Origin of Christmas: Birth of Jesus

Why do people think that Christmas is a wonderful and special day? In truth, many of you have never thought about it. Christmas is full of wonder, meaning and tradition. But where do all these things, practices and rituals that we know come from?

In this article, we are going to talk about the origin of the Christmas celebration that we celebrate today as the birth of Jesus. 👼

If you would like to know more about the story of the birth of Jesus, here are several articles that might interest you:

• Was Jesus born in Bethlehem?
• Who were the Three Wise Men?
• All about the Archangel Gabriel and the divine message
  
• Christmas prayers
• Prayers to the 3 Wise Men

1) Meaning of Christmas

A. Definition of Christmas

Christmas derives from the Latin verb “nasci”, which means “to be born” and is a popular holiday in December celebrated by a large number of people all over the world. The previous term “Yule” may come from the Germanic jōl or Anglo-Saxon geōl, which referred to the winter solstice festival (pagan festival). The English word Christmas is of fairly recent origin. The corresponding terms in other languages: Navidad in Spanish, Natale in Italian, Noël in French, probably all refer to the Nativity (birth of Jesus). The German word Weihnachten means “holy night”.

B. Reference to the Birth of Christ

Christmas, or the Mass of Christ, has long been known as the celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ. The celebration first began to be observed around the beginning of the third century, which dates back to the year 273 AD. Embracing Christmas takes us back to an ancient time when the Holy Spirit was born. The word used to describe the day Jesus was born became a hymn to celebrate that day. The story of Christmas is derived from the angels who brought the good news of the birth of the savior to the shepherds of Bethlehem. Although the angels were the first to sing in celebration of his birth, we can share in the joy of his coming by singing with him today. 🤗

C. Christmas Family Celebration

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the practice of giving gifts to family members became well established. Clearly, the day of the festival reminded Christians of the gift that God made by giving birth to the Holy Spirit. The practice of gift-giving, which dates back to the fifteenth century, contributed to the idea that Christmas was an age-old festival (which takes place every hundred years) and centered on family and friends. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The tradition of celebrating Christmas as a family holiday is beautifully illustrated by a number of English Christmas carols such as “Here We Come A-Wassailing” or “Deck the Halls”. It is also seen in the practice of sending Christmas cards, which began in England in the nineteenth century. Furthermore, in countries such as Austria, Germany and France, the link between the Christian festival and the family festival is made by identifying the baby Jesus as the giver of gifts to the family. Santa Claus would a priori have taken the place of the gift giver, but we will come back to that later. Christmas gave families a day when they could give their children attention and gifts without seeming to spoil them.

D. The Origin of Christmas Gifts

Most people consider Christmas to be a wonderful time that emphasizes giving, family togetherness, music, decorations, feasting, and caroling in the neighborhood. All of this is supposed to be centered on the worship of Christ. The gifts are a reminder of the gifts of the three Wise Men who offered gifts to the baby Jesus at his birth. On the other hand, in La Bibliotheca Sacra, it mentions that the exchange of gifts between friends is a characteristic of the Saturnalia, and must have been adopted from the Christian pagans. In Europe, when the evening of December 24th became the time for exchanging gifts, Christmas mass was set for the end of the afternoon. Mass can also take place late in the evening, so that when religious families return home, they can offer gifts to the children. 🎁

For children as for adults, everyone receives one or more gifts. The aim is to have a good time discovering what is hidden in all the wrapped gifts. For children, the most popular gifts are stuffed animals, clothes and fun games. And for adults, gifts include clothes, wall hangings for Christmas, jewelry for women, watches for men, etc.

E. The origin of Santa Claus

In some European countries, Saint Nicholas appears on his feast day, December 6th, bringing modest gifts: sweets and other gifts for children. He was the icon for ancient Christians as the gift giver. Over time, the role increasingly centered on Santa Claus as the source of gifts for family and children. 🎅 Although his name and attire are a version of traditional dress, Santa's role of questioning children about their behavior is considered a secular religious figure (unrelated to religion).

