Christmas is celebrated to remember the
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the word Christmas originates from the phrase “Cristes Maesse”, first recorded in 1038, which means the Mass of Christ or Christ's Mass.
Though December 25 is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the date itself and several of the customs we've come to associate with Christmas actually evolved from pagan traditions celebrating the winter solstice. "Christmas is really about bringing out your inner pagan," historian Kenneth C.
Before Christmas, there was Yule. This is a very old word, with roots in Proto-Germanic, a language that developed in Europe between 500 B.C. and 200 A.D. Yule first referred to a pagan festival that commemorated the solstice, seen as the victory of light over darkness.
Under Emperor Constantine, the Church in Rome began celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 in 336. Some say the date was chosen to outshine the Sol Invictus and pagan celebrations.
The date of birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources, but most biblical scholars generally accept a date of birth between 6 BC and 4 BC, the year in which King Herod died.
Thus, Jesus was believed to have been conceived and crucified on the same day of the year. Exactly nine months later, Jesus was born, on December 25. This idea appears in an anonymous Christian treatise titled On Solstices and Equinoxes, which appears to come from fourth-century North Africa.
The presence of hymns for the feast in the Georgian Iadgari demonstrates that it was celebrated in Jerusalem by the 6th century at the latest. The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome on December 25, AD 336. In the 3rd century, the date of the nativity was the subject of great interest.
The church in Rome began celebrating Christmas on December 25 in the 4th century during the reign of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, possibly to weaken pagan traditions.
Years later I learned that Christmas actually predated Christianity by about 2,000 years. Many ancient nations created their own midwinter festivals and celebrations—which later morphed into Christmas—to honor the sun and other gods around the time of the winter solstice.
But at the end of the third or the beginning of the fourth century the Western Church, which had never recognised the sixth of January as the day of the Nativity, adopted the twenty-fifth of December as the true date, and in time its decision was accepted also by the Eastern Church.
It's even darker in some countries, with scary monsters popping up during the holidays to cause chaos and punishing anyone who has been naughty. It's mostly stories to encourage little children to be good so as to receive their presents.
How did Christianity originate and spread? Christianity began in Judea in the present-day Middle East. Jews there told prophecies about a Messiah who would remove the Romans and restore the kingdom of David. What we know about Jesus's life and his birth around 6 B.C.E., comes from the four Gospels.
I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Christmas is the time to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate Christmas because the birth of Christ is a crucial part of the Gospel, which Todd Friel of Wretched Radio summarizes as "the good news of Jesus Christ, the God-man who died for sinners that we might be saved."
It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century.
According to historical records the first Christmas in Australia was celebrated in December of 1788, almost one full year after their arrival at Sydney Cove. Reverend Johnson conducted services for Governor Arthur Phillips and his officers before they enjoyed Christmas supper.
History. The first Christmas celebrations in Australia have their roots in late 1788 and were introduced by convicts of the First Fleet, who arrived in Sydney Harbour early the same year.
Philippines: The longest Christmas celebrations in the world. The Philippines is said to celebrate Christmas for the longest duration in the world, a result of the country's history, religion and proclivity to party.
The celebrations of Christmas in the Philippines have deep influences of Catholicism, tracing their roots back to Spanish colonial rule from 1521 to 1898. Currently, the Philippines holds the longest running festivity of the Christmas season in the world, which begins on September 1.
North Pole, Alaska, USA
One of the most Christmassy destinations in the world, year-round you'll find dazzling decorations, twinkling lights and other tributes to Old Saint Nicholas.
Elder James E. Talmage, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, published a book in 1915 titled "Jesus the Christ," in which he wrote, "We believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, April 6, B.C. 1."
Jesus died, therefore, on Friday, April 3, AD 33 at about 3 p.m., a few hours before the beginning of Passover day and the Sabbath. This is the date in the Julian calendar, which had been introduced in 45 BC, and follows the convention that historical dates adhere to the calendar in use at the time.
Jesus Christ stated in John 3:11 that we should speak what we know and what we can testify. By God's grace, we have been able to prove both from the Bible and history that Jesus Christ was born in the month of October and not December, as is being claimed by many Christians.