Christmas, one of the most special and magical festivities of the year, is celebrated in different parts of the world every 25 December. It is the date that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, making it an emotional religious holiday for practising Christians. Nowadays, its importance has shifted more towards festivities, family gatherings and being a time of great consumption and gift-giving.

Despite all this, Christmas is still one of the most historic and traditional festivals. Knowing its origins will help you to find out how it came about, the historical factors that surround it and why it is so special for the vast majority of the population.

What is Christmas and its origin

Christmas is a Christian holiday that commemorates the birth of the Christ child in Bethlehem. It is celebrated on 25 December in the Catholic Church, some Protestant communities, the Anglican Church and most Orthodox churches.

The term Christmas comes from the Latin nativĭtas, nativātis, meaning birth. It is used to refer to the day of Jesus' birth and is also used to designate the whole period after that until it reaches Epiphany.

Origin of Christmas

Both the origin and the meaning of Christmas are different depending on the festivity in each place. The 25th of December is a very significant date since ancient times, as it was celebrated during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, i.e. from the 21st of December.

However, the adoption of 25 December took place several centuries later, starting with the testimony of Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 about the date of birth in Judea, as well as the Philocalian liturgical calendar of the year 354 after the birth of Christ.

Although reference is often made to the religious and Christian origin of Christmas through the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, it is also necessary to speak of the pagan origin of the holiday. Even after the birth of the Christ child, Christmas continued to be celebrated around the Roman figure of Saturn.

Thus, the Romans celebrated the festival known as Saturnalia, a festival honouring the god Saturn and representing the winter solstice. It used to be a festival of excesses and a reversal of the established social order: excesses were not punished, courts of justice were closed and small gifts were exchanged, reminiscent of today's Christmas presents.

Why Christmas is celebrated

Christmas is celebrated to commemorate the birth in Bethlehem of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the day established by the leaders of the Christian Church who were inspired by the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, but no sacred text explicitly mentions 25 December as the exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ.

There are different reasons why Christmas is celebrated on 25 December:

In ancient times, the annual birth of the Sun as a god at the winter solstice was celebrated on this date. The Catholic Church adapted in the 3rd century AD to celebrate Christmas on 25 December in order to allow for a conversion of pagan peoples.

In the Roman Empire, during the week of the winter solstice, the Saturn celebrations took place. This was the main social event and on 25 December it reached its peak. In order to get the Romans to convert to Christianity without having to abandon these festivities, in 350 Pope Julius I requested that the birth of Christ be celebrated on the same date. Pope Liberius finally decreed in 354 that the birth of Jesus should be celebrated on that day.

In 386, John Chrysostom urged the congregation in Antioch to combine the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ with 25 December, although this day had already been reserved for this celebration for at least 10 years.

On this day, families get together for lunch and dinner. The food varies depending on the country or place, but it usually consists of baked turkey, soup, cod, leg, stuffing, loin and apple salad, among other things.

In addition, gifts are often exchanged during these family gatherings. Houses are decorated with lights and spheres, the classic Christmas tree is put up and carols are sung.

In short, any activity or celebration that you carry out with your loved ones will be rewarding to celebrate Christmas in the best possible way.