F. Christmas Celebration Around the World

In South and Central America, centuries-old religious traditions mark the celebration of Christmas. In Mexico, this celebration is very marked with children trying to break a piñata filled with toys and sweets. 🍭 Christmas is also a big day and a summer festival in Brazil. It includes picnics, fireworks and other festivities, as well as a solemn procession of priests to the church to celebrate midnight mass. Japan is a different story. In this predominantly Buddhist and Shinto country, the secular aspects of the festivities, such as Christmas trees, decorations and even Christmas carols, are far more prevalent than the religious aspects.

When traveling to other countries, it is highly likely that we will see different festivities for the celebration of Christmas.

2) Birth of Jesus

A. Date of Christmas: December 25 (Saturnalia)

The first reference to Christmas on December 25 dates back to the second century after the birth of Jesus. It is likely that the first Christmas celebrations took place in reaction to the Roman Saturnalia, a harvest festival that marked the winter solstice, the return of the sun and honored Saturn, the god of seeds. The Saturnalia were a turbulent period and strongly opposed by the most austere leaders of Christianity. Christmas developed, according to one scholar, as a means of replacing the worship of the sun with the worship of the Son. In the fifth century, the Western Church decreed that the feast of Christmas should forever be celebrated on the day of these festivals until the end of the Saturnalia. Because the birth of Christ was unknown, a date had to be set. In 529 AD, just after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic holiday in memory of the birth of Christ.

B. Date of Jesus' Birth

HYPOTHESIS 1: AUTONOMOUS

Many encyclopedias state that Christ was not born on December 25. The Catholic Encyclopedia directly confirms this. It is likely that Christ was born in the fall. A long technical explanation would prove it. Note Adam Clarke's Commentary: “The Jews had the custom of sending their sheep into the deserts about Passover (the beginning of spring) and of bringing them home at the beginning of the first rain” (volume 5, page 370). The first rains began in early and mid-autumn. And since these shepherds had not yet brought their flocks back to the manger, this would be the argument that October had not yet begun and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on December 25. Yes, because with the animals in the manger, the holy family would not have had enough space to settle in. 😕

Luke 2:8 explains that at the birth of Christ, “there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night”. Note that they “were staying” in the field. This never happened in December. Ezra 10:9-13 and the Song of Solomon 2:11 show that winter was the rainy season and that the shepherds could not spend the night in cold, open fields. 🥶❄️

HYPOTHESIS 2: DECEMBER 25

The precise origin of the attribution of December 25 as the date of birth of Jesus is not very clear. The New Testament gives no clue in this regard. A very explicit quote says that: In the Roman world, Saturnalia (December 17) was a time of celebration and gift-giving. December 25 was also considered the birthday of the Iranian mystery god Mithra, the Sun of Justice. On the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery and gifts were given to children and the poor. To these observations can be added the German and Celtic Yule rites when the Teutonic tribes penetrated Gaul, Great Britain and Central Europe. Food and good fellowship, Christmas logs and cakes, greenery and fir trees, gifts and good wishes have all commemorated different aspects of this festive period. Fires and lights symbolizing warmth and enduring life have always been associated with the winter festival, both pagan and Christian (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition, vol. II, p. 903).

In any case, we do not know the exact date of Jesus' birth. Whether it is December 25, the end of September, or any other day of the year, we should take every opportunity to reflect on the birth of Christ and his message of hope. To live with Jesus Christ close to you is the best experience a person can have. If you want to flourish with the Holy Spirit, you should try to decorate your religious house with this magnificent Painting of the Birth of Jesus. 😌

DECEMBER 26: AFTER CHRISTMAS DAY

Given the importance of Christmas as one of the main Christian holidays, most European countries consider December 26 a second Christmas holiday. This practice recalls the old Christian liturgical notion that the celebration of Christmas, as well as that of Easter and Pentecost, should last the whole week. However, the week of celebration was successively reduced to Christmas Day and then to a single public holiday on December 26th. Some people, in addition to the gifts already given on Christmas Eve, give extra gifts, especially gifts for children.

