The History of Christmas – Why do we Celebrate Christmas and why is Christmas on the 25th of December?
No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate Christmas on the 25th December?
25th December is celebrated as Christmas Day all over the world. This is especially a festival of Christianity, but people of every religion celebrate it.
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The principal recorded date of Christmas being commended on December 25th was in 336, during the hour of the Roman Ruler Constantine (he was the primary Christian Roman Sovereign). However, it was anything but an authoritative Roman state celebration right now.
Christmas Day 2023, Merry Christmas: Christmas is the most important festival of the people of Christianity, which is celebrated every year on 25 December as Christmas Day. The fanfare of Christmas starts a day before i.e. from 24 December itself. People of Christianity celebrate this day as the birthday of Jesus Christ.
This festival is celebrated with great pomp in the whole world including America and Britain. Lord Jesus was born on this day.
Importance of Christmas
It so happened that people of the non-Christian communities in Europe used to celebrate a big festival on the occasion of Uttarayan of the Sun. Chief among these was the festival of Uttarayan of the Sun on 25 December.
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Since the day started getting longer from this date, it was considered the day of the rebirth of the Sun God. It is said that for this reason, the people of the Christian community chose this day as Christmas, the birthday of Jesus. Before Christmas, Easter was the main festival of the people of the Christian community.
There is a belief about the Christmas festival that God had sent his son to free people from sin and to stop them and Jesus Christ sacrificed his life in the struggle to free people from sin.
History of Christmas
The history of Christmas is not a few years old but many centuries old. It is said that Christmas was first celebrated in the country of Rome. But the day of December 25 was celebrated as the birthday of the Sun God in Rome before Christmas. At that time, the emperors of Rome used to consider Suryadev as their main deity, and Suryadev was worshipped.
But by 330 AD, the propagation of Christianity in Rome started increasing rapidly. More followers of Christianity became in Rome. After this, in 336 AD, the followers of Christianity accepted Jesus Christ as the incarnation of the Sun God and since then the tradition of celebrating the Christmas festival as the birthday of Jesus Christ started on 25th December.
People celebrate this day as the victory of good over evil. Christmas festival is the new year for the people of Christianity. Like every year, this year i.e. in 2023, Christmas Day will be celebrated on 25 December.
Special Traditions of Christmas
An early Christian custom said that the day when Mary was informed that she would have an exceptionally unique child, Jesus was on Spring 25th – it’s actually celebrated today on the 25th Walk. Nine months after the 25th of March is the 25th of December!
March 25th was additionally the day a few early Christians thought the world had been made, and furthermore the day that Jesus passed on when he was a grown-up and they felt that Jesus was imagined and had kicked the bucket around the same time of the year. The date was picked as it was close to the March/Vernal Equinox.
What makes Christmas special are its traditions. One of them is Saint Nicolas, who was born in Myra about 280 years after the death of Jesus Christ. He dedicated his entire life to Jesus. He loved helping people. This is the reason why he used to give gifts to children in the dark of night on the occasion of Jesus’ birthday. Because of this, children still wait for their Santa.
Another important tradition is that of the Christmas tree. A fir tree was decorated on the occasion of the birth of Jesus, which later came to be known as the Christmas tree. Apart from this, another tradition is to give cards. On this day people wish their loved ones through a card. Let us tell you that the first Christmas card was sent by William Angle in 1842.
Facts About Christmas That You Didn’t Know
- Christmas wasn’t always on December 25. There’s no mention of December 25 in the Bible and many historians say Jesus was most likely born in the spring.
- Ancient Egyptians and Romans first used Christmas trees.
- American songwriter and singer Irving Berlin’s song “White Christmas” is considered to be the best-selling solo song of all time. It has sold over 100 million copies.
- The preparations for Christmas are taken off after 12 days i.e. on the evening of 5th January.
- In Britain and Commonwealth countries, the next day of Christmas i.e. 26 December is celebrated as Boxing Day.
- Santa Claus has tremendous importance at Christmas. Christmas festival cannot be imagined without Santa Claus.
- In the name of Saint Nicholas, today Santa-Claus’s excellent and favorite character of children is in trend. In fact, Santa Claus was earlier used as a strict person of rules and regulations.
- Santa Claus was known as Sinterklaas in Dutch.
- Santa Claus did not always dress up in red clothes. Santa Claus initially wore clothes that were green, purple, or blue.
- St. Nick was more generous than jolly.
- All letters addressed to Santa Claus in America go to Santa Claus, Indiana. Santa Claus in Canada, letters sent to the North Pole are sent to people associated with a volunteer group.
- Norwegians present a giant Christmas tree to the people of London, known as Trafalgar Square, in gratitude for their help during World War II.
- Jingle Bells was originally a Thanksgiving song.
- Alabama is America’s Sweet Home of Christmas.
- Each year, it is traditional practice for the President of the United States to have a Christmas tree shining brightly in the window of the White House.
- Father Christmas has a total of nine reindeer who help him deliver presents to children all over the world.
- It was illegal to celebrate Christmas from 1647 until 1660.
- The first Christmas card was created in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole.
- Christmas comes from the old English phrase ‘Cristemasse.
- Christmastide festivities begin 12 days from Christmas Day.
- Celebrations begin in many European countries on December 24, the first day of Christmas.
- English writer and singer Sir James Paul McCartney, 74, earns half a million dollars a year from his Christmas songs. However, most critics consider this song his worst song.
- Since 1960, it has been customary to watch Donald Duck cartoons on Christmas Eve in countries like Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, etc.
- Christmas shopping accounts for one-sixth of all annual shopping in the United States.
- Santa Claus initially wore clothes that were green, purple, or blue. Coca-Cola decided to dress them in colors that matched their brand. So this is the reason why she is always in red clothes.
FAQs: History of Christmas
1. When was Christmas first celebrated?
The celebration of Christmas started in Rome in about 336, but it did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century
2. why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th?
The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus’ conception to March 25 which, after nine months in his mother’s womb, would result in a December 25 birth.
3. When was Jesus’s actual birthday?
The date of birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources but most biblical scholars assume a year of birth between 6 and 4 BC.
4. Who decided December 25 was Jesus’ birthday?
In the late 330s AD, Pope Julius 1 declared: “December 25th, Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea.”
5. Who started Christmas?
The origins of Christmas stem from both the pagan and Roman cultures.
6. Who created Santa Claus?
The first time, cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper’s Weekly in 1862.
7. Why is it called Santa Claus?
The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick’s Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas
8. Why do we put lights on the Christmas tree?
The custom returns to when Christmas trees were embellished with candles, which represented Christ being the illumination of the world.
9. How did Father Christmas start?
History specialists believe that St Nick Claus was previously dropped by Britain in 1864 when he highlighted close Father Christmas in a story by the American creator Susanna Warner.
10. What is the real truth about Santa Claus?
The genuine name of St Nick Claus was Saint Nicholas,, otherwise called Kris Kringle. The story traces all the way back to the third hundred years. Saint Nicholas was brought into the world in 280 A.D. in Patara, close to Myra in advanced Turkey.