Key Takeaways: Christmas on December 25 Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Initially, Christmas was called "The Feast of Nativity", celebrating both the birth of Mithras and Jesus. This candle is lit after reading the story of Mary and Josephs journey to Bethlehem, which calls for us to prepare the way of the Lord. 25 March is celebrated as Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This celebration honored Saturn, the God of Sowing and Husbandry, and was linked to the rise of a new year and the return of light. Celtic legends connected the solstice with Balder, the Scandinavian sun god who was struck down by a mistletoe arrow. Drinking was closely connected with these pagan feasts. No one knows for sure on what day Christ was born. Owen Jarus is a regular contributor to Live Science who writes about archaeology and humans' past. Not only was this festival not annual, it also cannot be historically documented as having been established on December 25 by Aurelian (cf. Christmas is on Dec. 25, but it wasn't always. Typically, it doesn't happen on the 25 th, but closer to December 21 st and December 22 nd. If the suggestion were correct, one would expect to find at least a single reference by early Christians to support it. Churches light the Joy Candle (pink or purple) on the third Sunday of Advent. What Does it Mean That Jesus Is the Reason for the Season? Other factors influenced the connection between Christmas and December 25. 'Zombie' viruses have been revived from Siberian permafrost. Christmas is a time to celebrate the nativity of Jesus. The answer to that question is not to be found in Bethlehem but in ancient Rome. In addition, early Christian leaders considered the celebration of birthdays a pagan ritual. One reason December 25 may have been deemed suitable is its proximity to the winter solstice. Related: Who is Krampus, and what does he have to do with Christmas? Dec 25 is also "the date on which the Northern Hemisphere observers are first able to detect the northward movement of the sun" after the winter solstice, David Allen, who was an astronomer at the Anglo-Australian Observatory, wrote in a 1992 article published in the journal Archaeoastronomy (opens in new tab). The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus' conception to 25 March. [Ideler (Chron., II, 397, n.) thought they did this believing that the ninth . It might be a celebratory distraction to be born on a big holiday, like Christmas, but the truth is it's very rare to be born on Dec. 25, which makes those birthdays pretty special. He has also written for The Independent (UK), The Canadian Press (CP) and The Associated Press (AP), among others. The development of Christmas was a kind of affirmation of God's interest in the world and in human lifebirth as well as death." He added this scarcity of birthday information stands in. What Was the Significance of the Angels at Christmas? The Three Magi. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Despite these different theories, one thing remains constant in the Bible. Christmas is often called the most wonderful time of the year. The solstice was important to everyone for agricultural reasons in the same way water is important to the survival of human beings, and so we see rituals involving water showing up in various religions. It was proposed by several of . But why is Christmas celebrated on Dec. 25? The reference to Adam can be understood in light of another of Hyppolytus writings, the Chronicon, where he explains that Jesus was born nine months after the anniversary of Creation. Two theories It's unclear exactly when and why some Christians started celebrating Jesus' birth on Dec. 25. They had a specific reason for doing so. So, unlike many historical figures, we can estimate Jesus birth within a few years. Before calendar reforms, Saint Lucy Day was the start of the Advent season, pointing to the coming light of Christ. The problem for the skeptic is that no evidence exists to suggest that Aurelian was a Mithraist, or that he even had Mithraism in mind when he instituted the feast of Sol Invictus. Why is Christmas, the birth of Jesus the Christ, on the morning of December 25th? In Duncan Steels book Marking Time, he states, the Polish historian Laurentius Suslyga was the first to suggest that Christ was born around 4 B.C.. Ancient records indicate that a feast dedicated to Sol Invictus, a sun god, was. The medium answer is there is no trustworthy evidence for pointing to the precise date. New York, "A lot hinges on when 25 December became the occasion of a Roman feast associated with [Sol Invictus]," he said in the email. Ethiopian Art. Nothaft agreed. The Gregorian Calendar was established in 1582, long after the birth of Jesus. In the West, the birth of Christ was celebrated on December 25, and in the East on January 6. system wasnt established until AD 525 by Dionysius Exiguus. The summer solsticeafter . Some, including the Puritans of colonial New England, even banned its observance because they viewed its traditionsthe offering of gifts and decorating trees, for exampleas linked to paganism. In the Western church tradition, this day celebrates the visitation