I was going to begin by saying that I studied the history of Christmas, so you don’t have to do it. But then I realized that you came on this page to do exactly that.
So, let me try again. I studied the history of Christmas and decided to write a history of Christmas for you to learn what Christmas is about and why Christians celebrate Christmas. But that is not all!
In previous articles, I had the privilege of discussing whether or not certain groups of people celebrate Christmas as Christians do and why. What I did not bring up was how controversial the idea of Christmas is, even among Christians.
So in this article, A History of Christmas, we shall shed light on the origins of Christmas, discussing the question, What is Christmas about? And find out why Christians celebrate Christmas regardless of the histories around it.
An Introduction To A History Of Christmas
The celebration of Christmas is often linked with ancient festivals and holidays from the Roman Empire. One of such festivals is called Saturnalia.
Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday that began around 400 BCE (the exact date is unknown). It was a festival celebrated to honor a particular Roman god called Saturn, the god of agriculture and time. The holiday was observed on a specific day, December 17 in the Julian Calendar. But centuries later, it transitioned from a one-day event to a weeklong feasting and merriment, elapsing on December 23, around the period when the winter solstice fell.
So Saturnalia was met with nationwide involvement, including singing, dancing, eating, drinking, and sharing of gifts. During this period, it is said that slaves were released to experience the freedom that came with the season. However, schools, business centers, and workshops were closed in commemoration of the occasion; it was a grandeur. Lo Saturnalia, they said.
The festival was also colorful. I think green and gold were the colors of the day, and eating delicious meals with pork (the Roman’s special meat) was sine qua non. In addition, decoration of homes was another common practice. So you can begin to see how Saturnalia connects to Christmas and vice versa. One thing to remember is that Saturnalia predates Christmas.
Recommended Read: Do Indians Celebrate Christmas?
Now, let’s discuss a little bit about Solstice. What is the meaning of solstice? It is an astronomical event that occurs twice each year, marking the point when the Earth's tilt towards or away from the Sun is at its maximum. This results in the Sun reaching its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon.
We have the summer solstice and the winter solstice. During the summer solstice in a hemisphere, that hemisphere is tilted most directly towards the Sun, resulting in the longest day and shortest night. Conversely, during the winter solstice, that hemisphere is tilted furthest away from the Sun, leading to the shortest day and longest night.
The winter solstice is also called the December solstice, as it occurs between December 21st and 23rd, but in the ancient Roman calendar, it is said to have occurred on December 25. There we have what some would interpret as the death and rebirth of the sun. So they celebrated what is called Yuletide, which is the pagan festival of rebirth. And it was common among the European pagans in ancient times.
Yuletide was a 12-day celebration from around the end of a year into the new year, accompanied by ritual sacrifices, greetings, feasting, and storytelling by members of a community around a prepared fire. It is a festival observed today by modern pagans.
Like Saturnalia, Yuletide predated Christmas with its origin in Scandinavia as Jol in Norse, and the tradition of decorations (such as the Yule tree), drinking, dancing, and even singing of carols were profound among the Germanic. So you can think about The Twelve Days of Christmas.
However, while Yuletide was not Roman, there was a Roman observation of the solstice that referenced the Sun God. It was the celebration of The Unconquered Sun, Deus Sol Invictus.
Sol Invictus, an official religion in the ancient Roman empire, was first introduced by the emperor Elagabalus around the early 3rd century AD but was unsuccessful until Emperor Aurelian reintroduced it in the late 3rd century, dated 274 AD to be specific, as the official religion of the Roman State.
The religion, also called a cult, was associated with the gods, Ela Gabal, Sol, Helios, and Mithras, etc., and December 25 was set apart for dedication to the God of the Sun, or, say, the birthday of Sol Invictus. But with the conversion of a later Emperor Constantine the Great to Christianity came the switch of the official religion to Christianity, and other changes came into effect, including the introduction of Christmas in the 4th century.
Therefore, it is believed that Christmas became the replacement for Saturnalia in the 4th century. But what more is there to this new event? In what way did Christmas replace Saturnalia and possibly other pagan festivals in the ancient Roman Empire? Find out with me. Don’t go anywhere.
What Is Christmas About?