C. Christmas for Eastern Orthodox Christians

Today, in Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated on January 7, which is 13 days after December 25. They call this day Epiphany, meaning “appearance,” or the Day of the Three Kings. This is the day on which it is believed that the three wise men finally found Jesus in the manger. Eastern Orthodox churches also honor Christmas on December 25. However, for those who continue to use the Julian calendar for their liturgical observances, this date corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar.

D. 6 Ways to Celebrate Christmas with Jesus

• Give a gift to Jesus
• Like Christ, give to those who cannot give back to you
  
• Take a break to feel the darkness outside at night, then thank God for sending the light
• Read God's sacred scriptures to your family
• Start some traditions that point to Christ
• Enjoy this wonderful time of year

3) Story of the Birth of Jesus

A. Apparition of the Angel Gabriel

Almost 2,000 years ago, a young woman from the town of Nazareth named Mary received a visit from an angel named Gabriel. 🧚‍♂️ The angel Gabriel told the Jewish woman that she would have a son named Jesus and that he would be the Son of God. Being a virgin, Mary was frightened and troubled by the angel's words. At that time, Mary was engaged to her future husband Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. Mary had agreed to marry Joseph, but before they were united, she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The angel Gabriel visited Joseph and told him that Mary would be pregnant by the Lord and that she would have a son named Jesus who would save the people from their sins. Just before this encounter, Joseph had intended to divorce Mary discreetly when she told him the news. He knew that the child was not his, and Mary's apparent infidelity carried a serious social stigma. The angel then said to him as he dreamed: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18-21). Joseph then made the decision to stay with Mary to save the people from their sins. Joseph's noble character was one of the reasons God chose him to be the earthly father of the Messiah.

B. Mary and Joseph on the road to Bethlehem

Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem because of an order from the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus. He ordered that all the people in their hometowns carry out a census (registration). Joseph was of the line of David, and so he had to go to Bethlehem to register with Mary. Nazareth and Bethlehem are in the country now called Israel. It is about 105 km from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the journey probably took them several days. After this long journey, pregnant on a donkey, Mary and Joseph finally arrived in Bethlehem. There, they were told that there were no more places to sleep. Unfortunately, the inns were all full. Seeing that Mary was due to give birth at any moment, an innkeeper told Joseph that they could stay in his stable. Overjoyed, Mary and Joseph settled down on the hay to rest.

C. The Coming of the Holy Spirit

That night, Jesus was born. 👼 The manger contained fresh hay and made a good bed for the baby. Some shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem, keeping their flocks of sheep. And suddenly, an angel appeared to them and announced the good news, the Savior, the Messiah, was born. The angel told the shepherds that they could find him lying in a manger. A whole group of angels appeared, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and found Jesus in the manger, just as the angel had told them. After seeing Jesus, they spread the news, and all who heard them were amazed. When the shepherds left Mary, Mary quietly pondered their words. She had not been able to realize that she was sleeping next to the savior of the world.🤱

“The source of this great joy is the birth of the Savior. But Christmas also reveals the full meaning of every human birth with the birth of the Messiah. Each of them is considered the foundation and fulfillment of joy for every child born into the world.” 🤲 (John Paul II encyclical March 25, 1995).

D. The Three Wise Men (gift offerings)

A man named Herod was the king of Judea. He called the wise men to a meeting and told them to find the new king so that he could go and worship him too. After a while, the three wise men, also known as the Magi, saw the bright star in the sky that rested over the place where Jesus was born. The three wise men came from a country in the Far East to find Jesus. They then set off on their journey and, during the trip, Herod met them. He told them to come back and tell him where the little king was so that he could go and worship him too. But Herod was secretly plotting to kill the child. The wise men then continued to follow the star in search of the newborn king. They found Jesus with his mother Mary in Bethlehem. The Magi bowed down and worshiped him, offering treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh among the most beautiful things of the ancient world. When they left, they did not go back to Herod. They had been warned in a dream of his plot to murder the child.