of the Magi from Matthew 2. As Constantine had made Christianity the effective religion of the empire, some have speculated that choosing this date had the political motive of weakening the established pagan celebrations. Churches light the Peace Candle (pink or purple) is lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent. However, many scholars dispute this explanation. Churches light the Hope Candle (purple) on the first Sunday of Advent. The origins of the holiday and its December date lie in the ancient Greco-Roman world, as commemorations probably began sometime in the 2nd century. It is not believed Jesus was born on the day Christmas is globally celebrated. There was also a pagan festival called Saturnalia in mid-December that occurred over several days. But given that the birth date of Jesus Christ is not known with certainty, why was this day selected? There are three potential reasons why December 25th was selected. Saturnalia was held on December 17 of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities to December 23. When church officials settled on December 25 at the end of the third century, they likely wanted the date to coincide with existing pagan festivals honoring Saturn (the Roman god of agriculture) and Mithra (the Persian god of light). Hence, the birth date was decided. Three Kings Day or Epiphany on January 6. What happened on that day and why does it get celebrated by so many? The Jews had a festival of lights. About A.D. 200, Clement of Alexandria (Strom., I, xxi in P.G., VIII, 888) says that certain Egyptian theologians "over curiously" assign, not the year alone, but the day of Christ's birth, placing it on 25 Pachon (20 May) in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus. Christmas is celebrated every year on the 25th of December to mark the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. However, nothing in Scripture indicates the precise date when Jesus was born. How did Christmas come to be celebrated on December 25? The date is also significant because it has always marked the winter solstice; the shortest day of the year. In some church traditions, candles are lit in the advent wreath, remindng us of the story and preparing our hearts as we head toward Christmas. Christmas 2021: Why Xmas is celebrated on December 25: Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Most Christians today probably cant imagine Christmas on any other day than December 25, but it wasnt always that way. There are many parallels of Mithras' life and Jesus' which made this decision appropriate. That way, it became easier to convince Romes pagan subjects to accept Christianity as the empires official religion. (Image credit: 10'000 Hours via Getty Images). Rather, it was an implication of setting the date of conception to March 25. This reason, however, leaves unexplained the choice of the 6th of January (ibid., p. 261). What day is God birthday? Given the great aversion on the part of some Christians to anything pagan, the logical conclusion here is that one celebration has nothing to do with the other. The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. Today, many (but not all) Christians celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25. One of the most popular theories and commonly taught explanations for why Christmas is on Dec. 25th is because the early church placed Christian holidays at times of Roman celebration to co-opt the local pagan festivals. For the first three hundred years of the church's existence, birthdays were not given much emphasis - not even the birth of Christ. 3, pp. Furthermore, Saturnalia could be seen as a pagan holiday foreshadowing ideas that Jesus fulfilled. Many Jews believed that the prophets of Isreal had an integral age. The integral age theorized that the day a prophet was born or conceived was also the day the prophet died. Nothaft has researched and written about the date of Christmas. The following ChristianHistoryTimeline.com article summarizes the popular theories regarding this question: When Did Christians Start Celebrating Christmas on December 25? The Christmas Story Correlates With the Winter Solstice This is one of the most recognized reasons why Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25 th. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Christmas is now celebrated by people around the world, whether they are Christians or . The church only settled on a Dec. 25 Christmas in the fourth century. In some cases it appears the Mithraists believed that Mithras and Sol were two different manifestations of the same god. Prophecies of Isaiah are often read as we are reminded of the hope of the coming Messiah and our continued hope in his second coming. As the Julian Calendar slowly drifted and was eventually replaced by the Gregorian Calendar, the date of December 25 stuck, even though it wasn't . The deathblow to both the Mithras and Sol Invictus parallels is that the Chronography of 354 is the earliest mention of any pagan god being celebrated on December 25. Man holding penis and flanked by leopards is world's oldest narrative carving, 'Jousting ankylosaurs' whacked their peers with their 'sledgehammer-like tails'. Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th? Within 100 years, Christmas was on the calendar record. Each off these theories has some credence. Joyful carols, special liturgies, brightly wrapped gifts, festive foodsthese all characterize the feast today, at least in the northern hemisphere. There are at least three possible origins for the December date. and 4 B.C. What Is Advent: Definition & Meaning Behind Christmas Tradition, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. One possibility is that some early Christians believed that the day of Jesus' crucifixion occurred on March 25 and they added nine months to come up with Dec. 25. The decision to celebrate Christmas on December 25 was made sometime during the fourth century by church bishops in Rome. Jesus was 33 years old when crucified, always wondered about that. In his book, Spirit of the Liturgy, Pope Benedict XVI explains: The claim used to be made that December 25 developed in opposition to the Mithras myth, or as a Christian response to the cult of the unconquered sun promoted by Roman emperors in the third century in their efforts to establish a new imperial religion. Christmas is now celebrated by people around the world on December 25 to remember the . I found this Q&A by a professor of liturgy to be useful. That the Christians chose a date so close to the winter solstice is also not proof that this was done to mimic pagan festivals. The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus' conception to March 25, which, after nine . Why is Christmas on December 25th? The final theory involves a reportedly widespread idea in Jewish culture during Jesus time. Advent is when churches prepare to remember the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It was also the birthday of the Indo-European deity Mithra, a god of light and loyalty whose cult was at the time growing popular among Roman soldiers. (December 25th + 13 days = January 7th). However, it is necessary to reconsider that belief, No records exist in the Bible, or elsewhere, suggesting Jesus was born on that date.If it was not the birth of Christ which set Christmas Day apart from others in the calendar, what was it? In an old list of Roman bishops, compiled in A. D. 354 these words appear for A.D. 336: 25 Dec.: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae. December 25, Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea. The other theory, the computation hypothesis, is based on the idea that early Christians calculated Jesus' birthday by adding nine months to a day they regarded as Jesus' conception. The celebration of Christmas spread throughout the Western world over the next several centuries, but many Christians continued to view Epiphany and Easter as more important. The tradition of Christmas trees goes on way too long. But was Jesus really born on December 25 in the first place? The day on which a saint died was considered more significant than his or her birth, as it ushered him or her into the kingdom of heaven. Holding with the integral age theory, this would put Jesus date of conception, the day that Gabriel told Mary that she would bear the Christ child, on March 25 or April 6. First, Sextus Julius Africanus was a Roman believer who believed that Jesus' conception was March 25th and nine months later would be December 25th. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through his son Jesus Christ! This candle is lit at the midpoint of the Advent season, so the Joy of Christ coming is highlighted. Each Sunday before Christmas focuses on one part of the Christmas story. Many Christmas symbols (the yule log, the tree) have some diluted pagan origin. When did this day get chosen? Each candle has a name and a story associated with it. So, a combination of calendar system changes and debates about dating systems make it difficult to say which exact year Jesus was born, much less the precise month and day on which he was born. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, 4. The calendar change created a variety of reschedulings for religious holidays (hence why Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on a different date than other denominations). Christians placed Christmas on Dec. 25th to co-opt Saturnalia, the mid-winter festival, or possibly the Festival of the . Saint Lucy Day is on December 13. Main Points About Why is Christmas on 25th December. Duchesne writes one is inclined to believe that the Roman Church made choice of the 25th of December in order to enter into rivalry with Mithraism. But just how did the Christmas festival originate? There is also the question of whether the feast was significant enough for early Christians to place Jesus' birth on that day. At 66 it makes me feel lucky to be alive. Owen has a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Toronto and a journalism degree from Ryerson University. Heres how it works. The earliest celebration of Christmas, or the Feast of the Nativity, on December 25 was held in the year AD 336 in Rome. It has been suggested that Christians in the 4th Century assigned December 25th as Christ's birthday (and hence Christmas) because pagans already observed this day as a