Why Is Christmas Celebrated on December 25?

1462 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Origin Of Christmas

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” This beloved carol echoes in the minds of most when the cool December weather brings the red and green décor to homes and shops. Why does everyone presume that Christmas falls in the month of December, much less December 25? Over the centuries, historians and scholars attempted to discover the true origin of this now widely recognized date. While it is impossible to truly pinpoint the exact reasoning, many theories and ideas, such as the History of Religions Theory (the most factual/believable in existence), the Calculation Theory, and others less commonly recognized, exist to explain the mystery of why Christmas is celebrated worldwide on December 25.
The Reformation of the sixteenth century forced Protestants to attack the historical origins of Christmas. Through this attack, two views of Christmas’ origins resulted. Proponents of the History of Religions Theory believe Christmas is a Christianized version of pagan celebrations, such as the birthday of Sol Invictus on December 25, which were acknowledged during the same date on the Roman calendar. Believers in the Calculation Theory argue that Christ’s birth is determined by chronological speculation (Nothaft).
The best description of the Calculation Theory is detailed in Thomas J. Talley’s 1986 monograph, Origins of the Liturgical Year (Nothaft). Like Louis Ducharne and Hieronymous Endberding before him, Talley builds on the fact that Chirstmas is centered around the day of Christ’s Passion, which date in the Julian Calendar had already been in place since the second and third centuries. Talley and proponents of this theory trust that Christ spent a perfect number of years in the flesh, because supposedly significant religious fi...

... middle of paper ...

... Search Of Christmas." U.S. News & World Report 121.25 (1996): 56. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Murray, Alexander. "Medieval Christmas." History Today 36.12 (1986): 31. Religion and Philosophy Collection. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Nothaft, Carl Philipp. "From Sukkot To Saturnalia: The Attack On Christmas In Sixteenth-Century Chronological Scholarship." Journal Of The History Of Ideas 72.4 (2011): 503-522. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Coffman, Elisha. “Why December 25?” Christianity Today/Christian History Magazine. 2000. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2000/dec08.html.
Mcgowan, Andrew. “How December 25 Became Christmas.” 7 December 2012. Bible History Daily. Biblical Archeology Society, 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/how-december-25-became-christmas/

Show More
Related

  • Murri Religion Source Analysis

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    The image enforces the meaning of Christmas being lost, and that the people need to be aware of this now sacrilegious, laic time. The source displays the change from sacred Australia, which was a time of religion, to a more secular period. The source presents the contemporary cultural values of Australians today, often disassociating themselves from holy, divine objects, places or people. Losing their sacred connectedness to God or their purpose with religion. Taking Christ out of the equation presents how Jesus has been neglected by those supposed Christians of the modern day, who have forgotten the sole meaning of Christmas and their religion. This image imposes a reinforced message through an image presenting secularism of contemporary Australian Christmas with the words “missing”, and “what Jesus has become”. The view of Source 3 displays that anything of great importance in the religious sense, including Jesus, in temporal culture which exists in Australia is lost.

    Read More

  • Religious Imagery in C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ary children stumbled across a land where christianity has been eradicated (symbolized by the removal of Christmas, Christmas being a christian holiday and a celebration of the birth of Christ) and with the help of a thinly-veiled religious figure they once again restored it to the land.

    Read More

  • Keep Christ in Christmas

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    Few people can confidently say why the United States celebrates Christmas on December 25. And I imagine even fewer people know why we give gifts, or why we pucker up when we find ourselves under some mistletoe. The answers to these questions are under a thick layer of rich human and mythological history. For me, the majority of these discoveries were absolutely shocking—Christ was never in Christmas.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Christmas in America and Spain

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    What about other countries though? Is the Christmas season all about giving and receiving gifts? Are children in Spain rewarded by Santa with gifts and toys on Christmas Eve? In this essay we will look at what Christmas season means in Spain, and what traditions are prevalent in their culture. We will also look at the Christmas related traditions of Americans, and how those compare and contrast to those in Spain.

    Read More

  • The Ghost of Christmas Present

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.

    Read More

  • Seculareligious Holidays: How Unbelievers Approach Holy Days

    2269 Words  | 5 Pages

    Of all religious holidays that have been adopted by secularists, one of the most popular would be Christmas, originally meant to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. With the exact date of Jesus' birth unknown during ancient times, Christmas was initially assigned to January 6th, but was changed to December 25th under the influence of the winter solstice (Nothaft 903). Peculiarly however, is the universal celebration of Christmas al...

