SafekipediaChristmas
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Christmas is an annual festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is observed mostly on December 25 by billions of people around the world. This special day is both a religious and cultural event for many, and it is a public holiday in many countries.
The story behind Christmas comes from the New Testament and tells of the Nativity of Jesus. According to this story, Jesus was born in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph. When they could not find a place to stay, they were welcomed by a stable where Jesus, known as the Christ Child, was born. Angels then told shepherds about this wonderful event.
Many traditions make Christmas special, including gift-giving, Christmas music and carolling, Christmas trees, and Christmas lights. Figures like Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas are also part of the celebration, bringing joy and presents to children. Christmas has become a time for families to come together and enjoy special meals, decorations, and many joyful activities.
Etymology
See also: Christ (title)
The word Christmas comes from "Christ's Mass," referring to the celebration of Jesus' birth. It has been written in many ways over time, like Crīstesmæsse in old English. A shorter form is Xmas, which uses the first letter X (from the Greek word for Christ) to stand for Christmas.
People have used many names for this holiday. In old England, it was called midwinter or Yule. In French, it is called Noel, meaning "birth." In Slavic countries, it is known as Koleda. In China, it was once called "Foreign Winter Solstice" but is now usually called the "Festival of the birth of the Holy One."
Nativity
Main article: Nativity of Jesus
The stories of Jesus' birth are told in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. Both say that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea to the Virgin Mary. In Luke's story, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for a census, and Jesus is born and placed in a manger. Angels tell people that he is a savior, and three shepherds visit him. In Matthew's story, three magi follow a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus.
History
The history of Christmas goes back many centuries. In the early years, Christians celebrated Jesus’s birth but did not agree on a specific date. By the fourth century, December 25 was widely accepted as the date for Christmas, influenced by the Roman winter solstice and a festival called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti.
During the Middle Ages, Christmas became a major festival with feasts, caroling, and gift-giving. Over time, it evolved through different cultures and periods. In the 19th century, authors like Charles Dickens helped shape the modern view of Christmas as a time for family, generosity, and joy. Today, Christmas is celebrated worldwide in many different ways, blending religious and cultural traditions.
Main article: History of Christmas
Observance and traditions
Christmas Day is a major celebration and public holiday in many countries around the world, including places where most people are not Christian. In some areas, the holiday was introduced during times of former colonial rule, while in others, it was adopted due to small Christian communities or cultural influences. For example, Japan celebrates Christmas with gift-giving, decorations, and Christmas trees, even though few people there are Christian. Similarly, in Turkey, which has a small Christian population, Christmas trees and decorations are common during the holiday season.
Many Christmas traditions developed from older, pre-Christian festivals. Some believe these customs were later adapted by Christians, while others think they grew naturally within Christian communities. Over time, Christmas has evolved from a lively, festive time in the Middle Ages to a more family-centered and child-friendly celebration that became popular in the 19th century. Some groups, like the Puritans and Jehovah’s Witnesses, did not celebrate Christmas because they felt it was not based enough on the Bible. Traditional symbols like mistletoe and ivy, which come from Celtic winter herbs, are still part of Christmas today.
Choice of date
Main article: Date of the birth of Jesus § Day of birth
There are several ideas about why Christmas is celebrated on December 25. Many believe it is connected to the winter solstice, when the day with the least sunlight occurs. In ancient Roman times, December 25 was considered the birth of the Sun, and early Christians used sun imagery to describe Jesus. Another idea is that Christmas was set on this date to match a popular Roman festival.