holiday. It is one of the most sacred festivals in Christianity and is celebrated across the globe with a lot of joy and fervor. But was Jesus really born on December 25 in the first place?. The decisive factor was the connection of creation and Cross, of creation and Christs conception (p. 105-107). This day is celebrated in Scandinavia and Italy in remembrance of Lucia of Syracuse. Dionysius was the first to attempt to estimate the day of Jesus birth. Why does it fall on December 27th? At some point, a Christian bishop may have adopted the day to keep his people from indulging in the old pagan festival. On the other hand, some Fundamentalist denominations refuse to celebrate Christmas for this reason. So around the right time, but still not the 25th. Part 1 Scope, Stakes, and Saturnalia. The supposed connection to Christmas is based on the proximity of the two festivals to each other. The early church believed that Jesus was killed either on March 26 or April 6. But by the time of Constantine, those two designations . Or However, no one knows what date Jesus was born, neither was the date ever stated in the bible. Christmas is one of the few Christian holidays that no one forgets the date for. But historians who have studied the bible have concluded the birth of Jesus was more likely to be in the spring . The usual answer to this question is that it was adjusted, like many Church feast days, to coincide with the pagan feast days, this one being the winter solstice. These connections are difficult to understand given our limited knowledge of the Mithraic belief system, but they are important because they help to explain why skeptics claim the birthday of Mithras was celebrated on December 25. 2. Here are some often-repeated theories: THEORY #1 - As the Roman Empire transitioned from paganism to Christianity, Constantine or some other Roman or Christian leaders chose to replace a pagan holiday on December 25th with a Christian holiday. Saturnalia was the feast dedicated to the Roman god Saturn. Since, in the past, the focus was on the death of saints, the Nativity is not as old as Easter. The day on which a saint died was considered more significant than his or her birth, as it ushered him or her into the kingdom of heaven. According to popular tradition, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th to honor the birth of Jesus. Whatever month the early Christians might have otherwise chosen would still place Christmas near some pagan celebration, and oppositional theorists would still be making the same claims. However, there are many different traditions and theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! So why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th? For the first 300 years of Christianity, it wasn't. For instance, the presence of shepherds and their sheep suggest a spring birth. The biggest argument against calculation is that the knowledge at the time derived from Hippocrates who declared that pregnancy lasted 8 months. God's Birthday: Why Christ Was Born on December 25 and Why it Matters. The Nativity, popularly called "Christmas," is celebrated on December 25. Another reason is that some people believe that Jesus was born on December 24th. For example, like Jesus, Mithras was also born in extraordinary circumstances, and like Jesus, Mithras the Sun god was also worshipped on . HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. One example can be found in the writings of Hyppolytus of Rome, who explains in his Commentary on the book of Daniel (c. A.D. 204) that the Lords birth was believed to have occurred on that day: For the first advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, was December 25th, Wednesday, while Augustus was in his forty-second year, but from Adam, five thousand and five hundred years. The day on which a saint died was considered more significant than his or her birth, as it ushered him or her into the kingdom of heaven. This Sunday usually lands between November 27 and December 3. Crosswalk.com writer Rachel Dawson states that Saturnalia celebrated emancipation, gift-giving, and the triumph of light after the longest night. December 25th is the central holiday to the Christian faith. Julius Caesar established the Julian Calendar in the Roman empire in 45 B.C. John 1:5). The short answer is No. A Christian celebration occurring simultaneously as Saturnalia would have protected early Christians trying to protect themselves from persecution. Dec. 25 is the "First Day of. According to recorded historians, the US state of Alabama was the first to declare Christmas a legal holiday in 1836. Was the 'forbidden fruit' in the Garden of Eden really an apple? The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). December 25 is a conventional date, chosen by Christians as the birth of Jesus Christ to counter the pagan festival of the Sol Invictus, and also to superimpose other celebrations as the Jewish Hanukkah and Celtic cults linked to the astronomical calendar, or. The date was often used for Roman feasting and celebration. Before electrification . As noted by The Sun , the word Christmas is rooted in the old English "Cristes Measse" ("Christ's Mass"), and its date of December 25 has been used as the day to celebrate the birth of Christ. 