E. Herod the Great

Jesus was born around 4 BC at the end of the reign of Herod, the king of Judea. King Herod had lied when he told the wise men that he wanted to worship Jesus. He feared that this new “king” would replace him as king of Judea. He did not understand that Jesus would grow up to become king of God's spiritual kingdom, not king of Judea. What Herod really wanted was to find Jesus and kill him! Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had not returned to tell him where to find Jesus. 😠 He sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to find the Lord. But God had told Joseph in his dream to flee to Egypt. Joseph then took Mary and Jesus to live in Egypt where they would be safe from Herod. Joseph, Mary and Jesus remained in Egypt until Herod's death, then they returned to Nazareth.

F. Basilica of the Nativity: Birth of Jesus

St. Helena and her son Constantine the Great built the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on the site where Jesus was born. The site was identified by Saint Justin Martyr in 155 AD in chapter 78 of his dialogue with Trypho. Construction began in 326 AD and the church was inaugurated in 339. The Church of the Nativity was restored in 530 by Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire. The church was redecorated with column paintings and mosaics during the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the twelfth century until 1169. Renovations have continued to this day to keep the sanctuary of this church intact. The latter is one of the oldest in the world.

4) Christmas decoration

A. The Christmas tree

The Christmas tree long predates Christianity. Indeed, the modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. But the Germans obtained it from the Romans, who obtained it from the Babylonians and Egyptians. Renaissance humanist Sebastian Brant recorded the custom of placing fir branches in houses in Das Narrenschiff (1494; The Ship of Fools). Although there is some uncertainty as to the precise date of the Christmas tree tradition, it seems that fir trees were first known in Strasbourg in 1605. 🌲 The first use of candles on these trees is recorded by a Duchess of Silesia in 1611.

B. The Holly Wreath

The origin of holly wreaths, Yule logs and mistletoe is mentioned in the Encyclopedia Americana. It is said that these relics come from pre-Christian times, in other words, paganism. Another author, Frederick Haskin, adds that the use of Christmas wreaths is linked to the pagan customs of decorating during the festival that took place at the same time as Christmas. There are dozens of different types of holly. Female hollies cannot have berries unless they are pollinated by a nearby male plant. It is easy to understand why the holly wreath became part of pagan rituals as a sign of friendship and fertility. 💑

C. The Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath made of fir branches with four candles indicating the four Sundays of the Advent season, is of even more recent origin. The custom began in the nineteenth century but had its roots in the sixteenth century, when it originally consisted of a fir wreath with 24 candles. These candles represented the 24 days before Christmas, starting on December 1st. But the inconvenience of having so many candles on the wreath reduced their number to four. 🕯️

D. The Christmas Mistletoe

Mistletoe was an ancient symbol from Roman times. Old enmities and broken friendships have been restored under the mistletoe. Christmas is incomplete for many unless it involves a kiss under the mistletoe. 💏 It was therefore originally used by loving couples as a commitment to their marriage. Mistletoe was also considered to have special healing powers for those who revealed themselves under it. Like the holly berry, mistletoe was seen as sacred to the sun god for the pagans.

E. Origin of the Christmas Calendar

A rather funny little story about the appearance of the calendar. The Christmas Calendar was created in the nineteenth century by a Munich housewife. She was tired of having to answer endlessly when Christmas would come to the people she met. 😅 The first commercial calendars began to be printed in Germany in 1851.

5) Christmas is also celebrated in your Christian shop!

If you have made it to the end of this article, it is because you must surely be passionate about the history of the Christmas celebration with the birth of Christ. And you know what? Our Christian Jewelry shop offers sacred items identical to the image of Jesus, of his birth accompanied by Mary and Saint Joseph.