Christmas is commemorated to keep in mind 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 bear in mind that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sundown (and before sunrise the next day), so individuals had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.
Snowflakes Christmas Wallpapers
Download
Christmas is now celebrated by individuals worldwide, whether they are Christians or not. It's a time when friends and family come together and keep in mind the advantages they have. Individuals, and especially 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 many arguments as to when it need to be celebrated! Likewise, the birth of Jesus most likely didn't occur in the year 1 however slightly earlier, somewhere 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!).
light blue and purple snowflakes Christmas iPhone 6 plus wallpaper 
Download
The first recorded date of Christmas being commemorated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). However it was not an official Roman state festival at this time.
However, there are various customs and theories regarding why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th.
An extremely early Christian custom stated that the day when Mary was told that she would have an extremely special baby, 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 also the day some early Christians thought the world had been made, and likewise the day that Jesus died on when he was an adult. The date of March 25th was picked because people had determined 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 actually died on the same day of the year.
Purple snowflakes Snowflake wallpaper, Xmas wallpaper, Holiday 
Download
Some people also believe that December 25th may have also been selected due to the fact that the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter festivals called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' happened in December around this date - so it was a time when individuals currently celebrated things.
The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the quickest time between the sun increasing 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 celebration to celebrate 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 called Yule and is where we get Yule Logs from. In Eastern Europe the mid-winter festival is called Koleda.
Snowflake Desktop Backgrounds - Wallpaper Cave
Download
The Roman Festival of Saturnalia occurred in between December 17th and 23rd and honoured the Roman god Saturn. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti indicates '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 created 'Sol Invictus' in 274. However 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 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 faith.
Snowflakes - Christmas Wallpaper (2736112) - Fanpop
Download
Jesus was a Jew, so this could be another factor 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 celebrated the Epiphany (which indicates the revelation that Jesus was God's kid) and the Baptism of Jesus. Now Epiphany mainly celebrates the visit of the Wise Men to the child Jesus, however back then it celebrated both things! Jesus's Baptism was initially viewed as more crucial than his birth, as this was when he started his ministry. However soon people wanted a different day to commemorate his birth.
The majority of the world utilizes the 'Gregorian Calendar' implemented by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Before that the 'Roman' or Julian Calendar was utilized (named after Julius Caesar). The Gregorian calendar is more accurate 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 modification of calendars was made in 1752. The day after second September 1752 was 14th September 1752.
Christmas Snowflake Wallpapers Joss Wallpapers
Download
Many Orthodox and Coptic Churches still use 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 celebrates it on the sixth 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 celebrated on, if the calendar hadn't been changed. Some people didn't wish to use 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 right time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They also took over some of the customs from the Winter Solstice and gave them Christian meanings, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols!
St Augustine of Canterbury was the person who most likely began the extensive celebration of Christmas in large parts of England by presenting 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 files 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 countries celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. Then people from Britain and Western Europe took Christmas on the 25th December all over the world!
Best 56+ Snowflake Backgrounds on HipWallpaper Christmas 
Download
More Christmas Wallpapers
Christmas Wallpaper Moving Snow Falling (72+ images)
Download
Christmas Snowflake Wallpapers - Top Free Christmas Snowflake 
Download
Free download 654058 holiday christmas wallpapers snowflakes ice 
Download