2. Dec 24, 2021 Comments Tomorrow begins a 12-day celebration, throughout the world, of the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus came down from heaven, the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), and he came to restore our relationship with the Lord and free us from the bondage of sin. In AD 274, the Roman emperor Aurelian established the feast of the birth of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) on Dec. 25, coinciding with the winter solstice. According to this theory, early Christians deliberately chose these dates to encourage the spread of Christmas and . What Is Advent: Definition & Meaning Behind Christmas TraditionWhat Is an Advent Wreath?Christmas Eve History and TraditionsWhy Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh?What Are the 12 Days of Christmas? His solution, therefore, was that the date of Christs birth was decided by using as a starting point the same day on which he was believed to have died. God's Birthday: Why Christ Was Born on December 25 and Why it Matters. NY 10036. The Christian sees the truth implicit in this pagan tradition that reflects: Christ the Light of the world, His triumph over the night of sin in Luke 1:78-79.. But, Jesus' birth wasn't celebrated for the first three centuries of Christianity. According to his calculations, the world was created on the vernal equinox, March 25, which would mean Jesus was born nine months later, on December 25. After that date the days start to become longer, and thus it is at the beginning of a season of light entering the world (cf. The Christ Candle (white) is lit on Christmas Eve. Herod or Herod the Great ruled as the Roman-appointed king of Judea by Caesar Augustus from 37 BC to 4 B.C. The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus conception to March 25 (the same date upon which he held that the world was created), which, after nine months in his mothers womb, would result in a December 25 birth. The detection of this movement may explain why the festival was held on this date, Allen noted. But how did we reach December 25 in the first place? Churches light the Faith Candle (purple) on the second Sunday of Advent. Therefore December 25 became the traditional date for celebrating the Christ Mass. In this way the problem of eliminating an already popular holiday would be sidestepped, thus making the Christianizing of the population easier. It wasnt until 1870 that Christmas became a federal holiday. In the Eastern Church tradition, this day celebrates the baptism of Jesus and the beginning of his ministry. However, there are some who believe that Christmas should be celebrated on a different day. The connection of Mithra to December 25 is only coincidental. Germans had a yule festival. Nine months ahead of 25 March is 25 December. Although the date of the Christmas celebration is not found in the Bible, it is not wrong for us to remember Christ's birth during the Christmas season. Steelmaking doesnt need to come with CO2 emissions anymore, and SSAB has the technology. The Feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the three Wise Men . Although the date of Christs birth is not given to us in Scripture, there is documented evidence that December 25 was already of some significance to Christians prior to A.D. 354. How Can I Simplify Christmas to Focus on Jesus? The celebration of the birth of Christ by Christians is also mentioned on the calendar as having been celebrated on that day, which diminishes the likelihood that the pagan feast came first. In AD 221, he dated Jesus's conception to March 25nine months before December 25. To explain why others, including Bar-Salibi, thought that the date was December 25, the scholiast claimed that "it is said" that the early Christians did this to supplant a feast day for the . But subsequent historians havent always agreed with these estimations. Nativity scenes and media reflecting the event commonly center around the winter season to this end. Nineteenth-century liturgical scholar Louis Duchesne explains that towards the end of the third century the custom of celebrating the birthday of Christ had spread throughout the whole Church, but that it was not observed everywhere on the same day (Christian Worship, Its Origin and Evolution: a study of the Latin liturgy up to the time of Charlemagne, p. 260). It celebrates the birth of Jesus, symbolizing to the faithful, that light, in human form, was born into a dark world. It serves as a reminder of Christ being the light of the world and that those who claim Jesus as their savior are to be Christs light in the world (Matthew 5:14). "I am inclined to accept that the tradition of dating Christ's birth to 25 December has roots that go back at least to the beginning of the 3rdcentury," he said. In some ways it has become a pious legend. At the pagan festival of Saturnalia, Romans feasted and gave gifts to the poor. The religions most significant holidays were Epiphany on January 6, which commemorated the arrival of the Magi after Jesus birth, and Easter, which celebrated Jesus resurrection. Another popular belief holds