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Santa Claus Through History

    2237 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although Santa has become the main staple of the Christmas season it is important to remember the true reason for the season. Jesus’ birth is what December 25 began as until Saint Nicholas day merged with it. Even though the character that has developed and encountered extremely drastic changes, he has almost always been a giving generous figure in society. “Santa is ‘an invention of the advertising industry’ and ‘a representative of consumer society,’ according to Bonifatiuswerk der deutschen Katholiken [Boniface of German Catholics], which seeks to restore St. Nicholas to his proper place in the Christmas season” (Sweas).

    Read More

  • Functions of festivals in Early Modern Europe

    2675 Words  | 6 Pages

    'What were the functions of popular festivals, etc. in Early Modern Europe? And why did the authorities, civil and ecclesiastical seek to control or suppress them?'

    Read More

  • A Christmas Carol

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    The well known holiday of Christmas today is far from what it was in it’s former being. Many aspects led to the change in Christmas, however Charles Dickens, a Victorian era author was arguably the most influential in the change. There was a time when christmas was not much more important than your average holiday. Without the work of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Regency Christmas would not have changed to be the way it is today. As we examine the Regency Christmas, the Christmas events in A Christmas Carol, new Christmas ideas, and today’s new christmas we will form the true Christmas.

    Read More

  • The Christmas Tree

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to William Muir Auld’s book Christmas Traditions, the Christmas tree found its way into the hearts and homes of Christian people with their thoughts and sentiment. Auld writes, “On the night in which Christ was born, all the trees in the forest, despite snow and ice, bloomed and bore fruit” (Auld 138). This story was first told by a geographer of the tenth century named Georg Jacob. This story was as highly believed as the birth of Christ. Christmas trees can be dated back through writing, specifically songs and are associated with the Church, specifically to post-Reformation times. The trees, which decorate homes worldwide, are linked to a spiritual tradition practiced by a variety of religious groups. (The Fir Tree, page 241 in

    Read More

  • We Must Keep Christ in Christmas

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    Christmas is a special time of year that deserves to be remembered for its true meaning. Every year, Christmas becomes more and more commercialized and society forgets the origin of Christmas. It was not started with cookies, toys, and a fat man that delivers them, but instead it started with a humble inn where our Savior was born. The definition of Christmas is “a holiday on December 25 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.” Nowhere in that definition does it say anything about the outrageous pressure society has set on consumers to buy, buy, buy during the Christmas season. Christmas is about presence not presents.

    Read More

  • Materialism and Commercialization of Christmas

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people in American society assume that the main purpose of Christmas is the supposed coming of Santa Claus. Their assumption however is far from the truth. The origins of Christmas, which literally means "Christ mass," actually lie in Christianity-not in the fat man with a stomach that jiggles like a bowl full of jelly. Centuries ago, Christians developed a tradition of celebrating Jesus Christ's birthday. Although Christians were unsure of the exact date of Christ's birth, they officially declared December 25th as the day they would celebrate it. The holiday began simply as a day in which families would spend quality time together, reflecting on Jesus' life, giving thanks to God for sending his "one and only son."

    Read More

  • Holidays and Our Consumer Culture: The History and Current Trends for Christmas Shopping

    2121 Words  | 5 Pages

    Holidays have always been known to affect our consumer culture for many years, but how it all began eludes many people and very few studies have been completed on it. Even though some say that the subject is too broad to precisely identify how holidays, especially Christmas, directly affect our market, I have found that people’s values, expectations and rituals related to holidays can cause an excessive amount of spending among our society. Most people are unaware that over the centuries holidays have become such a profitable time of year for industries that they now starting to promote gift ideas on an average of a month and a half ahead of actual holiday dates to meet consumer demands.

    Read More

  • History of christmas

    476 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although it was never celebrated in biblical times, Christmas is celebrated in local churches here in Visalia, California in praise of the fact that God loved us so much; he sent his one and only son to earth. He was wholey god and wholey man. Whereas we have succumbed to the temptations of this earth, Jesus was able to overcome all temptations and live a sinless life. He was then crucified as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. One cannot understand why we celebrate the birth of Christ without seeing the other end of his life. He was crucified for our sins and resurrected.

    Read More

  • Should Christianity Be Allowed To Convert To Christianity?

    250 Words  | 1 Pages

    Christianity started in Israel, and spread westward into Europe. If it hadn’t have spread westward, there is a good chance that the population of the world that is Christian today, would be much smaller. When the pope was trying to promote Christianity, he realized that in order to get more people's attention, he would have to adopt things from other religions. Such as specific practices, that persuaded some of the pagans to convert to christianity. One specific practice that he adopted was holidays such as easter and christmas. Of course the Pagans already celebrated these things, but for different reasons. In christianity, before the purpose of the holidays were extended into what they are now,, the only reason for the holidays was to celebrate

    Read More

More about Why Is Christmas Celebrated on December 25?

Open Document