Some Christian groups use a different calendar called the Julian calendar, which makes their Christmas fall on January 7. However, many Orthodox Christians now use the same calendar as most of the world, celebrating on December 25. The Armenian Church celebrates Christmas and Jesus’ baptism together on January 6. Recently, Ukraine changed its Christmas date to December 25 for cultural reasons.
| Church or section | Calendar | Date | Gregorian date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem | Julian calendar | January 6 | January 19 | Correspondence between Julian January 6 and Gregorian January 19 holds until 2100; in the following century the difference will be one day more. |
| Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Evangelical Church | Gregorian calendar | January 6 | January 6 | |
| Eastern Orthodox Church jurisdictions, including those of Constantinople, Bulgaria, Ukraine (state holiday, Orthodox and Greek Catholic), Greece, Romania, Moldova (Metropolis of Bessarabia), Antioch, Alexandria, Albania, Cyprus, Finland, the Orthodox Church in America. | Revised Julian calendar | December 25 | December 25 | Revised Julian calendar was agreed at the 1923 Council of Constantinople. Although it follows the Julian calendar, the Ancient Church of the East decided on 2010 to celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar date. |
| Other Eastern Orthodox: Russia, Georgia, Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), North Macedonia, Belarus, Moldova (Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova), Montenegro, Serbia and Jerusalem. Also, some Byzantine Rite Catholics and Byzantine Rite Lutherans. | Julian calendar | December 25 | January 7 | Correspondence between Julian December 25 and Gregorian January 7 of the following year holds until 2100; from 2101 to 2199 the difference will be one day more. |
| Coptic Orthodox Church | Coptic calendar | Koiak 29 or 28 (December 25) | January 7 | After the Coptic insertion of a leap day in what for the Julian calendar is August (September in Gregorian), Christmas is celebrated on Koiak 28 in order to maintain the exact interval of nine 30-day months and 5 days of the child's gestation. |
| Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (sole date), Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church (sole date), and P'ent'ay (Ethiopian-Eritrean Evangelical) Churches (primary date) | Ethiopian calendar | Tahsas 29 or 28 (December 25) | January 7 | Further information: Ethiopian Christmas After the Ethiopian and Eritrean insertion of a leap day in what for the Julian calendar is August (September in Gregorian), Christmas (also called Liddet or Gena, also Ledet or Genna) is celebrated on Tahsas 28 in order to maintain the exact interval of nine 30-day months and 5 days of the child's gestation.Most Protestants (P'ent'ay/Evangelicals) in the diaspora have the option of choosing the Ethiopian calendar (Tahsas 29/January 7) or the Gregorian calendar (December 25) for religious holidays, with this option being used when the corresponding eastern celebration is not a public holiday in the western world (with most diaspora Protestants celebrating both days). |
| Most Western Christian churches, most Eastern Catholic churches and civil calendars; also the Assyrian Church of the East. | Gregorian calendar | December 25 | December 25 | The Assyrian Church of the East adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1964. |
Economy
Main article: Economics of Christmas
Christmas is a busy time for shops and businesses in many countries. People buy gifts, decorations, and other items to celebrate, which makes this season very important for retailers. In the United States, the shopping season starts as early as October, while in Canada, it begins before Halloween and picks up after Remembrance Day. In the UK and Ireland, shopping for Christmas usually starts in mid-November when Christmas lights are turned on.
Many industries rely on Christmas sales. For example, about 1.9 billion Christmas cards are sent each year in the United States, and millions of live Christmas trees are cut for the holiday. In England and Wales, large shops are not allowed to open on Christmas Day, and similar rules exist in Scotland. During this time, movie studios often release popular films, hoping to attract many viewers and possibly win awards.
Prohibition
Christmas has sometimes been controversial and even banned in different places. In the past, groups like the Puritans in England and Colonial New England did not celebrate Christmas because they believed it wasn’t mentioned in the Bible. Some other Christian groups, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, also choose not to celebrate Christmas for similar reasons.
In some countries where Christianity isn’t the main religion, Christmas has been restricted. For example, in certain Muslim-majority countries, leaders have sometimes stopped public Christmas events. However, in Iraq, Christmas is now an official holiday for everyone, not just Christians. Sometimes, events like wars can also affect Christmas celebrations, as happened in Bethlehem in 2023.
Images
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