Christmas began as a Christian celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus, but it evolved into a secular family holiday celebrated by Christians and non-Christians equally in the early twentieth century. The mythological figure Santa Claus plays a significant part in the secular celebration, which is generally devoid of Christian aspects.
On the Gregorian calendar, Christmas is observed by many Christians on December 25. This day corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar among Eastern Orthodox churches that continue to utilize the Julian calendar for liturgical observances. In most European nations, gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve, but in North America, gifts are exchanged on Christmas Day.
When did Christmas get started?
Christmas as a holiday is said to have started in the fourth century. But first, let’s take a step back. Winter has always been a season of celebration, according to History, even before the coming of Jesus. As per History, “many peoples rejoiced around the winter solstice when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.” The Germans revered the deity Oden, while the Norse celebrate Yule. Saturnalia was held on December 25 to commemorate Saturn, the god of agriculture, while Juvenalia was held on December 25 to honor Mithra, the child deity (this was the most sacred holiday for some Romans at the time).
However, when Christianity originally began, Jesus’ birth was not commemorated; instead, Easter was the most important event. Although the Bible does not give a definite birth date for Jesus, it was widely assumed that he was born on January 6, not December 25. The Juvenalia holiday was still in effect on that date.
THE FOURTH CENTURY – THE SEVENTH CENTURY
The Feast of the Epiphany was celebrated on January 6th in early Christianity, honoring the arrival of the wise men in Bethlehem and their discovery of Jesus in the manger. The date of December 25 was picked to improve the possibility that Christians across the world would prefer the celebration to pagan rituals. By 432, Christmas had spread to Egypt, and by the Middle Ages, it had supplanted pagan celebrations all around the world.
THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY – NOW
Religious changes were gaining traction during the 17th century, and they had an influence on how people observed Christmas. Christmas was abolished by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans, and it was not reinstated until Charles II ascended to the throne. Christmas was forbidden in Boston from 1659 to 1681 because the Pilgrims did not bring it with them when they arrived in 1620. Because Americans refused to accept anything British after the American Revolution, Christmas was not declared a federal holiday in the United States until June 26, 1870.
Americans would go on to embrace and update the Christmas traditions brought to the country by immigrants, such as the Dutch families who celebrated the now-famous Saint Nicholas, and welcome new customs from abroad, such as the Christmas tree, transforming the holiday into what we know and love today.
WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL CITIES