Putting “Christ” in Christmas

Snow falling, tree lit, and cookies and milk out. Beyond the common notions of Christmas, what is it really? Christmas, recognizable throughout all the world, is the annual celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ based in the Christian religion. First observed around the time of the 3rd Century CE, the celebration of Christmas today most commonly involves the exchange of presents between family, friends, co workers, etc. Furthermore, Christmas has also become a social movement, encompassing a diverse group of observers that includes many who are not practicing Christians.

The first known observations of the holiday were around the 3rd Century CE. However, prior to this date , many people celebrated various occasions during this period. For example, many Europeans celebrated the end of winter solstice (the astrological period in which the sun’s path in the sky is farthest south in the Northern Hemisphere) which occurs each year roughly near December 25th. The selection of the date on which Christmas would be held each year was also impacted by the Winter Solstice. The Romans celebrated the returning of the sun (end of winter Solstice) on the 25th of December and thus it was decided that Christmas too would be celebrated on that day. However, there are several other theories as to why Christmas was to be celebrated in December. One I found quite intriguing was that the date was selected by the church to cast a shadow over other religious celebrations occurring during the winter. This idea formed because the Bible never specifically provides a date for the birth of Jesus, though historians believe the actual birthdate to be in the spring rather than the winter.

Interestingly, Christmas was not observed during the initial founding of America because the pilgrims who immigrated were quite orthodox, that is, they followed quite closely the idea of puritanism. This, in essence, was a reform movement that occurred in England during the 16th and 17th century which placed a great deal of effort on the reform of the Church of England. They believed that the Church should be purged of Roman Catholic beliefs. Amongst those ideas was the celebration of Christmas. Thus, Christmas was not recognized in the United States until after the American Revolution, in which case it became a federal holiday in 1870.

Returning to the question at hand, Christmas celebrates the Birth of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, which was stated to have occurred around 2,000 years ago in Israel. He was born to a woman named Mary, who was informed that she carried the child of God by the angel Gabriel, who was from the town of Nazareth. Mary and her future husband Joseph had to set out on a journey to Bethlehem because they were required to take part in a census decreed by Roman Emperor Caeser Augustus. Upon arrival, Mary and Joseph were unable to find lodging, which resulted in them having to stay in a stable. Jesus was then born in the stable and placed in a manger (feeding trough).

To conclude, it can be surmised that the celebration of Jesus is quite important in the Christian religion, because it holds quite a significance on the prophecies and teachings of the Bible. Diving into the topic a little deeper, it can be discovered that many of the core fundamental beliefs of Christianity are encompassed in the religious celebration of Christmas, thus making it by far one of the most important of all Christian celebrations. Thus, it is quite interesting that the celebration of an important religious figure has become synonymized throughout the world with the exchange of gifts and a man in a red costume.

Some may believe that the more modern ideas of Christmas remove from the purity of the underlying occasion, however I believe it is far more impressive that in many parts of the world, despite a difference in religious beliefs, many people still celebrate the holiday. Just like Air Jordan shoes, Christmas has become a long-lasting fad; I think this is primarily due to the prevalence of Christianity throughout the world. Especially in youth, many children feel compelled to be included in the exchange of giving and thus set aside their religious beliefs to join in on the celebration. In a time of many religious conflicts, I am very curious to see if the prevalence of Christmas in the religious divide continues to be apparent.