The Origin of Christmas

I hear people all the time getting offended and political about "Happy Holidays" and other affronts to Christmas. Christmas is predominately a Christian (religious) holiday, but in the US (and other parts of the world) it has taken on a culture of its own. As much as it is a religious holiday, it is a cultural holiday. But, in the effort to not offend the minority that do not celebrate it, the malls and retail stores go out of their way to say they include everyone with their "Happy Holidays" greeting. I don't care so much for it, but I won't go out of my way to yell and scream about an attack on the Christian faithful at Christmastime. Christmas itself is a bastardization of many traditions and holidays that includes so much, saying "Merry Christmas" should be all that you need.



The Faith

As I wrote last year on the subject, Christmas is the celebration of God becoming a man in Jesus Christ. As I wrote then, such as now, the believability of the event is questioned by some.

"some cannot believe a being will give up Godly powers in order to become a lowly man, subject to the whims of nature...They simply do not believe Jesus was God and man."

Regardless of the believability, there are those that have faith in this story and celebrate it as the first coming of their Lord and Savior into the world to save them from their sins. If you didn't already know, I am one of them.

Showing that faith in celebration of the Christmas holiday, we give gifts to one another to show that Christ is the ultimate gift to us from God. We decorate with lights and candles to show that Christ is the 'light of the world'. We sing songs and gather with family to celebrate the most important things in life. By faith we believe that Christ came to save us from damnation for our sins.

Therefore, Christmas is very much a joyous occasion and one that is central to the Christian religion. Without the virgin birth of a son conceived by the Holy Spirit to a descendent of David (the king of Israel a thousand years prior, as well as a man blessed by God) then there is no Christianity. Sure, he could have gone on to do miracles. But the story behind his coming, and his fulfillment of prophecies (which I spoke about last year) make Him the savior of the world. Even if you can't accept that, you should at least accept that when people are celebrating Jesus' birth that they might be offended if you don't share their enthusiasm... or in a greater sense of arrogance or insensitivity, get offended yourself when you are wished a "Merry Christmas".

The Weird

The traditions of celebration brought out at Christmastime are in many ways pagan and inclusive of the practices of cultures/religions not of Christian origin. For instance, the date of Christ's birth has been debated for centuries. Most people think it was actually in the fall, but no one can know for sure. Even when counting the census (spoken of most extensively in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2) the date and time of year hasn't be reliably determined.

The date of Christmas (December 25) coincides with the date of a feast in the Roman religion at the time of Jesus. It was called natalis Invicti or 'the festival of the unconquered sun'. It was also considered the birthday of the sun - dies natalis solis invicti. This was a festival like others in ancient Rome, with parties, gift-giving, wine, singing, and dancing.

Some have postulated that early Christians chose to celebrate Jesus' birth because of the name of the celebration (Unconquered 'Son' rather than 'sun') and as a direct conflict with the festival. They wanted to replace it in importance. With the festival being held even after the Christian religion became the official religion in the empire, it was undoubtedly an important cultural celebration.

Other Christmas traditions and folklore have their origin in surprising places. The Christmas Tree has its origin in Germanic tribes bringing green branches into their homes in the hope that spring would come soon.

Called the 'Yule Tree' it was brought into the house during the 2 month festival of Yule, which began in November. This festival (and ones like it) tried to capture the last bit of life from the dead world of winter. Candles on the tree (as well as the modern day electric lights) symbolize the effort to light up the world during the darkest months of the year.


The legend of Saint Nicolas, if you don't already know from some Christmas carols, is the inspiration for Santa Claus. In fact, the idea was almost completely translated from St. Nick's Greek origins to the Dutch Sinterklaas. A 4th century saint (and real life Bishop of Myra), he gave gifts to the less fortunate.


Christmas: The Cultural Holiday

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, it is important to know that the traditions and spirit of Christmas is very much inclusive and multicultural. Just covering a couple traditions of Christmas (the day, the tree, Santa) I've brought in ideas from the Roman Empire, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, and the early Christians. The Spirit of Christmas is found in the Christ child, in the giving of St. Nick, in the Christmas tree, and in the lights that brighten the darkness of the winter. In these things, we find the origin of the holiday we call Christmas.

~ Buzz

For further reading/searching:

Christmas Element Have Pagan Roots - Discovery Video
Searching for the Real Birthday of Jesus
Christmas' Origins in Faith