Christmas Date: December 25
Christmas is a public holiday in many parts of the world.
Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated festivals all over the world. Though Christmas is known as a Christian festival, it is celebrated all over the world without much of the cultural, regional, and religious barriers. Some people attribute the popularity of Christmas to the widespread presence of Christianity all over the world. The day is in celebration of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
The celebrations associated with the day are wide spread. The day marks the beginning the season of Christmastide which lasts for up to twelve days. The festival starts from the 25th of December and ends on the 5th of January on the Georgian Calendar.
History of Christmas
The interesting yet confusing history of Christmas has caused scholars to come up with various theories on why the 25th of December was chosen as the day of Christmas. Though Christmas is celebrated as the birth of Christ or Jesus of Nazareth, the actual date of birth of Jesus is disputed.
It is said that the 25th of December was chosen so as to correspond with the Roman festival of “Dies Natalis Solis Invicti” which means ”the birthday of the unconquered sun”. In the eighteenth century, Isaac Newton also proposed that the 25th of December could also have been chosen to correspond with the winter solstice which was also marked on December 25. However, it’s also said that Christmas was calculated as nine months after Annunciation on March 25, the traditional date of the conception of Jesus of Nazareth.
The story of the birth of Jesus is as told in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph in the city of Bethlehem. It is said that the birth took place in a farm stable surrounded by animals. Shortly after his birth, Christ is said to have been visited by the magi or the Three Wise Men. They followed a star which shown in the east and reached the stable where Jesus was born. It is said that they presented Christ with gifts.
Christmas Traditions, Customs and Activities
The celebration of Christmas has never been complete without gifts. It is said that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole and he makes gifts for children and delivers them on Christmas night. This has been a very popular belief and many a story and children’s tales have been invented based on this character of Santa Claus.
Additionally, there are celebrations at churches and decorations are often strung including Christmas trees, mistletoe, lights, and holly.
What ever be the reason for celebration, the Christmas will remain etched in history for all reasons of joy and happiness.
Other interesting posts:
- Christmas Is Celebrated in Portugal
- Jewish People Around the World Celebrate Hanukkah
- Orthodox Christmas Celebrated by Orthodox Christians
- Many People in the United States Celebrate Kwanzaa
- Coptic Christmas Celebrated by Coptic Orthodox Christians
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