To understand what Christmas is all about, you should begin by asking, What is the meaning of Christmas? With that, we can look at the etymology of the word and review what people mean when they use the term, especially when they say Merry Christmas!
What Is The Meaning Of Christmas?
Many people think of Christmas as a time to show special love through meeting, greeting, and gifting, but that is like scratching the surface. Christmas is much more than that.
The word Christmas is a combination of two words, Christ and Mass. The word Christ comes from the Greek word Christos. It means the anointed one. It is the word Messiah in Hebrew. There is a profound idea that comes with the word, connecting with the Jesus of the Gospels and the Epistles of the Bible. That is, Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God who came to earth to die for the sins of the world. This idea is common to Christians.
On the other hand, the word Mass comes from the Latin word missa, used in sentences to dismiss a gathering of people or an assembly in the order of “ite, missa est”, from the Roman rites of the Catholic Church, the Eucharist. So, mass means a large amount of matter or gathering of people in this case.
As it appears, there were masses in Saturnalia, Yuletide, and other celebrations in ancient times pre-christianity, but this particular mass called Christmas was Christ’s Mass, or the Mass of Christ.
Therefore, Christmas is the large gathering of people around the world to celebrate Christ, the God of Christians, and his birth, to be precise. But what day is Christmas on? It is on December 25 of every year. But there arose a problem!
What day is Christmas on?
So far, we can see that Christmas, though likened to other pagan holidays and festivals, is about Christ Jesus. That is the Christian God being celebrated by the Christians as the pagan gods were celebrated by the pagan.
Were the Christians taking out the pagan gods and bringing in the Christian God into the celebrations of the day? Perhaps. But the problem of when Christ was born is a profound one!
In the Bible, where the stories about Jesus were recorded, there were no accounts indicating the day he was born, though the narrations of his birth were given in Matthew 1 and Luke 2. But why not? The reasons could be one of the following:
- The authors of the Gospels did not know the day when he was born.
- They did not think it was important information to include in their accounts.
- All or none of the above.
So how did the people at the time come up with a date for which Jesus was born?
In the 3rd century AD, a Christian historian accorded the father of Christian chronology, Sextus Julius Africanus, was believed to have suggested the conception of Jesus to be on March 25, in the Equinox season, which could be possible and probable with biblical postulations.
But somewhere in the 4th century, the bishop of Rome, Julius 1, officially declared December 25 for the holiday and celebration of the birth of Jesus, around 337–352 AD. But why? If you accept that Jesus was probably conceived on March 25, December 25 would be exactly 9 months from then. I leave that for you to consider.
Now, let’s address a few questions.
| Who invented Christmas? It seems obvious Christmas was invented around 336 AD, around the time of Emperor Constantine’s conversion, and was officiated by the bishop in Rome. So it is reasonable to say that the Christian Church in Rome invented Christmas as Christianity became the religion of the Empire. Why? A plausible reason was to change status quo and replace Saturnalia. |
What day is Christmas this year 2024? Christmas is on Wednesday, December 25, in the 4th week of the last month of the year 2024.
Why do Christians celebrate Christmas?
It is safe to say that Christians celebrate Christmas in memory of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The celebration of Christmas advanced with the growth of Christianity, dominating America and Europe, until the day when something strange happened.
On December 25, 1647, Christmas was banned. Yes, the feast of the Nativity of Christ (as it was called) was cancelled in the Kingdom of England, along with other festivals. How did it happen?
The Parliament in 1647 passed an ordinance that resulted in the cancellation of Christmas. Some reasons being that it was used to promote immoral behaviors like drunkenness and wastefulness and a sacrilege.
The other reason relates to the Puritans and the argument that the Bible did not support the idea. Therefore, it is believed that King Charles I agreed for the day to be a time of fasting instead of a holiday for celebration.
However, in 1660, King Charles II restored Christmas to its previous status as a holiday in the Kingdom of England. But that did not solve the problems that came with Christmas.
Christmas has since been a thing of debate and division in Christianity. I remember hearing people preach on the streets on how sinful it is to celebrate Christmas and why Christians should not celebrate Christmas. But that hasn’t changed much, as the joy and energy that come with the season remain a thing to reckon with, especially for those who are convinced that Christ is the reason for the season.
