn't wish to utilize the brand-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 commemorate the birth of Jesus. They likewise took control of some of the custom-mades from the Winter Solstice and provided Christian significances, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols!
St Augustine of Canterbury was the person who probably started the widespread event of Christmas in big parts of England by introducing Christianity to the regions run by the Anglo-Saxons in the sixth century (other Celtic parts of Britain were currently Christian however there aren't lots of documents about if or how they commemorated the birth of Jesus). St Augustine of Canterbury was sent by Pope Gregory the Great in Rome and that 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!
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