How Did Christmas Start Being Celebrated
Even the actual date of christ s birth is in question because of reference to multiple calendars over the years.
How did christmas start being celebrated. This day december 25 336 is the first recorded celebration of christmas. Christmas or feast of the nativity is an annual festival commemorating the birth of jesus christ observed primarily on december 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Most christians today probably can t imagine christmas on any other day than december 25 but it wasn t always that way. 354 these words appear for a d.
Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of saturnalia a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between december 17 25. When was christmas first celebrated. We often assume christmas has been celebrated since the birth of christ. It is not even mentioned once.
However christmas as a festival or holiday did not start until some years after christ s birth and death. Christmas celebrations did not gain widespread prominence however until the middle ages or starting from around 400ad these celebrations began and occurred in the areas where christianity started. Christmas has also become a secular family holiday that is observed by christians and non christians is marked by the exchange of gifts and features the mythical figure of santa claus. Natus christus in betleem judeae december 25th christ born in bethlehem judea.
In an old list of roman bishops compiled in a. In fact for the first three centuries of christianity s existence. Look high and low throughout the pages of the bible and you will find not one word of christmas being celebrated by any of yehovah s people. Neither the messiah nor any of his apostles ever observed this holiday nor the new testament church.
A feast central to the christian liturgical year it is preceded by the season of advent or the nativity fast and initiates the season of christmastide which historically in the. How did christmas come to be celebrated on december 25. Christmas is literally the mass for christ the day on which christians celebrate the birth of jesus. The western date for jesus birth was chosen by pope leo i.
El papa san león i magno.