that Protestant Christian reformer Martin Luther was the first to place candles in an evergreen tree. For the first three hundred years of the church's existence, birthdays were not given much emphasis - not even the birth of Christ. The date was not widely accepted in the Eastern Empire, where January 6 had been favored, for another half-century, and Christmas did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century. Given the fact that the Mithraists equated their god with Sol in one way or another, it is understandable that they may have appropriated the date as their own. You can read more about why Jesus had to come as a baby in this BibleStudyTools.com article. It is celebrated by the majority of Christians. She is said to have worn a wreath of candles on her head so her hands could carry as much food as possible to those in hiding. For the first three hundred years of the church's existence, birthdays were not given much emphasis - not even the birth of Christ. December 25 became recognized as Christmas day because it provided a Christian alternative to pagan festivals related to the Roman god Saturn and the winter solstice. The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). He examines patristic manuscripts and an inscribed statue, which suggest an entirely different reason: The early church fathers' calendrical calculations of Jesus's conception resulted in the date. This article is part of our larger Christmas and Advent resource library centered around the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. Due to these references, scholars suggest that Jesus was born between 6 B.C. The Julian calendar puts our current date 13 days ahead. The Christmas story provides conflicting clues. The standard explanation is that the early church conflated its celebration of the Nativity with pre-existing pagan festivals . "Most scholars would probably agree that this is unlikely to be earlier than AD 274, the year when [Emperor] Aurelian dedicated a new temple to Sol Invictus in Rome." December 25 is nine months after that date, approximately when Jesus would have been born if he had been conceived on March 25. However, there are some problems with this so-called history-of-religion theory: Christians may have been celebrating Jesus' birthday on Dec. 25 before the Sol Invictus feast was created, Paul Bradshaw (opens in new tab), a professor emeritus of theology at the University of Notre Dame, wrote in an article published in the book "The Oxford Handbook of Christmas (opens in new tab)" (Oxford University Press, 2020). Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Yet are such displays, and the timing of the day . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In this article, we will explore the Christmashistory and why it is celebrated on December 27th in 2022. The theory that early church leaders sought to end the debauchery associated with pagan festivals is equally plausible. A second view bases the date around Jesus' date of conception on March 25, at the spring equinox. The people in favour of celebrating Christmas on March 25th wanted to mix the spring equinox . The B.C./A.D. "We know too little about this feast to make confident pronouncements," Nothaft said. It is the feast of the birth of the Son of God. This would explain the discrepancies between the celebrations in the East and West. The other theory, often called the "computation" or "calculation" hypothesis, suggests that early Christians used some form of calculation to arrive at Dec. 25 as Jesus' birthday. In others they appear to be two gods united as one. Christians looked to December because the early church was far more interested in Jesus's death. A problem with the computation hypothesis is that it's unclear why early Christians would associate March 25 as the date of both Jesus' crucifixion and conception, Bradshaw wrote. At the very least, it negates the claim that it can be proved from the historical record that any December 25 pagan festival predates the Christian tradition. Christmas, the holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, is celebrated by a majority of Christians on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar. For that we need to look at the Roman deity Mithras. The popular answer is that it is Jesus' birthday. From Luke 2:1: In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Caesar Augustus (also known as Octavian) was the first Roman Emperor, and he reigned from 27 B.C. A very early Christian tradition said that the day when Mary was told that she would have a very special baby, Jesus (called the Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated today on the 25th March. Listen to our FREE Christmas Podcast: The Characters of Christmas - The Surprising People in Jesus' Family: Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2022, Christianity.com. It is believed that it originated during the Renaissance in early modern Germany. It commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and is usually celebrated on December 25th. For others, Christmas is a time to celebrate on December 24th. What Is the Hopeful Message in the Hymn In the Bleak Midwinter? Probably not. March 25th was also the day some early Christians thought the world had been made, and also the day that Jesus died on when he was an adult. In fact, for the first three centuries of Christianitys existence, Jesus Christs birth wasnt celebrated at all. The various pagan religions all had festivals spanning the calendar. 