Christmas is an annual religious and cultural holiday observed on December 25th in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Generally, Christmas Day is considered one of the most important feasts in the Christian liturgical year, which is preceded by the Advent season that marks the start of Christmastide and lasts for 12 days in the west. In many countries across the world, although not all, Christmas Day is observed as a public holiday celebrated religiously by Christians and culturally by non-Christians.
The tradition of Christmas and the nativity of Jesus Christ originates from the Bible’s New Testament, which states that Jesus was born in Bethlehem based on the prophecies of the Messiah. The Narrative begins when Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus, travelled to Bethlehem for the census and couldn’t find a room. Hence, they were offered a stable where Jesus Christ was born. However, there was no mention of the month and date of Jesus’ birth. The date December 25th, which corresponds with the solstice in the Roman calendar, was decided upon by the church during the early fourth century. But for most Christians, the exact date of birth is of no significance because the belief that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for their sins is the primary purpose of celebrating Christmas. During the 3rd century, the date for this celebration was debated. Various factors went into play during the selection of the date on which Christ was allegedly born. Among the factors that contributed to December 25th being selected as the birth date of Jesus was that it was the date of the winter solstice in the Roman calendar, a date associated with the conception of Jesus, now referred to as the Annunciation and the date came nine months after the Vernal equinox which occurred in March.
The nativity stories narrated in the books of Mathew and Luke of the Bible prompted early writers to suggest various dates for Christmas celebrations. The first-ever Christmas celebrations were observed in Rome on December 25th, 336 AD. Historically, Romans observed the winter solstice on December 25th. However, following the Arian controversy, celebration for this holiday declined until AD 800. However, during this period, Christmas was associated with disorderly conduct and hence banned by the Puritans during the Reformation era. It was later legally restored in 1660 but remained disgraceful.
During the early 19th century, the holiday was re-established by the likes of Charles Dickens, Washington Irving, among other authors who emphasized family, gift-giving and Santa Claus. In early literature written by Christian writers such as Irenaeus and Tertullian, this holiday did not exist. However, Origen and Arnobius claim that in AD 336 there were 354 records that Christmas was celebrated in Rome. In the East, the Nativity of Jesus was observed together with the feast of Epiphany on January 6th. However, this holiday was more concerned with the baptism of Christ rather than His birth.
While the holiday has deep roots in the religious belief that Jesus was born during this time, there are other accounts that associate this holiday with non-Christian roots claiming that the holiday existed before the advent of Christianity. According to these beliefs, the date is a result of other pre-existing holidays that were observed during that time. For instance, Yule and Saturnalia were pagan festivals observed during the winter period in ancient Rome. Generally, the date for Yule was determined by the lunar cycles but usually fell between late December to early January. Additionally, numerous Yule traditions are similar to Christmas traditions. Some of these traditions include carol singing, burning large wooden logs on the fireplace, and so on. On the other hand, the winter solstice was observed on December 25th according to the Julian calendar. This date coincided with the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which was celebrated in honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture. It is only after the advent of Christianity in the Roman empire that the date of this holiday was debated. But in 350 AD, Pope Julius I, the then Bishop of Rome, declared December 25th as Christmas Day.
Christmas Day is observed on December 25th as a public holiday in most parts of the world. Countries that do not celebrate Christmas as a public holiday include:
| Afghanistan | Kuwait | Algeria |
| North Korea | China | Oman |
| Cambodia | Pakistan | Bahrain |
| Qatar | Bhutan | Vietnam |
| Azerbaijan | Yemen | Iran |
| United Arab Emirates | Israel | Saudi Arabia |
| Japan |
In some regions, this holiday is celebrated on varying dates due to the use of different calendars. For instance, members of the Orthodox Church in Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Serbia, and Jerusalem, observe this holiday according to the Julian calendar which falls on January 7th. Other Orthodox Christians, such as those in Greece, Bulgaria, Alexandria, Albania, Cyprus, Finland and Romania use the revised Julian calendar which corresponds with the Gregorian calendar. Hence, these Orthodox Christians observe Christmas on December 25th. On the other hand, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the birth of Jesus on the same day as His baptism which is referred to as Theophany on January 6th. In some cases, especially for the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, they observe Christmas (Theophany) on January 19th. Although Christmas traditions vary from one region to another due to cultural differences, common customs around this holiday include:
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