![]() It happens on December 21st or 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere. The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the shortest time between the sun rising and the sun setting. Saint Ephrem the Syrian (306 – 373) taught that Jesus was conceived on Nisan 10! So March 25th became a 'fixed' date to mark these 'moveable' dates on the Jewish calendar. However, much of the quotes/works of Sextus Julius Africanus come from later documents. The main source for the dating, of the conception of Jesus being on the 25th March, was an early church historian called Sextus Julius Africanus (c160 – c240) who's quoted as suggesting this in the year 221. The Jewish calendar is lunar (based on the moon, rather than fixed dates) and so it moves around compared with dates on 'fixed' calendars like the Gregorian (or earlier Julian) calendar. Jesus died on Nisan 14 in the Jewish calendar - the date of the Jewish festival of Passover. March 25th was also the day some early Christians thought the world had been made, and also the day that Jesus died on when he was an adult and they thought that Jesus was conceived and had died on the same day of the year. Nine months after the 25th March is the 25th December! However, there are many different traditions and theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th.Ī very early Christian tradition said that the day when Mary was told that she would have a very special baby, Jesus (called the Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated today on the 25th March. But it was not an official Roman state festival at this time. The first 'official' recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December? The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when it should be celebrated! Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 1 but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2 BCE/BC and 7 BCE/BC, possibly in 4 BCE/BC (there isn't a 0 - the years go from 1 BC/BCE to 1!). People, and especially children, also like Christmas as it's a time when you give and receive presents! The Date of Christmas ![]() It's a time when family and friends come together and remember the good things they have. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.Ĭhristmas is now celebrated by people around the world, whether they are Christians or not. A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died and then came back to life. The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). The History of Christmas - Why do we Celebrate Christmas and why is Christmas on the 25th December?Ĭhristmas is celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. ![]()
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