2. Why does Christianity have so many denominations? (ChristianHistoryTimeline.com article first published March 14, 2010). Most Christians today probably can't imagine Christmas on any other day than December 25. Eventually, the early church labeled March 25 as the Feast of the Annunciation. December 25 is actually the historical date of the birth of Jesus, a hypothesis . 2022 A&E Television Networks, LLC. There are at least three possible reasons why Christmas is celebrated on December 25. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 336 A.D. This feast may have been held earlier, he noted. Each December, Christians throw a collective birthday bash to celebrate the anniversary of Jesus's arrival on Earth. The longer a One piece of evidence for this hypothesis is a third-century inscription on a statue that gives calculations for when Easter should be celebrated and has an inscription on it noting that Jesus was crucified on March 25 in the year 29, Bradshaw wrote in his article. 1. But why is Christmas celebrated on December 25? Are carrots orange because of a Dutch revolutionary? A father and daughter decorate a tree in anticipation of Christmas. This is a convenient explanation, but the exact date of December 25th is for another reason entirely. In popular films, Internet videos, and other media you can find long lists of gods who were supposedly born on the same day. In his article Saturnalia: The Reason We Celebrate Christmas in December, columnist Mark Whittington explains: It has been suggested that Christians in the 4th Century assigned December 25th as Christs birthday (and hence Christmas) because pagans already observed this day as a holiday. The Church could have chosen another date on which to celebrate the birth of Christ. Could they infect people? The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the shortest time between the sun rising and the sun setting. Cultures around the Mediterranean and across Europe observed feasts on or around December 25, marking the winter solstice. That doesnt prove that one borrowed the idea or theme from another. It is also called Gaudete Sunday to represent the nearness of Christs coming. December 25 is the traditional anniversary of the birth of Christ, but most scholars are unsure about the true date for Christ's birth. Dec. 25 is not the date mentioned in the Bible as the day of Jesus's birth; the Bible is actually silent on the day or the time of year when. Ancient records indicate that a feast dedicated to Sol Invictus, a sun god, was held in the Roman Empire on Dec. 25, raising the possibility that Christmas replaced it. All Rights Reserved. 1. In response, Christians located the birth of God's Son on that day as a way of inviting pagans to his worship. Article Images Copyright 2022 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus's conception to March 25, which, after 9 months, is December 25. until he died in A.D. 14. FAITH Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25? I have heard many Christians claim that the date of Christmas was intended to provide an alternative to pagan celebrations. Historian William J. Tighe offers a different view, however. The holiday season of Merry Christmas 2022 is just around the corner, and its preparation is in full swing. So, why do Christians celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th? However, the problem goes deeper than that. This day, December 25, 336, is the first recorded celebration of Christmas. Column: Why is Christmas on Dec. 25? This means that early Christians considered the date of Jesus's crucifixion to be the date of conception, noted Bradshaw. This holiday not only marked the return of longer days after the winter solstice but also followed the popular Roman festival called the Saturnalia (during which people feasted and exchanged gifts). However, no records exist in the Bible or elsewhere to suggest that Jesus was actually born on this date, which raises the important question - why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th? The term "Christmas" comes from the Old English Cristes Maesse, which means Christ's mass. By 300 A.D., many Christians were celebrating his birth around Dec. 25th. "There is uncertainty around both theories, but I do think the computation hypothesis has a slight edge," Bradshaw told Live Science in an email. There are two major theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25. I have already noted that there were differing traditions in the East and West about Jesus's dates of death and birth (April 6 and January 6 on the one hand and . People spend the day listening to Christmas carols, eating delicious food and exchanging gifts with friends and family. Dionysus Exiguus, a sixth century monk, who was the first to date all of history from December 25, the year of our Lord 1. 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