The reason why we celebrate Christmas on December 25th is probably known to all of us - that's when we remember the birth of Jesus. But you probably didn't know that this date doesn't really have much to do with Jesus' coming into the world. Are you ready to learn a completely different truth about this most joyous holiday of the year?
Most Christians today probably can't imagine Christmas on any other day than December 25, but it wasn't always like that. In fact, it does in the first three centuries of the existence of Christianity, the birth of Jesus Christ was not celebrated at all. The most important holidays at that time were January 6, namely the Revelation, which celebrated the arrival of the three kings at the birth of Jesus, and Easter, when they celebrated Jesus' resurrection. The first official mention of December 25 as a day celebrating the birth of Jesus appears in the early Roman calendar, namely in the year 336.
Was Jesus really born on December 25th?
Historians point out that probably not. The Bible also does not give an exact date, however, the birth story has some contradictions. For example, the presence of shepherds and their sheep is said to indicate that Jesus should in principle be born in the spring. Therefore, when church officials at the end of the 3rd century designated December 25 as the feast of Jesus' birth, they probably wanted the date to fit in with existing pagan festivals in honor of Saturn (the Roman god of agriculture) and Mithras (the Persian god of light). This made it easier to convince Roman pagans to accept Christianity as the official religion of the empire.
The celebration of Christmas spread throughout the world in the following years, and many Christians have Easter still for a major holiday.
