Christmas is a major holiday that is celebrated worldwide, especially in the Western world,
every 25th of December.
Although it was originally conceived as a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ,
it has since evolved to include many secular elements.
So how did Christmas come to be?
Christmas became a festival held on December 25th by the 4th century,
but it took a while until that date was actually determined.
Up to 3rd century, the true birthday of Jesus was still a matter of heavy debate.
Theologian Clement of Alexandria wrote around the year 200
the various dates attributed to Jesus’ birth by his contemporaries.
These dates included March 21, April 15/20/21, or May 20.
By the 4th century, though, it became a consensus
that December 25th was the date of Jesus’ birth.
Three main factors contributed to this dating.
First of all, December 25th was the winter solstice according to the Roman calendar.
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year.
After it passes, days start to get longer again.
Therefore, it was thought to be symbolic if
Jesus was born in darkness but brought light with his birth.
Secondly, the calculation hypothesis.
Early Christians celebrated Jesus’ life, especially his passion, on Passover.
In Latin speaking areas, this was March 25.
It was Jewish belief that great men only lived whole years.
So if Christ’s passion took place on March 25,
his conception must have been on March 25 as well.
If his conception was on March 25, his birth
would have been nine months later, or December 25.
Finally, Christmas may have been set on the same day as the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti,
a Roman holiday honoring the sun god Sol Invictus.
However, this pagan holiday was only established by Emperor Aurelian in 274.
Thus it has been argued that Christmas actually predates the Roman holiday.
In the year 336, the first recorded celebration of Christmas
occurred in the Roman Empire.
At this time, Christmas had become a festival with a feast
honoring the birth and life of Jesus Christ.
In Eastern Christianity, Christ’s birth was celebrated on January 6
with a day known as Epiphany.
This was because in the eastern Macedonian Calendar,
Passover was April 6 rather than March 25.
In the Early Middle Ages, Christmas was overshadowed by Epiphany.
Christmas rose to higher significance, however,
when Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas, year 800.
Christmas was also absorbing many similar pagan holidays.
For example, Yule, which is now just another word for Christmas,
was once a separate Germanic winter festival.
The traditions of the Twelve Days of Christmas came from the Roman holiday of Saturnalia
in the 12th century.
Wreaths may also have come from Saturnalia traditions.
Christmas during the Middle Ages was a public festival with
Yule boars, evergreen symbols and drinking.
Gift-giving also became a tradition at this time.
Eating, dancing, singing and other forms of entertainment
became an important part of Christmas celebration.
The Christmas carol is a good example.
It originated from Latin Christian hymns written by monasteries from the 9th to 12th centuries.
Carols in other languages emerged during the 13th century,
and they were introduced to England by the mid-15th.
Christmas continued to be widely popular even after the Reformation,
although radical Calvinists strongly condemned it.
Christmas gained much of its cultural standing during the 19th century.
With the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol,
Christmas was redefined as a holiday of family, goodwill, and compassion.
Christmas trees, originally a Lutheran German tradition dating back to the 16th century,
was introduced to England in the 1800s.
Christmas trees, made of evergreens to symbolize eternal life,
were accompanied by ornaments and other decorations.
With the published image of the British royal family’s Christmas decorations,
the custom spread quickly throughout Britain.
Christmas trees became popular in America by the 1870s.
However, such luxuries were still mostly reserved for the upper classes.
Christmas was rapidly commercialized towards the end of the 19th century.
Gift exchanging, Christmas cards and Christmas shopping were rising traditions that quickly
made Christmas a day of great economic importance.
Today, Americans spend more money on Christmas than on any other holiday.
During the latter half of the 20th century,
Christmas became celebrated by all, not just the well-off.
Through that century, Christmas also spread outside of the West, becoming a global holiday.
So that is the history of Christmas — wait, I’m missing something, aren’t I?
Of course!
SANTA CLAUS!
The original Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, a Greek saint from the 4th century.
He cared for children and secretly gave them gifts.
Saint Nicholas’ feast day was in December, so he became associated with Christmas.
The concept of Sinterklaas as a gift-giver, originating from the Dutch,
spread to the rest of Europe after the 13th century.
There was also Father Christmas, who was the English personification of Christmas.
Father Christmas, who emerged in 16th century England,
was a large, cheerful man in red or green robes.
Saint Nicholas and Father Christmas were combined to create Santa Claus in 19th century America.
After the Revolutionary War, some New Yorkers
sought to emphasize their Dutch origins as New Amsterdam.
Thus Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, was rediscovered.
The Americanized Santa Claus first appeared on church robes in 1810,
but cartoonist Thomas Nast reinvented him as a more secular figure.
Nast’s version of Santa, first published in 1863, became immortalized.
The story about the North Pole and reindeer is also from this time period.
Although Santa Claus was created as a backlash against English influence,
he was very similar to England’s Father Christmas.
By the 1880s, Santa had evolved into his modern version,
and the two figures became more or less synonymous.
Santa Claus became well-known after he appeared in Coca-Cola’s ads in the 1930s.
The myth that Santa Claus was invented by Coca-Cola is not true;
although he does owe much of his popularity to the company.
Throughout the 20th century, Santa Claus became
a symbol of philanthropy giving presents to children.
So there you have it!
This is the story of Christmas’ evolution, starting as a simple celebration of Christ’s birth
with added secular traditions along the way.
Not only is it important for Christians,
it is also a fun day of family and joy for even some secular people, such as… myself.
Well, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.
Thanks for watching.