The 16th century Christmas carol, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” says: “God rest, gentlemen, / Let nothing dismay / Remember, Christ, our Savior / Was born Christmas Day.” It is a lovely carol that can be easily recited in many households today. The holiday season is not always peaceful. Christ wasn’t likely to be born on 25 December 25. Not all Christians celebrate Christ’s birth on this day. Boston even banned Christmas for a while! It takes some explaining.
While many may believe there is a quick and easy explanation for the history Christmas, it’s not the truth. We are here to help you unpack (or unwrap! This is how the celebration began.
What is the origin of Christmas?
The most common “go-to” answer to this question is that the first Christmas was celebrated on Jesus Christ’s birthday.
It’s true that celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth at Christmas (note that the word combination “Christmas” and “Mass”) but this celebration didn’t begin until the fourth century. Before then, Easter was a main celebration for Christians.
Third-century Rome celebrated the winter solstice. It was the mid-December festival Saturnalia to honor the god Saturn. Also, December 25 marked the birth of Sol Invictus (the sun god), and its birthday. There are several theories as to why this date was chosen by Christians to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
One belief is that St. Hippolytus claimed that December 25 was the first day of Christianity when he commented on the book Daniel (written circa. 205 AD) and said that Jesus’ birthdate was December 25, (scholars disagree about this date). Today we celebrate the holiday season by using Christmas trees and yule logs. You might start the Christmas season by using Advent calendars and family baking day, singing carols and gifting presents. Although complex, many of the Christmas symbols and observances have a story behind them.
Pope Julius I selected December 25, “in order to adopt and absorb traditions of the pagan Saturnalia Festival.”
Why does January Christmas Day seem so special to some?
The original Christmas festival was and it was observed on January 7. The Julian calendar (also called the “Old Calendar”) was used from Julius Caesar’s time until Pope Gregory XIII’s reform when the Gregorian Calendar was adopted. Over a week of the year’s days were lost due to the change.
So, if you use the Julian calendar as Orthodox Christians do, it means that December 25 falls on a different date. December 25, 336 AD was the first Christmas celebration. It was chosen as it falls nine months after the Annunciation (which celebrates Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb on March 25) and also because of the Spring Equinox. It was/is significant to note the time period between Christmas Day and the spring equinox. Therefore, they didn’t celebrate Christmas Day earlier because so many other people adopted the new Dec. 25 Christmas celebration.
Orthodox Christians from Orthodox countries follow the Julian calendar. Most Western Christianity follows the Gregorian. They include people who come from Russia, Greece, Egypt and Israel. These Orthodox Christians observe the Nativity, Adoration of the Shepherds and Christmas Day on January 6. These Feast Days are about gathering with loved ones and going to church for extravagant meals.
What year was Christmas cancelled in America?
Puritan settlers arrived 1620 and considered Christmas too extravagant. They didn’t celebrate Christmas as they felt there was no biblical basis to do so. From 1659-1681, Christmas celebrations were prohibited in Boston!
When was Christmas made an official holiday?
Around two centuries later, in 1870, Christmas was recognized as a federal Holiday.
Christmas celebrations can extend well beyond December 25,
We’ll be looking at church history and the church calendar. But, it is important to remember that Christmas Day for many Christians is part of a twelve day celebration. You can see why Christmas is so busy. This is a lot of religious feasting. We’ve also added a lot more commercialization to the holiday. Christmastide, however, is a liturgical holiday that begins after Advent ends sometime in January. Some Christians believe that the season ends on January 6, or the Sunday closest, which is the Day of Epiphany. This celebrates the Wise Men who met Jesus. Some celebrate for 40 days, with the celebration ending February 2, also known as Candlemas (celebrating Jesus’ presentation in the temple).
What’s the deal with all the Christmas variations?
It’s complicated to look at the history of almost any subject. On a variety of feasts, early Christians celebrated the incarnation, which included the annunciation and resurrection of God. Along with others in their community, they also celebrated the changing seasons on days such as spring solstice or winter solstice.
The religious believers who came to America from Britain did not celebrate Christmas for a while. They wanted to be independent of Britain and to show respect to the Bible, so they didn’t celebrate Dec. 25. As a reminder, Christmas was not declared a federal holiday until 1870.
The history of Christmas may have changed, but one thing remains constant: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
