The date of 25th December became popular. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. 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. The date of Christmas is based on the date of Good Friday, the day Jesus died. None of the contemporary Christmas customs have their origin in theological or liturgical affirmations, and most are of fairly recent date. Even though there is some uncertainty about the precise date and origin of the tradition of the Christmas tree, it appears that fir trees decorated with apples were first known in Strasbourg in 1605. Jólakötturinn, or the Yule Cat is known as a giant, fearsome feline who stalks the snowy countryside on Christmas Eve and devours those who didn't receive new clothing to wear for the holiday. Christmas is celebrated by many Christians on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar. The first commercial calendars were printed in Germany in 1851. Professor Emeritus of History and Religion, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Annie Spratt on Unsplash. December 25, nine months later, then became the date of Jesus’ birth. The Encyclopedia Britannica, under “Celastrales,” exposes the origin of the holly wreath: “European pagans brought holly sprays into their homes, offering them to the fairy people of the forests as refuge from the harsh winter weather. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as the date of Jesus’ birth, Christian writers frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son. The Renaissance humanist Sebastian Brant recorded, in Das Narrenschiff (1494; The Ship of Fools), the custom of placing branches of fir trees in houses. 7. The actual observance of the day of Jesus’ birth was long in coming. Christmas largely remains a Christian holiday and is otherwise not widely observed. A special service of “lessons and carols” intertwines Christmas carols with Scripture readings narrating salvation history from the Fall in the Garden of Eden to the coming of Christ. Author of. Fantastic Christmas Recipes from our Ambassadors to make this festive season one to remember! In ancient Rome, December 25 was a celebration of the Unconquered Sun, marking the return of longer days. This day was adopted by the church as Christmas to counteract the effects of these festivals. Origin of Christmas. In South and Central America, unique religious and secular traditions mark the Christmas celebration. It followed Saturnalia, a festival where people feasted and exchanged gifts. In 17th- and 18th-century Europe the modest exchange of gifts took place in the early hours of the 25th when the family returned home from the Christmas mass. Given the importance of Christmas as one of the major Christian feast days, most European countries observe, under Christian influence, December 26 as a second Christmas holiday. One of the difficulties with this view is that it suggests a nonchalant willingness on the part of the Christian church to appropriate a pagan festival when the early church was so intent on distinguishing itself categorically from pagan beliefs and practices. For a long time the celebration of Jesus’ birth was observed in conjunction with his baptism, celebrated January 6. However, for those that continue to use the Julian calendar for their liturgical observances, this date corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar. Something else! It is an appropriation by early Christians of a day on which the birth of several pagan gods, Osiris, Jupiter, and Plutus, or the ancient deified leader Nimrod, was celebrated. Free shipping . U.S. National Christmas Tree, Washington, D.C. Know about Christmas, a Christian religious holiday, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (or “ ’Twas the Night Before Christmas”), Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Learn about the tradition of gift-giving during Christmas, Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. While both name and attire—a version of the traditional dress of bishop—of Santa Claus reveal his Christian roots, and his role of querying children about their past behaviour replicates that of St. Nicholas, he is seen as a secular figure. In this room, the Christmas tree is paired with a wreath, another decoration that has played a number of roles in ancient European winter holiday traditions. An analogous custom is the Advent calendar, which provides 24 openings, one to be opened each day beginning December 1. Benson and adopted at the University of Cambridge, has become widely popular. In Australia, where people attend open-air concerts of Christmas carols and have their Christmas dinner on the beach, Santa Claus wears red swimming trunks as well as a white beard. Wrapping gifts. Some scholars believe the word yule means “revolution” or “wheel,” symbolizing the cyclical return of the sun. Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time" or "Yule season") is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples.Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.. Later departing from its pagan roots, Yule underwent Christianised reformulation, resulting in the term Christmastide. The festival of Christmas takes place on 25th December, every year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Like other traditions associated with Yule (such as the Yule boar), the custom may ultimately derive from Germanic paganism. The churches of the Oriental Orthodox communion celebrate Christmas variously. Vintage Musical Santa Wreath w/Box "Jingle Bells" Holiday Decorations. $15.00 ... Vintage Christmas Caroler Noel Japan 10" Dickens Cloth Doll Yule #1. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. It is believed that the nativity was set on December 25th by a Roman bishop around the third century A.D. Christmas is from Christes Maesse, which means Christ Mass. The origin of Christmas differs as the precise date of the birth and historicity of Jesus are much debated. Christmas is a great summer festival in Brazil, including picnics, fireworks, and other festivities as well as a solemn procession of priests to the church to celebrate midnight mass. Christmas decorations lighting up Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Christmas, literally meaning the Mass of Christ, is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar. In Ethiopia, where Christianity has had a home ever since the 4th century, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebrates Christmas on January 7. Yule/Winter Solstice. Though the true origin of Christmas is filled with controversy and compromise, today, Christmas has turned out to be one of the most popular festival that fills joy, happiness and love in people's life. The morning of December 25, however, has become the time for the exchange of gifts in North America. In particular, during the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus. December 25th was the birthday of Mithra, the Iranian god of light. It is an appropriation of the Roman festival of the birth of Unconquered Sun, celebrated on the day after the winter solstice, or the Roman festival of Saturnalia. It is said that December 17-24th was the period of Saturnalia, a well-known festival in pagan, Rome. Christmas customs in these societies thus often echo Western traditions because the people were exposed to Christianity as a religion and cultural artifact of the West. Most of the churches of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East celebrate Christmas on December 25; at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, however, the Syriac Orthodox celebrate Christmas on January 6 with the Armenian Apostolic Church. