Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few
years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be
celebrated on the 25th December.
Christmas is now celebrated by people around the world, whether they are Christians or not. It's a time when family and friends come together and remember the good things they have. People, and especially children, also like Christmas as it's a time when you give and receive presents!
The
name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which
is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that
Jesus died for us and then came back to life. 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.
There
are many different traditions and theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on
25th. A 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. Nine months after the
25th March is the 25th December! 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.
The
celebration of Christmas spread throughout the Western world over the next several
centuries, but many Christians continued to view Epiphany and Easter as more
important. Some, including the Puritans of colonial New England, even banned its
observance because they viewed its traditions—the offering of gifts and decorating
trees, for example—as linked to paganism. In the early days of the United States,
celebrating Christmas was considered a British custom and fell out of style following
the American Revolution. It wasn’t until 1870 that Christmas became a federal holiday.
Christmas is now celebrated by people around the world, whether they are Christians or not. It's a time when family and friends come together and remember the good things they have. People, and especially children, also like Christmas as it's a time when you give and receive presents!
Christians
believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. To remember the birth of Jesus Christ
25th December Christmas is celebrated. 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 first official mention of December 25 as a holiday honouring Jesus’
birthday appears in an early Roman calendar from 336 A.D, during the time of
the Roman