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. It is taken as a day that reflects the power, glory and salvation of Jesus Christ and his message of hope to the world. In Jesus' case, they reasoned that he died on an anniversary of the Incarnation so the date of his birth would have been nine months after the date of Good Friday-either December 25 or January 6. $14.99 + shipping . More than one of these; ... Making a wreath. Christmas, Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus.The English term Christmas (“mass on Christ’s day”) is of fairly recent origin. This practice recalls the ancient Christian liturgical notion that the celebration of Christmas, as well as that of Easter and of Pentecost, should last the entire week. Lighting of the U.S. National Christmas Tree, Washington, D.C., 2008. Japan serves as illustration of a different sort. Christmas, Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. For example, in Armenia, the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion, the church uses its own calendar; the Armenian Apostolic Church honours January 6 as Christmas. In North America the pre-Christmas role of the Christian saint Nicholas was transformed, under the influence of the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (or “ ’Twas the Night Before Christmas”), into the increasingly central role of Santa Claus as the source of Christmas gifts for the family. Congregations of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria follow the date of December 25 on the Julian calendar, which corresponds to Khiak 29 on the ancient Coptic calendar. Moreover, in countries such as Austria and Germany, the connection between the Christian festival and the family holiday is made by identifying the Christ Child as the giver of gifts to the family. The first use of candles on such trees is recorded by a Silesian duchess in 1611. Corrections? Learn why Christmas is celebrated on December 25. For Eastern Orthodox churches that continue to use the Julian calendar for liturgical observances, this date corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar. Jewish Festival of Lights The service, inaugurated by E.W. Christmas is celebrated on December 25 in all Christian churches including Eastern Rite, Roman & Protestant. Christmas, literally meaning the Mass of Christ, is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar. When the evening of the 24th became the time for the exchange of gifts, the Christmas mass was set into the late afternoon of that day. The corresponding terms in other languages—Navidad in Spanish, Natale in Italian, Noël in French—all probably denote nativity. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. … With the spread of Christianity beyond Europe and North America, the celebration of Christmas was transferred to societies throughout the non-Western world. Yule Log - Yule logs were part of ancient winter solstice celebrations, but it was Americans who turned the wood burning into must-see TV. Gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve in most European countries and on Christmas morning in North America. It derives from the tradition that Jesus was born during the Jewish Festival of Lights that falls on 25th December. Rather than the Advent wreath, the Swedes have the Advent candelabrum. The weeklong observance, however, was successively reduced to Christmas day and a single additional holiday on December 26. Christmas was traditionally a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, but in the early 20th century, it also became a secular family holiday, observed by Christians and non-Christians alike. The custom, which began in the 19th century but had roots in the 16th, originally involved a fir wreath with 24 candles (the 24 days before Christmas, starting December 1), but the awkwardness of having so many candles on the wreath reduced the number to four. Lester Hine on Unsplash. Theologically, the feast day reminded Christians of God’s gift of Jesus to humankind even as the coming of the Wise Men, or Magi, to Bethlehem suggested that Christmas was somehow related to giving gifts. The secular holiday is often devoid of Christian elements, with the mythical figure Santa Claus playing the pivotal role. In this secular Christmas celebration, a mythical figure named Santa Claus plays the pivotal role. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Girls holding candles and singing in front of a Christmas tree in Seoul. The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a Christmas tradition in regions of Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, and subsequently the Americas.The origin of the folk custom is unclear. Updates? Date of Good Friday PRICE DROP!! The Yule Log was a symbol by which all the men in the family would carry a log large enough to burn for 12 days into the house. Numerous Church Fathers offered sarcastic comments about the pagan custom of celebrating birthdays when, in fact, saints and martyrs should be honoured on the days of their martyrdom—their true “birthdays,” from the church’s perspective. In North America the centrality of the morning of the 25th of December as the time for the family to open presents has led, with the exception of Catholic and some Lutheran and Episcopal churches, to the virtual end of holding church services on that day, a striking illustration of the way societal customs influence liturgical practices. Christmas is also celebrated as a secular holiday throughout the world, including countries with small Christian populations like India. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The early Christian community distinguished between the identification of the date of Jesus’ birth and the liturgical celebration of that event. The Advent wreath—made of fir branches, with four candles denoting the four Sundays of the Advent season—is of even more recent origin, especially in North America. A second view suggests that December 25 became the date of Jesus’ birth by a priori reasoning that identified the spring equinox as the date of the creation of the world and the fourth day of creation, when the light was created, as the day of Jesus’ conception (i.e., March 25). One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati (“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer.